Natural Factors Affecting the Distribution Pattern of Archaeological Sites in the Silakhor Plain, Lorestan Province

Archeological sites are the remains of the ancient settlements that were positioned on foothills of the mountains and slopes that were not suitable for settlement, burial and other uses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental factors (geomorphology, topography and water resources) and the formation of archaeological sites. The research method is descriptive - analytical and tools such as topographic, geological, geomorphological maps and Arc GIS software have been used to carry out the study.Findings/ There results show differences between sites and natural factors so that of 25 sites with a height of greater than 1602 m, 21 sites belonged to the historical period. Also, each of the environmental factors had acted differently during the formation of three different sites. The results indicate that the formation of archaeological sites in three historical periods in Silakhor plain have been facilitated by flat topography and availability of water resources. Given the availability of adequate water resources, fertile soil and low altitude and slope, alluvial plains have the greatest density of archeological sites whereas highland regions due to natural limitations have the lowest density of thesesites.