Abiotic environmental conditions of former settlement in the vicinity of Ulów in Roztocze (SE Poland)

The paper presents the environmental conditions of the location of a multicultural settlement functioning from the Palaeolithic to the modern times in an area of an alleged settlement void. The location of the settlement was evaluated in terms of transport and communication possibilities at the regional scale and local environmental conditions. Field research was conducted, as well as the analysis of the hydrogeological and geomorphological conditions in the context of water supply and soil conditions for the development of agriculture. The detailed analysis applied an ALS (Airbone Laser Scanning) image and geological-soil coring. The study area is located on the crossing of prehistoric transport routes the course of which depends on the variability of the natural environment at the regional scale. At the local scale, settlement was favoured by abiotic parameters of the natural environment: easily arable soils, beneficial microclimate, and hydrogeological conditions providing for the presence of water in the plateau area.