Detecting megalithic structures in the Northern Jordanian Plateau: New data from historical satellite imagery

Abstract

This article examines the archaeological detection strategy undertaken during the TYRAS project - Tell Ya'moun Regional Archaeological Survey - and its suitability for identifying megalithic structures. The study area covers 288 km² of the Northern Jordanian Plateau, a geographical region consisting of diverse landscapes of desert, plains and mountains. Our investigation uses an interdisciplinary methodology that combines satellite imagery examination (mainly HEXAGON images), spatial analysis, archaeological fieldwork, and photogrammetric techniques. The image analysis results combined with the terrestrial survey have made it possible to identify new, hitherto unknown megaliths. Eight new megalithic structures spread over four new sites have been discovered, forming groups of associated megaliths or located in isolation, contributing to a better understanding of the megalithic phenomenon of the region and its geostrategic location in the landscape. However, we have also detected some problematic issues that we will explore here, such as the accuracy of our work routine in detecting positive and negative results, together with the need for fieldwork to test such approaches.