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Abstract Revealing the evolutionary history of the relationship between humans and Earth will help us understand the spatial and temporal distribution of ancient cultural sites (referred to as ancient sites). This research explored the spatial and temporal distribution of ancient sites in Shaanxi Province (China) from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty and assessed their correlation with the natural environment and economic patterns using geographic information system (GIS) technologies. The results indicated that (1) the ancient sites in the two periods were mainly centered in Xi'an based on kernel density analysis. The number of ancient sites in the Han to the Northern and Southern Dynasties was greater than that in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The spatial distribution of ancient sites indicated that more sites are present in northern Shaanxi Province than in the south. (2) The ancient sites in Shaanxi Province were concentrated in the plain area with an elevation of approximately 866 m; the aspects were south, east, and southeast; and the slopes were 0 ~ 3° based on an analysis of the topographic features. (3) The ancient sites were concentrated within 10 km of the river. Fewer ancient sites were distributed with increasing distance from the river, indicating a linear distribution of ancient sites.
Zhu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.