Prehistoric Settlement Trends on the West of Lut Desert, Southeastern Iran

Twelve seasons of archaeological excavations at Bronze Age urban center of Shahdad, made possible to assign the Lut area as an important region in the archaeology of Iran Recently, an extensive archaeological survey was conducted in a 100×40 Km area on the eastern flank of Kerman range and bordering the western fringes of Lut Desert. The survey was planned in the hope of providing answers to, or at least evidence pertaining to, some regional questions. Our main objectives were to identify the settlement patterns of the region through the ancient times, investigate the human-environment interactions and settlement development during prehistoric times in a region where previous excavations had documented the existence of a significant Early Bronze Age urban center. The survey led to identifying eighty-seven ancient sites dating from the fifth millennium BC to the late Islamic era. Of the recorded sites, twenty-three are assigned to prehistoric times (Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age). This paper discusses the prehistoric settlement patterns and the human-environment interactions on the west of Lut Desert.