Archaeological Prospection最新文献

Airborne laser scanning (ALS), commonly known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote sensing technique that enables transformative archaeological research by providing high-density 3D representations of landscapes and sites covered by vegetation whose analysis reveals hidden features and structures. ALS can detect targets under trees and grasslands, making it an ideal archaeological survey and mapping tool. ALS instruments are usually mounted on piloted aircraft. However, since the mid-2010s, smaller laser scanners can be mounted on uncrewed aerial vehicles or drones. In this article, we examined the viability of drone-based ALS for archaeological applications by utilizing a RIEGL VUX-UAV²² sensor to capture point clouds with high spatial resolution at the archaeological site of Heloros in Southeastern Sicily, founded by the Greeks in the late eighth century bce. Using this laser scanner, we surveyed over 1.6 km² of the archaeological landscape, producing datasets that outperformed noncommercial airborne ALS data for the region made available by the Italian government. We produced derivative imagery free of vegetation, which we visualized in GIS using a modified Local Relief Model technique to aid our archaeological analyses. Our findings demonstrate that drone-based ALS can penetrate the dense Mediterranean canopy of coastal Sicily with sufficient point density to enable more efficient mapping of underlying archaeological features such as stone quarries, cart tracks, defensive towers and fortification walls. Our study proved that drone-based ALS sensors can be easily transported to remote locations and that in-house lab staff can safely operate them, which enables multiple on-demand surveys and opportunistic collections to be conducted on the fly when environmental conditions are ideal. We conclude that these capabilities further increase the benefits of utilizing ALS for surveying the archaeological landscape under the Mediterranean canopy.

This paper presents the results of a pilot landscape-scale seismic survey undertaken in Apalachee Bay, Florida, across a submerged landscape that contains dozens of Pre-Contact sites. In addition to the goals of improving the geophysical and remote sensing ground model for this submerged landscape, the survey also sought to undertake the first independent scientific test of the contentious ‘HALD’ methodology, an acoustic resonance method that it is claimed to identify knapped lithic artefacts at and/or below the seabed through the identification of distinct ‘haystack’ responses. The results of this work indicate that the HALD method, as currently described, produces results that could not be scientifically replicated in this survey. We conclude that any HALD ‘haystack’ signal should therefore not be considered as an example of detection of human-modified lithic material but rather as a geophysical anomaly that requires additional constraints before it can be used to reliably identify human-modified lithic materials. Thus, although the authors note that laboratory studies have successfully produced an acoustic signal in human-modified lithics, the field-based methods remain yet to be reliably determined. In addition to these results, the landscape mapping survey also recorded valuable information on buried and previously unrecorded landscape features that have archaeological significance and that may guide future site prospection. We therefore conclude that despite the results of the HALD test, the well-preserved submerged landscape of Apalachee Bay region provides a highly useful testing ground for methods that can be deployed elsewhere globally.

The case study area is a small but typical prehistoric landscape in the Kras Plateau on the north coast of the central Mediterranean. The Late Bronze and Iron Age Kras Plateau was an emblematic Mediterranean archaeological landscape dotted with numerous hillforts. Since the mid-20th century, the landscape had been overgrown with some of the most archaeology-hostile vegetation, severely impeding landscape archaeology until archaeological LiDAR revealed thousands of archaeological features that attest to a carefully constructed and managed agro-pastoral landscape. However, these discoveries were hampered by insecure chronology typical of any LiDAR guided analysis. This case study meticulously documented two prehistoric hillforts and a previously unknown agro-pastoral landscape with hundreds of archaeological features. The focus of the article, however, was on establishing a more precise and objective dating method. We proposed a multiproxy method to date the archaeological landscape. It combines relative dating using remote sensing data and historical maps; dating based on historical context; relative stratigraphic dating; indirect dating based on associated archaeological finds; and dating by association. Particularly, we focused on the association-based dating of archaeological features. We proposed a method based on the concept of taskscapes that relies on kernel density estimation. Using these methods, we objectively demonstrated that agro-pastoral landscape features documented with archaeological LiDAR were contemporaneous with Late Bronze Age and Iron Age hillforts and have no connection to the post-medieval landscape. The latter has important methodological implications for the prehistoric archaeology of Mediterranean karst landscapes, where backdating post-Medieval landscapes is a common practise.

This study builds on a preliminary investigation into the efficacy of gamma radiation surveying as a complementary tool for archaeological prospection. Improved surveying and data processing methods were implemented, including the use of a vehicle-mounted Groundhog surveying system, use of alternative software tools and examination of the impacts of individual radionuclides. The study focuses on a range of targets within Insulae VII, XXXV and XXXIII in Silchester Roman town, Hampshire. Targets of interest included a polygonal temple, a house, ditches (including an Iron Age defensive ditch) and several Roman roads. While the survey revealed no measurable differences in the gamma radionuclide content of less substantial structures (such as the temple and house) and the surrounding soil, it successfully delineated major structures. The Roman roads, Iron Age defensive ditch and potentially an indication of a historic field boundary not present in modern records were clearly visible in the generated visualisations. The roads and field boundary appear as distinct linear features of depleted radioactivity. The location of the Iron Age ditch correlates with an area of elevated radioactivity. Notably, the technique not only successfully identified archaeological features but was also able to indicate differences in the properties of similar targets such as variations in road thickness. Further, the gamma radiation data indicates variations in the local geology attributable to historic changes in land use and geochemical composition. This latest study corroborates the findings of the preliminary investigation, demonstrating replicability, scalability and ability to enhance output data quality. Further research, including sampling and non-destructive analysis of materials from the site, is needed to better explain observed results.

Archaeological prospection is continually expanding into new frontiers, examining increasingly large areas, diverse environmental contexts and varying site types. One area that has received only limited focus is historic battlefields. This paper presents results from large-scale geophysical surveys (> 100 ha) at the Napoleonic battlefield of Waterloo (1815) in Belgium, using fluxgate magnetometry and frequency-domain electromagnetic induction. Despite its international historical significance, professional archaeological research at the battlefield is still in its infancy. We demonstrate how important insights can be gained by using geophysical methods for identifying features and artefacts related to the battle and for developing an understanding of the various influences acting on the present landscape. The largest survey of its kind undertaken on a single battlefield site, this approach holds particular potential for battlefield archaeology, given the subtle and low-density nature of the sought-after targets and the extensive area of the site. Such an approach can mitigate (though not entirely resolve) challenges of resolution and scale associated with other methods of investigation. Using a representative range of examples from Waterloo, we consider successes and challenges in undertaking geophysical surveys on battlefield sites. An integrated approach that incorporates targeted sampling and other forms of ancillary data is emphasized for a more robust interpretation of noninvasive sensor data.

Underwater archaeology relies on expensive and time-consuming invasive methods for identifying and excavating objects buried in the seabed or identifying layers in shallow and intertidal environments. Especially shallow and intertidal environments are challenging due to locally high levels of sedimentation that offer good conditions for preserving organic material, that is, archaeological objects, in stabile and low-oxygen environments. We present a system capable of dense (25 cm × 25 cm) survey coverage that enables nondestructive decimetre-scale visualization of buried objects and sedimentary layers lying in the subsurface. The system comprises an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) equipped with a single-channel 2D Chirp sonar. A description of the vehicle design is presented, and results from five field tests demonstrate the ability of the system to collect high-resolution acoustic data in a variety of shallow water environments. The system shows an example of the linearized zero offset reflectivity inversion dataset, visualizing a known buried shipwreck from the medieval period in Avaldsnes, Norway. The ASV system holds global implications as it can serve as a noninvasive first-stage survey in sensitive heritage or archaeological areas. Areas where traditional methods are challenging, or invasive methods are dissuaded.

Landscape-scale LiDAR-based studies are becoming increasingly prevalent in archaeology, mainly focusing on detecting archaeological sites to create datasets for spatial analysis. However, the representativeness of these datasets in accurately reflecting the surviving distributions of archaeological sites has often been overlooked. This paper discusses issues of sampling and representativeness in LiDAR-derived datasets, particularly within the scope of large-scale landscape studies in Mediterranean contexts. Drawing insights from the Ancient Hillforts Survey, which analysed 15 296 km² in south-central Italy, the study examines the variability in the visibility of different site typologies in open-source but low-resolution LiDAR data. Through an examination of hillforts, platform farms, settlements, field systems, traces of Roman centuriation, and transhumance routes, the paper highlights significant variability in the identification and mapping within and across different site types. Recognizing the need to account for this variability in the development of spatial analysis, the paper discusses the use of sampling areas to address this variability. This approach aims to effectively mitigate potential biases in analysis, emphasizing the necessity for nuanced methodologies in interpreting LiDAR data for archaeological research.

Bianco, L., M. La Manna, V. Russo, and M. Fedi. 2024. “ Magnetic and GPR Data Modelling via Multiscale Methods in San Pietro in Crapolla Abbey, Massa Lubrense (Naples).” Archaeological Prospection 31: 139–147. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/arp.1936.

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