Remote Sensing and Archaeological Prospection in Apulia, Italy (original) (raw)
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Remote Sensing and Archaeological Prospection in Apulia, Italy (with S.A. Ross and A. Sobotkova)
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2009
when deployed in combination with ground control (archaeological surface survey)and environmental research, remote sensing based upon high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery allows large areas to be evaluated efficiently by a small team of researchers and contributes to a better understanding of an archaeological landscape. In 2007 and 2008, we analyzed ca. 100 sq km of imagery centered on L'Amastuola, Italy. Combining the evaluation of high-resolution multispectral imagery with concurrent ground control led to the discovery of 29 sites and significant off-site scatters during about four weeks of fieldwork. Our analysis indicates that most of the detected features reflect geological conditions amenable to past human habitation rather than subsurface archaeological remains. Earlier fieldwork by the Murge Tableland Survey (MTS) provided independent definitions for various types of sites and a large sample of sites and off-site scatters in the study area. Comparison of our remote-sensing guided efforts with the results of that survey suggests that our success rate is too high to be explained by random association and also illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of the respective methods, underscoring the need to integrate satellite image analysis with ground control and surface survey.
High-resolution, multi-spectral satellite imagery can be deployed in combination with ground control, archaeological surface survey, and environmental research to produce a richer understanding of the archaeological landscape. While intensive surface survey remains the gold standard for site detection, remote sensing allows larger areas to be evaluated quickly and efficiently. During 2007 and 2008, investigators analysed approximately 70 sq km surrounding the site of l’Amastuola, in Apulia, Italy, supplemented in 2009 by another 85 sq km in the environs of the ancient city of Seuthopolis, near Kazanluk, Bulgaria. Previous and concurrent surface survey provided site definitions and a large sample of sites discovered through an independent process. Integration and comparison of remote sensing and surface survey data indicated that although remote sensing dramatically increased the area evaluated in both regions, only certain sites could be detected and patterns of discovery varied by region. In Italy, remote sensing primarily revealed sites associated with geological conditions amenable to past human habitation. In Bulgaria detection depended upon a combination of cultural and environmental factors. Integrating the two methods allows remote sensing to extend the reach of surface survey, while surface survey indicates the detection rates and patterns provided by remote sensing.
2020
A collaboration between the American University of Rome, the Municipality of Giove, and Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio dell'Umbria has resulted in an academic project aimed at a preliminary evaluation of a particular area along the Tiber river that straddles the border between Umbria and Lazio. Archaeological prospection methods, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and photogrammetry, have made it possible to better study the landscape with respect to not only the changes the area has undergone recently, but also its evolution during the Roman and Medieval periods, while keeping the main communication route represented by the Tiber river as its fulcrum.
Remote Sensing, 2020
A collaboration between the American University of Rome, the Municipality of Giove, and Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio dell'Umbria has resulted in an academic project aimed at a preliminary evaluation of a particular area along the Tiber river that straddles the border between Umbria and Lazio. Archaeological prospection methods, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and photogrammetry, have made it possible to better study the landscape with respect to not only the changes the area has undergone recently, but also its evolution during the Roman and Medieval periods, while keeping the main communication route represented by the Tiber river as its fulcrum.
Aventinus Minor Project: Remote Sensing for Archaeological Research in Rome (Italy)
Remote Sensing, 2022
This paper presents the results of a preliminary survey in a central urban area of Rome, Italy. The results were obtained from both desktop and remote sensing surveys. The Aventinus Minor Project (AMP) is a community archaeological excavation project focusing on an understudied area in Rome with limited modern archaeological excavation: the Aventinus Minor or Little Aventine. The remote sensing (RS) anomalies revealed by the survey illustrate that this area is potentially rich in buried structures potentially correlated with ancient visible remains (i.e., the Servian Walls and Santa Balbina church). The application of RS approaches (such as NDVI, VARI, and GPR) and the creation of a GIS platform lays the foundations for a correct and georeferenced reporting of all collected data, providing a nuanced understanding of the urban archaeology in the dense topography of Rome. Keywords: AMP; remote sensing; GPR; NDVI; VARI; GIS; Rome
Journal of Physics Conference Series 2204(1):012020, 2022
This paper is focused on the archaeological area of Metaponto (Mexomov-nov) and its territory, located in southern Italy. The area played an important role for the agricultural economy and the traffic of goods and people, from the south of Italy towards the central regions, starting from the Neolithic period, and reaching the zenith with the Greek polis of Metaponto and its hinterland. The site is herein analyzed through an integrated use of several Earth observation and remote sensing technologies and ancillary data produced over the years by archaeologists and scholars. The aim was to identify new buried elements of archaeological interest, for the reconstruction of the historical-archaeological landscape. Through the combined use of optical and radar satellite images, high-resolution images obtained by Unmanned Aerial System (visible, multispectral, and thermal infrared), geophysical data, and archival data, it was possible to deepen the knowledge of the area, in particular the “Castrum” area, identifying new buried evidence (structures, roads, and elements of the ancient landscape).
In Umbria, the transformation from Roman pagan building to church seems to be frequent during the beginning of the Middle Age thanks to Longobards and Byzantines. The rural church of San Lorenzo in Nifili (close to Montecastrilli-TR) is a very good example of this. The aim of this work is to understand the evolution of the ancient landscape around this church, from Roman to modern period, using data coming from both the subsurface and the space, using the GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) method and the satellite imageries, respectively. Particular data processing to define the evolution of this ancient landscape in southern Umbria is described in this paper. The results not only represent an effective and non-destructive methodology for discovering, recovering and understanding archaeological data, but also give the possibility to obtain archaeological potential values of different areas in order to better plan future researches in this area.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
Ground-based archaeological survey methods, together with aerial photography and satellite remote sensing data, provide archaeologists with techniques for analysing archaeological sites and landscapes. These techniques allow different properties to be detected dependent on the nature of archaeological deposits, although clear restrictions exist, either with their physical limitations, or in the extent and nuances of their application. With recent developments in landscape archaeology technologies, it is increasingly necessary to adopt an integrated strategy of prospection, incorporating both ground-based non-destructive methods and remotely sensed data, to understand fully the character and development of archaeological landscapes. This paper outlines the results of a pilot project to test this approach on the archaeological landscape of Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. Its results confirm the potential that exists in enhancing the mapping of this major port complex and its hinterland by means of an integration of satellite remote-sensing data, geophysical survey and aerial photography. They have made it possible for new questions to be raised about Portus and its environs and, by implication, suggest that integrated fieldwork strategies of this kind have much more to tell us about major Classical sites and other large and complex sites across the globe than by addressing them by means of single methods alone.