Tracing the Palaeolithic settlement patterns in the Western Tian Shan piedmont: an example of predictive GIS modelling use

Predictive GIS modeling successfully identified high-potential areas for Palaeolithic site discovery in the challenging Western Tian Shan piedmont, reducing the search area by a factor of five. This approach led to the identification of nine new Palaeolithic sites and 18 settlement spots in one field season, significantly expanding known open-air sites in this high-mountain region. The study demonstrates the method's effectiveness for studying Middle Palaeolithic or Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transitional settlements in similar high-altitude landscapes, offering a scalable tool for archaeological research in Central Asia.

Leloch, M., Kot, M., Pavlenok, G., Szymczak, K., Khudjanazarov, M., & Pavlenok, K. (2021). Tracing the Palaeolithic settlement patterns in the Western Tian Shan piedmont: an example of predictive GIS modelling use. Journal of Quaternary Science, 37(3), 527–542. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3393