Archaeological Prospection最新文献

In the last two decades, the analysis of data derived from LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology has dramatically changed the investigation and documentation of past cultural landscapes, sometimes revealing monumental architectures and settlement systems totally unknown before. Despite the exponential uptick of case studies, an extensive review of LiDAR applications in archaeology is so far missing. Here, we present a systematic survey of works published in international journals in 2001–2022, with the aim of providing an annotated bibliography on the theme and collect quantitative information about each case study. Data collected allowed to analyse the geographic distribution of LiDAR-based studies, the specifics of acquisitions, the topography and vegetation cover of each study area, the characteristics of the material culture detected, major goals and integrated techniques. The survey considers 291 studies, of which 167 located in Europe, 104 in the Americas and only 20 between Asia, Middle East, Oceania and Africa. Our analysis shows that the impact of LiDAR in archaeological studies was greater in some areas of Europe and North America, where scholars could rely on the availability of open data provided by the institutions. This is testified by the higher number of both case studies and large-scale projects investigating these regions. It also emerges that LiDAR potential largely depends on the characteristics of the material culture, the vegetation cover and data resolution. These factors underlie the outstanding results achieved through LiDAR in tropical rainforests compared to those obtained in temperate areas, such as the Mediterranean, where the outcropping archaeological evidence, albeit vast and widespread, is generally less preserved and obscured by the dense vegetation of the Mediterranean maquis. We conclude that the increasing availability of LiDAR data over vast areas could lead to enormous advances in the investigation, monitoring and protection of the cultural heritage.

Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, Andang Bachtiar, Bagus Endar B. Nurhandoko, Ali Akbar, Pon Purajatnika, Mudrik R. Daryono, Dadan D. Wardhana, Andri S. Subandriyo, Andi Krisyunianto, Tagyuddin, Budianto Ontowiryo, Yusuf Maulana. Archaeological Prospection, 2023 (https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1912).

The above article, published online on 20 October 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editors-in-Chief, Eileen Ernenwein and Gregory Tsokas, and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Following publication of this article, concerns were raised by third parties with expertise in geophysics, archaeology, and radiocarbon dating, about the conclusions drawn by the authors based on the evidence reported. The publisher and the Co-Editors-in-Chief have investigated these concerns and have concluded that the article contains a major error. This error, which was not identified during peer review, is that the radiocarbon dating was applied to soil samples that were not associated with any artifacts or features that could be reliably interpreted as anthropogenic or “man-made.” Therefore, the interpretation that the site is an ancient pyramid built 9000 or more years ago is incorrect, and the article must be retracted. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja responded on behalf of the authors, all of whom disagree with the retraction.

Historic Black cemeteries in the south-eastern United States are actively threatened by development, neglect, environmental degradation and vandalism. Geophysical archaeological tools are often championed as a solution to document unmarked graves, determine cemetery boundaries and help preserve these spaces. This process can be problematic as geophysical instruments themselves do not find graves; rather, the data collected are reviewed by a skilled professional to interpret where graves might be present. Archaeological geophysical practitioners thus hold a great responsibility to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. Important considerations include archaeological ethics, professionalism and honest communication, as well as centring the needs of preservation within the communities of descendants and stakeholders, if possible, in the way we process, interpret and communicate results.

The evolving dynamics of climate change and water resource management present unique challenges for the research and conservation of archaeological heritage, particularly within reservoirs. The Dolmen of Guadalperal in Spain and its surrounding archaeological sites exemplify such a scenario. This study is dedicated to the development and application of a comprehensive methodology for archaeological documentation and site detection, integrating an array of approaches including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from Sentinel-1, photogrammetric restitution using historical imagery and geometric recording of sites with diverse sensing equipment. A distinctive aspect of this research lies in juxtaposing multibeam sonar data, typically associated with underwater surveys, with standard land-based documentation methods like photogrammetry and LiDAR. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating data from these diverse techniques in detecting new archaeological sites and monitoring their alterations, which could be potentially harmful.

Quintus, S., Davis, D. S., & Cochrane, E. E. (2023). Evaluating Mask R-CNN models to extract terracing across oceanic high islands: A case study from Sāmoa. Archaeological Prospection, 30(4), 477–492.

In Table 1 of the manuscript, the column labels for Recall and Precision were switched around. All statistics are otherwise correct. The corrected table should read as follows:

We apologize for this error.

Surface archaeological survey has been widely established as the principal method for the regional study of Mediterranean diachronic landscapes. Before the introduction of GPS and digital, GIS-based recordings in the late 1990s, survey projects employed analogue recording strategies (e.g. personal notebooks, printed forms and cartographic materials) resulting in low-precision spatial datasets. These archives, termed here as legacy survey data, can today be visualized and analysed using computational tools. The aim of the present work is to exemplify how legacy data can be reused and reproduced to explore unknown aspects of past survey projects. It showcases a multi-source, GIS-structured workflow to manage and re-evaluate data from the region of Grevena, north-western Greece, where a largely unpublished all-period extensive survey titled the Grevena Project has pinpointed a rich, yet unavailable to the archaeological community cultural record. The publications lacked critical evaluation of the survey results and significance, such as accurate site locations, size and chronology as well as a description of the field collection strategies used. To recover and combine these data into a single geodataset, a three-step workflow was created, including the systematic recording of collected artefacts, the deployment of archival and remote-sensing resources (e.g. georeferenced cartographic and photographic materials and satellite imagery) and the development of a new extensive survey in selected areas for validation purposes. Results indicated heterogeneity in the techniques employed by the Grevena Project for site recognition. They also brought an important assemblage of Palaeolithic finds unrecorded before. Furthermore, large-scale geomorphological analysis using geomorphometric approaches demonstrated an irregularly high density of sites in elevated areas, which is considered a surveying bias. Remote sensing sources including archival aerial photographs highlighted regional landscape changes (e.g. in forest coverage) revealing architectural remains unmapped before. Finally, the new survey around Ayios Georgios showed the discovery of several new sites, emphasizing a case study of much more complex dynamics than originally considered during the Grevena Project.

Limited visibility in the underwater environment often restricts opportunities for archaeological prospection. Especially in reservoirs with a high content of suspended solids, methods based on acoustics prove to be extremely useful. This study represents the first high-resolution acoustic mapping and archaeological prospections of the Old Oder Canal, which has extremely poor visibility. The study site is located near the town of Krosno Odrzańskie in Poland. The town is one of the country's most significant river crossings and settlements of mediaeval origin (including its wooden bridges). The following research objectives were identified: (1) exploration of the Old Oder Canal, including underwater acoustics and archaeological prospections; (2) analysis and interpretation of the study area based on acquired datasets; and (3) evaluation of secondary features of the river bathymetry for identification of archaeological objects. Possible locations of archaeological objects were determined based on analysis and interpretation of multibeam echosounder measurements of the riverbed. Fieldwork allowed structural elements of mediaeval bridges to be found and dendrochronological sampling performed. Feature selection analyses allowed the determination and evaluation of geomorphometric attributes, combining the characteristics of the discovered objects and diagnostics in order better to differentiate archaeological remains. Proposed secondary features may facilitate archaeological explorations in difficult environments.

Coastal areas can contain a highly valuable archaeological record because of post-glacial drowning of previously inhabited land surfaces. Such records are increasingly under threat because of a range of economic activities. Archaeological Heritage Management (AHM) is hampered by a lack of detailed data on the buried landscapes. This makes it difficult to fully assess and deflect threats to this record. Here, we present a novel way of using under water magnetometer surveys to map and characterize buried Mesolithic/Neolithic landforms in high detail. Magnetometer maps from the IJsselmeer area (Netherlands) show patterns of paired linear anomalies that resemble banks or levees that straddle channel-like features. Sub-bottom profile transects and sediment core analyses confirm that the observed linear features are Mesolithic and Neolithic submerged buried channel and bank/levee systems that connect to known onshore buried channel systems from that age. Although the origin of the magnetic signal is still subject of study, the observed patterns clearly indicate areas or geomorphological phenomena of high archaeological potential, and make it possible to take measures for protection and research.

The Saoura region, a renowned oasis in North Africa with heritage and archaeological significance of both national and universal importance, has witnessed a gradual deterioration over time. This research involves archaeological predictive modelling, aiming to create models capable of predicting the likelihood of discovering archaeological sites, cultural resources or evidence of past landscape use within a specific region. The study specifically focuses on predicting the locations of historical sites in the Sahara Desert, employing the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and six geo-environmental criteria, including slope, elevation (digital elevation model [DEM]), distance from water, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), fertility and proximity to palm groves. The research is based on data from 58 historical sites and includes an assessment of the model's accuracy. The study highlights the remarkable significance of the fertility variable, which accounts for 94.1% of the predictive influence, making it the most crucial geo-environmental factor in forecasting the location of historical sites in the Sahara. This underscores its pivotal role in shaping settlement patterns and subsistence strategies within the region, followed by the distance variable from the palm cove (3.2%) and the distance variable from the river (2.3%). The MaxEnt model proves to be suitable for predicting historical site positions, with an impressive average area under the ROC curve (AUC) score of 0.859, reflecting its effectiveness. Notably, areas with a high prediction probability are predominantly situated near the Saoura Valley. The study's findings hold the potential to assist planners in safeguarding archaeological sites by avoiding areas where historical sites are likely to be present.