New Global Perspectives on Archaeological Prospection

This volume is a product of the 13th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection 2019, which was hosted by the Department of Environmental Science in the Faculty of Science at the Institute of Technology Sligo. The conference is held every two years under the banner of the International Society for Archaeological Prospection and this was the first time that the conference was held in Ireland. New Global Perspectives on Archaeological Prospection draws together over 90 papers addressing archaeological prospection techniques, methodologies and case studies from 33 countries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and North America, reflecting current and global trends in archaeological prospection. At this particular ICAP meeting, specific consideration was given to the development and use of archaeological prospection in Ireland, archaeological feedback for the prospector, applications of prospection technology in the urban environment and the use of legacy data. Papers include novel research areas such as magnetometry near the equator, drone-mounted radar, microgravity assessment of tombs, marine electrical resistivity tomography, convolutional neural networks, data processing, automated interpretive workflows and modelling as well as recent improvements in remote sensing, multispectral imaging and visualisation

Form and function in hillslope hydrology : in situ imaging and characterization of flow-relevant structures

Thanks to Elly Karle and the Engler-BunteInstitute, KIT, for the IC measurements of bromide. We are grateful to Selina Baldauf, Marcel Delock, Razije Fiden, Barbara Herbstritt, Lisei Köhn, Jonas Lanz, Francois Nyobeu, Marvin Reich and Begona Lorente Sistiaga for their support in the lab and during fieldwork, as well as Markus Morgner and Jean Francois Iffly for technical support and Britta Kattenstroth for hydrometeorological data acquisition. Laurent Pfister and Jean-Francois Iffly from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) are acknowledged for organizing the permissions for the experiments. Moreover, we thank Markus Weiler (University of Freiburg) for his strong support during the planning of the hillslope experiment and the preparation of the manuscript. This study is part of the DFG-funded CAOS project “From Catchments as Organised Systems to Models based on Dynamic Functional Units” (FOR 1598). The manuscript was substantially improved based on the critical and constructive comments of the anonymous reviewers, Christian Stamm and Alexander Zimmermann, and the editor Ross Woods during the open review process, which is highly appreciated.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exploring the Consistency of Data Collected in Archaeological Geophysics: A Case Study from the Iron Age Hillfort of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Extremadura, Spain)

Different geophysical methods applied at the settlement of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Botija, Spain) have identified robust anomalies located at the same position, but some anomalies are reflected by only one method. Furthermore, analysing the spatial correlation of these anomalies is of fundamental importance for obtaining a correct archaeological interpretation. In this work, we analysed the main results of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometry methods in a particular area of the archaeological site. In this analysis, we performed graphical and numerical spatial correlation analyses of the anomalies and observed strong agreement among the results provided by each method. Certain anomalies were reflected only in the magnetic and ERT studies. The results highlight the importance of applying several geophysical methods and performing spatial correlational analyses. Furthermore, the methodology that we have applied to evaluate the spatial correlation offers interesting results

Bridging the scales: model-driven integrative interpretation of archaeological and geophysical data.

Geophysical prospecting in wetland environments is continuously under debate because of the critical unstable environment, but at the same time the richness in cultural heritage. This thesis is part of the interdisciplinary project SFB 1266 of the CRC ‘Scales of transformation’ at Kiel University, which focuses on reconstructing the prehistoric landscape transformation during human occupation. It aims to examine the potential for conventional geophysical survey methods (resistivity, ground penetrating radar and seismics) as site prospection and landscape investigation tools in peatland environments. Two case studies are presented in which multi-geophysical investigations have been performed and validated by archaeological excavations and stratigraphic information. Kettle holes are common ice decay features in formerly glacial landscapes like those in Southern Scandinavia and Northern Germany. In 2017 the Horsens Museum (Denmark) carried out a rescue excavation at Tyrsted which revealed Late Palaeolithic flint of the Bromme type (12.000-11.000 BCE) and worked reindeer antlers. Nowadays, the organic artefact inventory from the Bromme culture is largely unknown due to the scarcity of organic remains and the general lack of proper stratigraphic observations. The available dates concentrate in the (late) Allerød and early Younger Dryas chronozones, but unfortunately most of these dating are tentative only. Therefore, this connection in a Late Glacial horizon at Tyrsted is unique and it has the potential to provide new information in the current archaeological debate. The aim is to investigate a small kettle hole (site 8) using ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to estimate the extension of the feature. Shear wave reflection and refraction seismics (SH Seismics) were able to detect the whole shape and the bottom sediment of the former lake. Furthermore a seismic event is visible which can be associated to the transition between the Allerød and Younger Dryas sediment making the detection of the Bromme horizon possible. After the non invasive investigation, a location for an open excavation has been chosen in a way to groundtruth the geophysical results allowing the direct comparison with the stratigraphy. These results allow the archaeologists to identify key excavation areas focused on the investigation of the Allerød and Younger Dryas layers in a way to improve the dating information about the Bromme horizon collected so far. At the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers site of Duvensee (10000-6500 BCE) a multi methodological investigation has been carried out too, aiming to reconstruct the ancient landscape during human occupation. GPR, ERT and SH-Seismic have been performed together with corings, DP-EC logs and soil analyses as well for ground-truthing. It turned out that each method is able to distinguish between sediments that differ in grain size, in particular between peat, lake sediment (gyttjas and clay) and basal glacial sand deposits. GPR delivered the location of five former small sand hills that formed islands in the prehistoric lake where clusters of Mesolithic camps have been found. This study delivers depth maps of the three most important sedimentary facies interfaces and a 3D model of the spatio-temporal development of the Duvensee bog which agrees with the spatio-temporal pattern of the previous archaeological finds. GPR is even able to separate between high and low decomposed peat layers which is also clear considering resistivity variations in the ERT computation. From the association between geophysical properties and soil analyses (e.g. water content and organic matter) different gyttjas were distinguished and sismic velocity was correlated to bulk density. Values concerning electrical resistivity, dielectric permittivity, and shear wave velocity have been determined for each sediment and are therefore available to complete and improve the investigation of wetland environments. Both geophysical measurements and sediment analyses presented in this study can finally be useful to map lake sediments in wetland environments offering a potential to shape the common debate regarding wetland heritage management. This thesis concludes that geophysical prospection contributes to wetland archaeology as a tool for site detection and landscape interpretation. Future research should aim to further our understanding of the relationship between geophysical response and peatland soil properties, alongside a more extensive program of surveys and ground-truthing work to improve survey methodologies and archaeological interpretations

Remote sensing and data fusion of cultural and physical landscapes

This dissertation is written as part of the three-article option offered by the Geography Department at UNC Greensboro. Each article addresses specific research issues within Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, and three-dimensional modeling related structural and subsurface remote sensing of historic cultural landscapes. The articles submitted in this dissertation are both separate study sites and research questions, but the unifying theme of geographic research methods applies throughout. The first article is titled Terrestrial Lidar and GPR Investigations into the Third Line of Battle at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Guilford County, North Carolina is published in the book Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology: Archaeology in the Age of Sensing. Forte, Maurizio, Campana, Stefano R.L. (Eds.) 2016. The results of the research demonstrate the successful exportation of GPR data into three-dimensional point clouds. Subsequently, the converted GPR points in conjunction with the TLS were explored to aid in the identification of the colonial subsurface. The second article submitted for consideration is titled “Three-Dimensional Modeling using Terrestrial LiDAR, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and Digital Cameras at House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site, Sanford, North Carolina.” There are two different research components to this study, modeling a structure and the landscape. The structure modeling section compares three different remote sensing approaches to the capture and three-dimensional model creation of a historic building. A detailed comparison is made between the photogrammetric models generated from digital camera photography, a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS). The final article, “Geophysical Investigations at the Harper House Bentonville Battlefield, NC State Historic Site” submitted focuses on the Harper House located in at the Bentonville Civil War battlefield. UNCG conducted a geophysical survey using a ground penetrating radar and gradiometer. The findings from the data were used to determine and pinpoint areas of interest for subsequent excavation

Remote Sensing and Geosciences for Archaeology

This book collects more than 20 papers, written by renowned experts and scientists from across the globe, that showcase the state-of-the-art and forefront research in archaeological remote sensing and the use of geoscientific techniques to investigate archaeological records and cultural heritage. Very high resolution satellite images from optical and radar space-borne sensors, airborne multi-spectral images, ground penetrating radar, terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling, Geographyc Information Systems (GIS) are among the techniques used in the archaeological studies published in this book. The reader can learn how to use these instruments and sensors, also in combination, to investigate cultural landscapes, discover new sites, reconstruct paleo-landscapes, augment the knowledge of monuments, and assess the condition of heritage at risk. Case studies scattered across Europe, Asia and America are presented: from the World UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to heritage under threat in the Middle East and North Africa, from coastal heritage in the intertidal flats of the German North Sea to Early and Neolithic settlements in Thessaly. Beginners will learn robust research methodologies and take inspiration; mature scholars will for sure derive inputs for new research and applications

An integration of non-destructive techniques (SFM-GPR-TLS) as a virtual tool for archaeological strategy: the case of the roman site of the plaza de la Morería in Sagunto (Spain)

9th International Congress & 3rd GEORES - GEOmatics and pREServation-ARQUEOLÓGICA 2.0 : Valencia (Spain). 26–28 April 2021In this article, we present a methodology involving a combination of structure from motion (SFM) photogrammetry, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), georeferenced on the same reference frame defined by topographic methods. We show that this simultaneous integration of non-destructive techniques (NDTs) and analysis of archaeological data constitutes a highly effective approach for archaeological research strategies. As an example of the applicability of this framework, we discuss in detail the archaeological research (1991, 2002 and 2018 campaigns) at a Roman site, the Plaza de la Morería, located in the urban area of the city of Sagunto (eastern Spain). The goal of this research was to design a strategy to recover a pre-1st century AD Roman funerary space, and to assess whether to remove a 3rd century AD domus pavement covering the funerary remains. We found that our methodology was able to provide an adaptable and flexible design at each phase of the project. The high resolution of 2D and 3D virtual visualisation features of the GPR technique made it possible to pinpoint and map the existence of Roman overlapped horizons and buried structures in the study zone. Therefore, this framework is able to provide a deep understanding of the spatial organisation and stratigraphic potential, allowing informed decisions about which levels to excavate and which ones to remove. This feature is extremely significant for the inherent decision-making process in every archaeological research project, thus opening new perspectives in interventions of location, study, management, conservation and planning in archaeological heritage research