The present work aims at setting the bases for the critical study of settlement patterns and resource management among Holocene hunteregatherer and agro-pastoral groups in arid margins. The case study is set on the SWmargin of the Thar Desert, in N Gujarat, an ecotone sensitive to the slightest shifts in precipitation patterns (Indian Summer Monsoon). The potential significance of published and newly acquired archaeological information is discussed in the light of physiographical data collected from satellite imagery and field exploration. The review of available and newly acquired records includes: (a) The integration of field and remote observation of regional traits and (b) The definition of active morphological processes that may bias archaeological preservation and visibility. A synthetic geoarchaeological map of the study area is proposed that integrates physiographical and archaeological evidence at the regional scale. The potential significance of the archaeological evidence in the region (i.e. presence/absence/concentration of archaeological materials in different physiographical units) is discussed in terms of preservation and visibility. At this stage, results are considered at the regional level of macroscopic units. The results constitute the first step towards the full multi-scalar integration of landscape architectures, stratified archaeological sites and surface sediments at regional and local levels

This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN: I+D HAR2010-16052 and CONSOLIDER-Ingenio 2010-00034), the Spanish Ministry of Culture (Excavaciones Arqueológicas al Exterior) and the MS University of Baroda (India). AB was funded via JAEDoc program and FC by JAEPreDoc program (Spanish National Research Council and European Social Found), BR was funded by MICINN (SB2009-060). CL is a member of AGRIWESTMED Project. Archaeological data derive from research carried out at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSBU Baroda), the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN Kyoto) and the Institució Milà i Fontanals (IMF-CSIC Barcelona). Access to Landsat, ASTER images and DEMs was granted by NASA-USGS servers (Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center – LP DAAC – United States Geological Survey – USGS – Earth Resources Observation and Science Center - EROS) (lpdaac.usgs.gov). Access to GoogleEarthPro was granted via the GoogleEarth Outreach Program (earth.google.com/outreach)

Peer reviewed