Study on Demographic Changes and Spatial Distribution of the Iron Age Communities of Iran with an Environmental Archaeology Approach

In the archaeological research of the Iron Age of Iran, the study of human-environment interaction has been largely neglected. Besides, due to the occurrence of climatic oscillations over the cultural period, conducting research with this approach seems necessary. The biggest limitation of this study was the shortage of absolute datings and reliable relative chronologies for most Iranian Iron Age sites. In addition, the studied sites, which are mainly cemeteries, do not allow for cultural stratification. In this research, the abundance and spatial distribution of the Iron Age cemeteries and settlements excavated and surveyed in the North Central, North, Northwest, and West regions of Iran are analyzed from the perspective of climate change. Paleoclimate researches in Southwest Asia indicate the intensification of arid climatic conditions during the Iron Age II (1250-800 BC). Based on the analysis, it is probable that the decrease of population in some regions and the displacement of human communities, as well as the subsistence system relying on mainly pastoral-nomadic during the Iron Age, were related to arid climatic events.