Study on the spatiotemporal distribution of Neolithic settlement clusters based on complex social evolution: Evidence from the Dongting Lake Basin

Settlement aggregation has been a fundamental feature of human sedentary societies and provides important evidence for understanding changes in prehistoric social organization. However, previous studies of prehistoric settlement clusters have focused predominantly on spatial division and morphological structure, while comparatively little attention has been paid to their long-term spatiotemporal evolution at the watershed scale. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of Neolithic settlement clusters in the Dongting Lake Basin and its implications for the development of social complexity. A total of 1,101 Neolithic settlement sites analyzed using Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm, Arc Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS), and a Spatiotemporal Object Model. The findings reveal that settlement clusters were initially concentrated primarily in the northwestern part of the Dongting Lake basin and subsequently expanded toward the areas surrounding Dongting Lake. Their spatial organization of settlement clusters gradually evolved from a pattern characterized by "small settlements and loose clustering" into a multi-level hierarchical structure consisting of "large central settlements-medium-sized secondary settlements-small local settlements." The spatial center of the settlement clusters shifted southward at a relatively rapid pace, whereas its shifts toward the northwestern part and peripheral areas of Dongting Lake occurred more slowly. producing an overall V-shaped trajectory. The warm and humid climatic conditions, together with proximity to rivers and lakeside plains, provided favorable environmental settings for settlement development. Over time, settlement sizes generally increased, and the clusters underwent migration and differentiation, indicating increased social complexity. These findings provide new insights into the long-term spatiotemporal organization of Neolithic settlement systems in the middle Yangtze River region and contribute to a better understanding of interactions among environmental change, settlement dynamics, and the development of prehistoric social complexity.