Results of Archaeogeophysical Surveying at the Great Friends Meeting House in Newport, Rhode Island

Archaeogeophysical surveys were carried out in October 2010 over a 30 x 50 m grid that was established immediately to the north and west of the north end of the Great Friends Meeting House (GFMH) in Newport, RI. The surveys were conducted using a Geonics EM-38 RT ground conductivity meter and a Malå X3M Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system that was equipped with 500 and 800 MHz antennas. In addition, a resistance survey was performed over a much smaller central area using a Geoscan RM15 resistance meter. From this work three types of geophysical anomalies have been identified: those associated with individual features, structures, and graves. There may be one large structure to the north of the GFMH with a similar alignment. Forty-two anomalies were identified that are consistent with graves. There are many more anomalies that have not been specifically interpreted as graves because they did not meet enough of our criteria but may indeed be graves. We recommend that additional archaeogeophysical surveys be performed as well as a series of follow-up excavations to ground truth the interpretations

Preliminary Report: Evaluating the Potential of Archaeogeophysical Surveying on Viking Age and Medieval Sites in Greenland, 2 – 16 August, 2010

The primary goal of this research is to begin to overcome biases in the Greenlandic Norse archaeological record. Assessing the establishment dates and organization of Norse sites in Greenland is difficult because substantial cultural deposits can be hidden under deep windblown sand deposits as well as later occupations. Shallow geophysical methods were used to help recover information on the nature, extent and depth of subsurface cultural deposits. Assessing these site characteristics is a first step in overcoming the bias towards the later, the larger, and the more visible sites in the archaeological record. Norse Greenland presents a relatively visible medieval landscape with many ruins preserved on the surface. Survey archaeologists have taken advantage of these conditions to do comprehensive surveys of Norse settlements producing inventories of farm buildings and settlements (Guldager, et al. 2002; Keller 1990). Coring surveys and excavation at known sites have demonstrated that some sites are buried under significant aeolian deposits and that areas within many other sites can be deep and contain ruins that are not visible on the surface. In many cases Viking Age deposits cannot be accessed by archaeological excavation, as this would damage later occupational phases. In these cases, application of archeogeophysics may be the only way to assess this unique cultural history. The identification, characterization, and dating of these subsurface architectural remains are critical to systematic survey programs and to the production of regional settlement patterns and chronologies that can help explain the ecological and political dynamics of Norse colonization, land use, and the eventual demise of Norse Greenland. Over the past 10 years the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey (SASS) has developed an intensive subsurface survey protocol to systematically recover, date, and characterize Viking Age landscapes in Iceland. While we believe the SASS subsurface protocol can be effective in Greenland there are many questions that must be resolved before any wide-scale application of the methods can be developed. The project set out to address two basic questions: (1) what is the actual subsurface record at Norse sites, and (2) which methods work best and how are they most effectively employed? In this initial investigation, we tested and adapted this protocol to conditions in Greenland. We hope that the preliminary test of these methods will significantly expand the range of sites and periods accessible to researchers working in Greenland and allow for new questions regarding the long-term political and environmental histories of the region. The successful integration of archaeogeophysics with archaeological survey and excavation will result in a more holistic approach to the preservation of Norse archaeological sites in Greenland. These sites suffer from increased modern impacts resulting from mineral exploitation, sheep farming, and tourism. Additionally, there is now total summer sub-surface thaw and conditions that were once ideal for preserving organic remains are now deteriorating, especially in well-drained areas. In the coming years the Greenland National Museum will begin a program of scheduling and protecting some of these sites. We believe that the application of archaeogeophysics could be a great asset in determining which sites are in danger and worthy of preservation

Egg on Hegranes: Geophysical Prospection, Coring, & Test Excavations—Report 2016

This report describes the 2016 archaeological work at the farm of Egg is in the southernmost part of Hegranes, North Iceland

Hegranesþing on Hegranes: Geophysical Prospection Interim Report 2013 – 2015

Geophysical surveys were conducted at Hegranesþing on Hegranes in North Icelad during the summers of 2013 and 2015

A Robust Budding Model of Balinese Water Temple Networks. World Archaeology 41(1

Abstract Ethnohistory, genetics and simulation are used to propose a new 'budding model' to describe the historical processes by which complex irrigation communities may come into existence. We review two alternative theories, Wittfogel's top-down state-formation theory and common-pool resource management, and suggest that a budding model would better account for existing archaeological and ethnographic descriptions of a well-studied network of irrigation communities on the island of Bali. The budding model is supported by inscriptions and ethnohistorical documents describing irrigation works in and around the drainage of the Petanu River, an area with some of the oldest evidence for wet-rice agriculture in Bali. Genetic analysis of Y-STR and mtDNA shows correlated demographic histories and decreased diversity in daughter villages, consistent with the budding model. Simulation results show that the network of irrigation communities can effectively adjust to repeated budding events that could potentially shock the system outside the parameter space where good harvests can be maintained. Based on this evidence we argue that the budding model is a robust explanation of the historical processes that led to the emergence and operation of Petanu irrigation communities