A study spanning the past five millennia compared ancient settlement patterns with modern environmental conditions in the Jazira region of Syria. This contour dataset, with 50-meter intervals (25 meters at highest elevations), was created by the University of Edinburgh to model terrain and its influence on rainfall and water runoff. It complements 13 other environmental and archaeological datasets used in the analysis.
Use Cases
- Modeling ancient settlement patterns based on terrain elevation and water runoff potential.
- Analyzing correlations between elevation and precipitation patterns for agricultural suitability studies.
- Generating digital elevation models (DEMs) to visualize trade route patterns and topographic effects.
Strengths
- Contour intervals are specified as 50 meters, with 25-meter intervals at the highest elevations.
- Dataset is part of a larger, integrated study comparing 13 other environmental and archaeological datasets.
- Based on French 1930s 1:200,000 scale maps and archaeological survey reports for historical context.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:06.947829; freshness should be verified.
Provenance
- Source
- University of Edinburgh
- Collection Method
- Generated from French 1930s 1:200,000 scale maps and archaeological survey reports as part of a comparative study.
- Time Range
- Study covers settlement patterns over the past five millennia; contour data likely derived from 1930s maps.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:06.947829
- Geography
- Jazira region of Syria