A study on the spatial and temporal distribution of habitation sites in the Amur River Basin and its relationship with geographical environments

Abstract

I achieved the goal of collection and storage of 1944 habitation sites in the Amur River basin by creating the ARCGIS geo-spatial database. On this basis, by visualizing the distribution of the habitation sites in six archaeological periods and four geography plates, the spatial and temporal distribution information of these sites were interpreted quantitatively. Specifically, the quantitative indicators, such as nuclear density, location of gravity center, and cultural inheritance index, revealed the spatial distribution of the habitation sites. In addition, the elevation, slope, and distance value from the river were extracted through spatial analysis of ArcGIS, revealing the characteristics of the combination of sites and geographical conditions. The analysis of vegetation and temperature-climate conditions of the Amur River basin suggests the coupling relationship between ancient settlements and the natural environment: Arable land with an average annual temperature above 4 ℃ is the area with the highest concentration of large settlements, while other woodlands, grasslands and swamps with lower average annual temperatures are the main distribution areas of small nomadic sites.

Keywords

• the amur river basin
• habitation sites
• spatial and temporal distribution
• geographical environment
• gis mapping