A larger-scale study of the visual dominance at the Gor River megalithic landscape (Granada, Spain)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of various analyses conducted on the megalithic complex of the Gor River valley (Granada, Spain) with the aim of exploring the visual landscape of this area on a larger scale during the Late Prehistoric period. The analyses performed include clustering of burial mounds using DBSCAN, calculation of Relative Topographic Position, calculation of fuzzy viewsheds, and statistical analysis of the existence or non-existence of relationships between dimensions, topographic prominence, and visibility. Fuzzy viewshed analysis is implemented to refine other visibility analyses that had previously been conducted on the complex, without considering the fuzziness variable, which is obtained by taking into account distance and size. The results are consistent with previous analyses that indicate no relationship between the size of the megaliths, topographic position, and visibility. It reveals the importance of the entire complex to define the related territory although the existence of possible particularities associated to various ecological niches in the study area can be also suggested.