Archaeological surveys of a canyon and floodplain in the Tanūf District, North-Central Oman: Optimised methodology and applications

Abstract

The highly-elevated and rugged topography of the Al-Ḥajar Mountains in Northern Oman requires a topographically-optimised survey methodology. To reconstruct the archaeological landscapes in the southern piedmont area of the Tanūf District, we applied a combined ground survey and satellite imagery analysis. In the narrow canyon, we travelled towards visible caves on the cliffs and cairns on the ridges and recorded all encountered sites on the way. In the open floodplain and surrounding hills, we visited all visible features after scanning them from higher viewpoints. We utilised satellite imagery to complement inaccessible sites. Accordingly, we identified 23 sites from the Early Bronze Age to the Early Islamic period through ground surveys, and an additional nine sites through satellite imagery analysis. In our qualitative evaluation, this combined method was effective enough to reconstruct the archaeological landscapes of the survey area.