The Dez-Karun-Confluence in Lower Susiana (SW Iran) in the Last Millennia;a Case Study for the Human-Environment-Interaction

Dez and Karun are two perennial rivers originating from the Zagros mountains in highland Iran, flowing into theriverine landscape of the Susiana Plains in southwestern Iran. They are crucial elements of the landscape and centralto the region’s archaeology, especially regarding agriculture and trade, at least since the late Neolithic. The oldestknown settlements of the Susiana date back to the seventh millennium BCE in the flood plains of these two rivers.This long and continuous interaction of rivers and human settlements is worth understanding. The current Dez-Karun-confluence is assumed to be very young, especially given the very straight channel of the joint rivers directlyafter their confluence – for about ۲۰ kilometers (km) to the south – before it regains a meandering character.In this paper, I propose that their current confluence is recent and explore this proposition based on archaeologicalevidence, historical accounts, and newly generated geoarchaeological data, as well as OSL dating. Then, I discussthe implications of this environmental change, making a case for the hybrid nature of this change as an event withinthe framework of human-environment-interaction.

Keywords:

Dez River , Karun River , Geoarchaeology , Riverine Landscape , Iran , Susiana , OSL Dating , River Confluence