Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Fatemeh Heidari ¹
• Homa Irani Behbahani ²
• Bahman Firuzmandy Shirehjin ³

¹ Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Archaeology. Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran branch, Tehran, Iran

² Professor, Department of Environmental Design Engineering, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran

³ Professor, Department of Archaeology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Iran

Abstract

The living environment of today is the outcome of the relationships between the people who have lived in it and nature, from the time of the emergence of the human species on Earth to the present day. Human activities and the changes resulting from them in the context of place have taken place under the influence of beliefs, needs, and natural restraining and reinforcing factors, and with the change of generations and climate change have taken on various forms, the remnants of which we are witnessing today. The current landscape, which bears the marks of the past, is called the archaeological landscape, which is the result of the combination of objective and subjective elements. The objective part is the archaeological remains, but the subjective part includes the relationships between societies, culture, and its changes, which are often overlooked; however, this often-overlooked part has been very dynamic and has played a significant role in shaping the existing objectivity. This paper attempts to present a method for reading the archaeological landscape in the perception of the contemporary human being through the archaeological landscape phenomenology. The phenomenology of the landscape requires a comprehensive approach in which we pay close attention to "nature" and "culture”, to places with and without evidence of change or human activity. By considering the hierarchy of historical-cultural events and the objectivity that remains from them, as well as the connection of the people who lived there with the surrounding natural environment, this method provides a reading that, in addition to emphasizing the protection of ancient objective structures, preserves the continuity of these landscapes with their context and transforms the archaeological landscape from mere protection to a dynamic and interactive landscape with contemporary humans. Therefore, understanding the evolution of archaeological landscapes and their values is of fundamental importance for conservation and planning strategies. These landscapes possess inherent natural and cultural values, which necessitate the integration of objective and subjective aspects into methods for their conservation and presentation

Keywords

• Landscape Archeology
• Phenomenology
• Nature
• Culture
• Objectivity
• Subjectivity