The understanding of urban centres in the ancient Near East, one of the main regions for investigating the development of cities, has been transformed in recent years through investigations using archaeological geophysical prospection tools. This paper presents results of our recent magnetic gradiometry survey at the large urban site of Türkmen‐Karahöyük (Konya Plain, Turkey) conducted using a SENSYS Magneto MXPDA cart‐based system. Results of the survey have successfully identified and characterized numerous areas of ancient settlement, industrial activity and burials across the massive site, offering new insights into the history of occupation at Türkmen‐Karahöyük. Our findings are thereby helping to shape future investigations at the site and, more broadly, demonstrate the opportunities and challenges presented by cart‐based geophysical survey instruments for archaeological investigations of mounded urban sites with extensive lower towns.
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ABSTRACT -
Abstract Geologists have long valued satellite imagery in the short‐wave infrared (SWIR) part of the electromagnetic spectrum (1100–2500 nm) because it can reveal subtle differences in minerology and soil moisture that are otherwise invisible, but the low spatial resolution (20‐30 m) of publicly available SWIR imagery has limited its utility for archaeological investigations. As part of a NASA‐funded research project, this paper presents results of an effort to evaluate the potential of higher resolution (3.7 m), 8‐band SWIR imagery from the WorldView‐3 satellite programme to aid in the identification and mapping of archaeological sites and landscape features in the Fertile Crescent. With case studies in the Amuq Plain of southern Turkey, the Khabur Plain of eastern Syria, and the Diyala Plain of southern Iraq, we utilize several methods including experiments with numerous band combinations, production of band ratios designed for crop cover analysis and support vector machine (SVM) classification techniques to enhance site visibility in multispectral SWIR imagery. Results reveal some of the seasonal, land use/cover and other factors that can impact the visibility of archaeological sites and features, demonstrating the potential and pitfalls of this emerging remote sensing resource.
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An emerging arena of archaeological research is beginning to deploy remote sensing technologies—including aerial and satellite imagery, digital topographic data, and drone-acquired and terrestrial geophysical data—not only in support of conventional fieldwork but also as an independent means of exploring the archaeological landscape. This article provides a critical review of recent research that relies on an ever-growing arsenal of imagery and instruments to undertake innovative investigations: mapping regional-scale settlement histories, documenting ancient land use practices, revealing the complexity of settled spaces, building nuanced pictures of environmental contexts, and monitoring at-risk cultural heritage. At the same time, the disruptive nature of these technologies is generating complex new challenges and controversies surrounding data access and preservation, approaches to a deluge of information, and issues of ethical remote sensing. As we navigate these challenges, remote sensing technologies nonetheless offer revolutionary ways of interrogating the archaeological record and transformative insights into the human past.more » « less
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Satellite remote sensing is well demonstrated to be a powerful tool for investigating ancient land use in Southwest Asia. However, few regional studies have systematically integrated satellite-based observations with more intensive remote sensing technologies, such as drone-deployed multispectral sensors and ground-based geophysics, to explore off-site areas. Here, we integrate remote sensing data from a variety of sources and scales including historic aerial photographs, modern satellite imagery, drone-deployed sensors, and ground-based geophysics to explore pre-modern land use along the Upper Diyala/Sirwan River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our analysis reveals an incredible diversity of land use features, including canals, qanats, trackways, and field systems, most of which likely date to the first millennium CE, and demonstrate the potential of more intensive remote sensing methods to resolve land use features. Our results align with broader trends across ancient Southwest Asia that document the most intensive land use in the first millennium BCE through the first millennium CE. Land use features dating to the earlier Bronze Age (fourth through second millennium BCE) remain elusive and will likely require other investigative approaches.more » « less
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null (Ed.)Durante los siglos 19 y 20, más de 450 sistemas de campos agrícolas de data pre-contacto e históricos fueron documentados en el Estado de Wisconsin. Actualmente, se ha asumido que la gran mayoría de estos registros han sido destruídos. Centrándonos en la cuenca del río Wisconsin, que posee la mayor concentración de sistemas de campos agrícolas arqueológicos conocidos, este estudio explora el potencial de uso de fotografías aéreas históricas para identificar e interpretar sistemas agrícolas arqueológicos en el Medio Oeste Superior de Estados Unidos. Basándonos en registros estatales, un archivo de imágenes aéreas de alta resolución de la década de 1930 y datos LIDAR modernos, examinamos la región que rodea 59 sitios donde se han identificados campos agrícolas. En una cuarta parte de los sitios que investigamos, identificamos exitosamente características arqueológicas conocidas y no registradas, incluidos campos agrícolas, montículos-efigie, movimientos de tierras y casas pozo, la mayoría de las cuales fueron destruidas por prácticas recientes de uso del suelo. Nuestro análisis otorga evidencia sobre la complejidad y la riqueza del paisaje arqueológico, con vastos espacios agrícolas situados más allá de los límites tradicionales del sitio, y sugiere que los campos agrícolas indígenas precolombinos e históricos pueden haber sido mucho más grandes y extensos que lo tradicionalmente reconocido.more » « less
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null (Ed.)Mientras que la tecnología lidar se convierte en una práctica regular en la prospección arqueológica, tanto sus aplicaciones terrestres como las aéreas pueden ser complementadas con tecnología lidar integrada en drones o en inglés “unpiloted aerial vehicle” (UAV). En este artículo, presentamos un método para potenciar la data lidar adquirida por tecnología UAV con data obtenida utilizando diferentes plataformas lidar (terrestres y aéreas), a una variedad de rangos de resolución (desde 1 a + 1,000 puntos por metro cuadrado) y a diversas escalas geográficas. Utilizamos estos instrumentos para documentar un muro de mampostería en seco que rodea un precinto religioso al interior del centro real en Kealakekua, distrito de Kona, en la isla de Hawai'i. Previo al contacto europeo alrededor de dC 1779, Kealakekua era el centro político de la isla durante el festival anual de Makahiki. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que cuando el muro fue construido, aproximadamente en dC 1640, esta fue la estructura de mayores dimensiones jamás construida en la isla de Hawai'i y una fuerte expresión material del poder religioso estatal y los rituales de Makahiki.more » « less