Shallow Offshore Geophysical Prospection of Archaeological Sites in Eastern Mediterranean

Geophysical prospecting methods have been extensively used to outline buried antiquities in terrestrial sites. Despite the frequent application of these mapping and imaging approaches for the detection of archaeological relics in deep-water marine environments (e.g., shipwrecks), the aforementioned processes have minimal contribution when it comes to understanding the dynamics of the past in coastal and shallow aquatic archaeological sites. This work explores the possibilities of multicomponent geophysical techniques in revealing antiquities that have been submerged in diverse shallow coastal marine environments in the eastern Mediterranean. A group of four sites in Greece (Agioi Theodoroi, Olous, Lambayanna) and Cyprus (Pafos) spanning from prehistory to Roman times were chosen as test sites to validate the efficiency of electrical resistivity tomography, magnetic gradiometry, and ground penetrating radar methods. The comprehensive analysis of the geophysical data completed the picture for the hidden archeological elements in all the sites. The results manifest the significance and the potential of these methods for documenting and understanding the complex archaeological sites encountered in the Mediterranean. In view of climate change and the risks related to future sea level rise and erosion of low-level coastal areas, the results of this work could be integrated in a strategic framework to develop an effective interdisciplinary research model that can be applied to similar shallow water archaeological surveys, thus substantially contributing towards cultural resources management.

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Exploring the Consistency of Data Collected in Archaeological Geophysics: A Case Study from the Iron Age Hillfort of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Extremadura, Spain)

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12121989 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1989

Author(s):

Carmen Pro ◽

Bento Caldeira ◽

Maria Teresa de Tena ◽

Cristina Charro ◽

Rui Jorge Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Correlation ◽

Iron Age ◽

Geophysical Methods ◽

Archaeological Site ◽

Resistivity Tomography ◽

Archaeological Interpretation ◽

Ground Penetrating ◽

Magnetic Gradiometry ◽

Strong Agreement

Different geophysical methods applied at the settlement of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Botija, Spain) have identified robust anomalies located at the same position, but some anomalies are reflected by only one method. Furthermore, analysing the spatial correlation of these anomalies is of fundamental importance for obtaining a correct archaeological interpretation. In this work, we analysed the main results of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometry methods in a particular area of the archaeological site. In this analysis, we performed graphical and numerical spatial correlation analyses of the anomalies and observed strong agreement among the results provided by each method. Certain anomalies were reflected only in the magnetic and ERT studies. The results highlight the importance of applying several geophysical methods and performing spatial correlational analyses. Furthermore, the methodology that we have applied to evaluate the spatial correlation offers interesting results.

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Investigating the urban archaeological sites using Ground Penetrating Radar. The cases of Palatino Hill and St John Lateran Basilica (Roma, Italy)

ACTA IMEKO ◽

10.21014/acta_imeko.v5i2.324 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Salvatore Piro ◽

Daniela Zamuner

Keyword(s):

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Natural Soil ◽

Artificial Medium ◽

Urban Centers ◽

Road Pavement ◽

Palatine Hill ◽

Ground Penetrating ◽

Center Area ◽

Geophysical Prospection

<p class="Abstract">The geophysical prospection is generally considered as the attempt to locate structures of archaeological interest buried in the natural subsoil, but in many cases, when applied in urban centers, this attempt could fail due to the effect and disturbances caused by recent man-made structures in the subsoil, covering any signal related to possible archaeological structures. In the present paper the GPR surveys carried out in two urban archaeological sites in Roma, characterised by different targets and environmental conditions, are presented and discussed. The first site, a portion of Palatine Hill (archaeological center area of Roma) is characterized by natural soil on the surface and an overlapping of many archaeological structures in its volume. The second site, St. John Lateran Basilica (Roma), is characterized by artificial medium as road pavement, outside the basilica, and ancient buildings, below the actual basilica. The paper illustrates the two GPR surveys and the obtained results.</p>

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The Messapic Site of Muro Leccese: New Results from Integrated Geophysical and Archaeological Surveys

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11121478 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1478 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bianco ◽

De Giorgi ◽

Giannotta ◽

Leucci ◽

Meo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrical Resistivity ◽

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

Electrical Resistivity Tomography ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Survey Methods ◽

Geophysical Survey ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Good Correspondence ◽

Resistivity Tomography ◽

Ground Penetrating

The regular application of geophysical survey techniques to evaluate archaeological sites is well established as a method for locating, defining, and mapping buried archaeological materials. However, it is not always feasible to apply a range of different methods over a particular site or landscape due to constraints in time or funding. This paper addresses the integrated application of three geophysical survey methods over an important archaeological site located in south Italy. In particular, it is focused on the results achieved from a past geophysical survey and the ongoing excavations performed by archaeologists in the site of Muro Leccese. Muro Leccese (Lecce) is one of the most important Messapian archaeological sites in southern Italy. The archaeological interest of the site was generated since the discovery of the remains of Messapian walls (late 4th–3rd centuries BC). With the aim of widening the archaeological knowledge of the Messapian settlement, several integrated methods, including magnetometry, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography were used on site to fulfill a number of different research objectives. Since the most important targets were expected to be located at shallow soil depth, a three-dimensional (3D) ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was carried out in two zones, which were labeled respectively as zone 1 and zone 2, and were both quite close to the archaeological excavations. The GPR investigations were integrated with a 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) survey in zone 1 and with a magnetometric, in gradiometry configuration survey in zone 2. The integration of several techniques allowed mapping the structural remains of this area and leading the excavation project. The geophysical results show a good correspondence with the archaeological features that were found after the excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data using different codes for the processing of the data and merging different datasets using a Geographic Information System allowed achieving a user-friendly visualization that was presented to the archaeologists.

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Legal Pluralism and the Protection and Management of Cultural Landscapes in Nigeria

Journal of Tourism and Heritage Studies ◽

10.33281/jths20129.2017.2.8 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 89-100

Author(s):

I. C Ugwu ◽

E. C Ijioma ◽

C. O Chukwuleta ◽

U. Ebere

Keyword(s):

Cultural Heritage ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Cultural Landscapes ◽

National Development ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Cultural Resources Management ◽

Resources Management ◽

The Public ◽

Construction Companies

The protection and management of cultural heritage are central issues of discourse in cultural resources management today. Cultural landscapes constitute part of non-renewable resources that are finite and therefore need to be protected. All over the world especially, in Nigeria, archaeological sites and resources are neglected and to a large extent destroyed due to the inability of the public, stakeholders, educationists, and developers to appreciate the enormous contributions of cultural landscapes to national development. The laws that have been put in place for the protection and management of cultural landscapes, particularly those that prevent them from being destroyed by construction companies and other development projects, are not fully implemented. This paper intends to draw the attention of relevant Nigerian authorities to the applicable laws and the need to enforce them. This will ensure that development does not result in the unmitigated destruction of archaeological sites and cultural heritage.

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Use of Remote Sensing, Geophysical Techniques and Archaeological Excavations to Define the Roman Amphitheater of Torreparedones (Córdoba, Spain)

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11242937 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (24) ◽

pp. 2937 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Antonio Monterroso-Checa ◽

Teresa Teixidó ◽

Massimo Gasparini ◽

José Peña ◽

Santiago Rodero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerial Images ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Resistivity Tomography ◽

Adverse Conditions ◽

Low Dielectric ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Aerial Platforms ◽

Ground Penetrating ◽

Non Destructive

Non-destructive techniques are widely used to explore and detect burial remains in archaeological sites. In this study, we present two sets of sensors, aerial and geophysics, that we have combined to analyze a 2 ha sector of ground in the Torreparedones Archaeological Park located in Cordoba, Spain. Aerial platforms were used in a first step to identify a Roman amphitheater located near the Roman city. To ensure greater reliability and to rule out geological causes, a geophysical survey was subsequently carried out. Magnetic gradiometer, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods were also used to confirm the existence of this structure, define the geometry and, to the greatest possible extent, determine the degree of preservation of this construction. The adverse conditions for data acquisition was one of the main constraints, since the area of interest was an almond plantation which conditioned geophysical profiles. In addition, due to the low dielectric and magnetic contrast between the structures and the embedding material, meticulous data processing was required. In order to obtain further evidence of this amphitheater and to corroborate the aerial images and the geophysical models, an archaeological excavation was carried out. The results confirmed the cross-validation with the predicted non-destructive models. Therefore, this work can serve as an example to be used prior to conservation actions to investigate the suburbs and landscapes near similar roman cities in Spain.

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Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan

10.21236/ada406219 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

Suzanne F. Loechl ◽

Manroop Chawla ◽

Bethanie C. Grashof ◽

Marcus Griffin ◽

Adam Smith

Keyword(s):

Management Plan ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Cultural Resources Management ◽

Resources Management

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CULTURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

Anthropology News ◽

10.1111/an.1974.15.6.10.3 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 10-11

Keyword(s):

Cultural Resources ◽

Cultural Resources Management ◽

Resources Management

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Integrating Geophysical and Photographic Data to Visualize the Quarried Structures of the Roman Town of Bassianae

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13122384 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 2384

Author(s):

Roland Filzwieser ◽

Vujadin Ivanišević ◽

Geert J. Verhoeven ◽

Christian Gugl ◽

Klaus Löcker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

Urban Infrastructure ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Surface Model ◽

Data Sets ◽

Buried Structures ◽

Archaeological Prospection ◽

Ground Penetrating ◽

Geophysical Prospection ◽

Strong Agreement

Large parts of the urban layout of the abandoned Roman town of Bassianae (in present-day Serbia) are still discernible on the surface today due to the deliberate and targeted quarrying of the Roman foundations. In 2014, all of the town's intramural (and some extramural) areas were surveyed using aerial photography, ground-penetrating radar, and magnetometry to analyze the site's topography and to map remaining buried structures. The surveys showed a strong agreement between the digital surface model derived from the aerial photographs and the geophysical prospection data. However, many structures could only be detected by one method, underlining the benefits of a complementary archaeological prospection approach using multiple methods. This article presents the results of the extensive surveys and their comprehensive integrative interpretation, discussing Bassianae's ground plan and urban infrastructure. Starting with an overview of this Roman town's research history, we present the details of the triple prospection approach, followed by the processing, integrative analysis, and interpretation of the acquired data sets. Finally, this newly gained information is contrasted with a plan of Roman Bassianae compiled in 1935.

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