Following Wagstaff's paper on physical geography and settlements, a brief expansion of the discussion of distribution of agricultural resources is in place. This topic provides the necessary background for studies conducted in the village itself as well as for the following paper on “Agricultural productivity and past population potential at Aşvan”.

My object here is firstly, to outline the spatial distribution of major land resources (this is achieved via Figs. 1 and 2), secondly to discuss a few of the factors which appear to have conditioned this distribution and, thirdly, to outline some problems involved in the location of ancient settlements relative to these land resources. Few conclusions can, however, be drawn until we have more data on sedimentation history (and thence ancient distribution of soils) in the region.