An ecological model of settlement expansion in northwestern Morocco

Missing Landscapes: A Geohistory of Parkland Landscapes in Northwestern Morocco

“…Knowledge of the occupation of the region of Larache is sufficient to attempt to explain the relationship between landscape changes and settlement history. In the wake of the 5th century departure of Roman administrators from the city of Lixus, the population of the region, and particularly that of the R'mel plateau, diminished markedly [42,43]. By the 11th century, according to El-Bakri, and by the 12th, according to Idrissi, the city of Tchemich, which, in the late Middle Ages, experienced the same fate as Lixus, had dwindled to a small village, having conserved only isolated ruins of its past splendor.…”

“…By the 11th century, according to El-Bakri, and by the 12th, according to Idrissi, the city of Tchemich, which, in the late Middle Ages, experienced the same fate as Lixus, had dwindled to a small village, having conserved only isolated ruins of its past splendor. On the other hand, the alluvial plain of the Loukkos (which Siraj refers to as Oued Safdad [43]), in the region of Ksar-Kebir (Souk-Kotama at the time), was already well developed. El-Gharbaoui (1981) believes that present-day population distribution still reflects these medieval circumstances.…”

Dots on the Map: Issues in the Archaeological Analysis of Site Locations

“…In a study of pastoralist settlements in Cameroon, Moritz et al (2014) used a single index that combined properties of soil, vegetation, and water. Jazwa and Collins-Elliott (2021) utilized three indices of agricultural potential within 10-km ranges, as well as distance to harbors to investigate historic settlements in Morocco. In a study of Maya settlements, Prufer et al (2017) employed measures of good soils and permanent water, together with proximity to trade routes and constructed features such as monumental architecture.…”

“…Alternatively, the assumption may be true, but only when factors other than those not included in the study are important. If trade routes, in the case of the Maya study (Prufer 2017), or harbors, in the case of the historic Moroccan study (Jazwa & Collins-Elliott, 2021), are critical to the choice of locations but not included in the analysis of site locations, the real-life determinants of the site distribution cannot be fully recognized.…”