Prehistoric landscape reorganization and heritage interpretation in the Ji-shaped Bend of the Yellow River, China

Prehistoric settlement landscapes in the Ji-shaped Bend of the Yellow River provide important cevidence for understanding long-term cultural reorganization and human adaptation in northern China. However, their spatiotemporal evolution, environmental contexts, and underlying processes remain insufficiently understood. Using archeological records spanning 8–2.5 ka BP, this study integrates GIS-based spatial analyses with environmental comparisons to examine prehistoric settlement reorganization. Results reveal a shift from localized concentration in the Early Neolithic to extensive expansion during the Middle and Late Neolithic, followed by contraction and regional differentiation in the Bronze Age. Settlement settings varied significantly through time, with elevation showing the strongest differentiation, whereas slope and river distance varied less markedly. Considered alongside paleoclimatic and subsistence evidence, these findings illuminate long-term cultural landscape reorganization and support landscape-scale interpretation of prehistoric heritage in ecological transition zones.