Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mehmet Karaucak, Daniel Steiniger, Nikolaus Boroffka
Summary: The conflict-ridden recent history in Afghanistan has made it difficult to launch major archaeological projects and advanced field research in the past forty years. However, the increasing availability of satellite imagery and remote sensing methods have provided much-needed impetus for documentation and monitoring of the heritage in Afghanistan. Novel site data obtained through publicly available satellite imagery in the southwestern region of Kandahar include cultural heritage such as settlement mounds, architectural remains, religious monuments, fortresses, and traditional water management systems. The advantages and drawbacks of remote sensing surveys for archaeological research in Afghanistan are discussed, with the shared data for further research and cultural heritage management in the region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alexandru Hegyi, Dragos Diaconescu, Petru Urdea, Apostolos Sarris, Michal Pisz, Alexandru Onaca
Summary: A geophysical investigation was conducted in western Romania to explore the M3 burial mound, where the presence of Yamnaya people was confirmed archaeologically. Geomagnetic survey and electrical resistivity tomography were used to characterize the inner structure of the mound and establish a relative stratigraphy. The archaeological excavations in the central part of the mound validated the non-invasive geophysical survey and provided a valuable chronological record.
Article
Geography, Physical
Chelsea Wiseman, Michael O'Leary, Jorg Hacker, Francis Stankiewicz, John McCarthy, Emma Beckett, Jerem Leach, Paul Baggaley, Charles Collins, Sean Ulm, Jo McDonald, Jonathan Benjamin
Summary: Researchers have presented a methodology to locate underwater archaeological sites, focusing on priority survey areas determined from onshore archaeological records and using remote sensing to identify potential ancient landscapes and preserved sites in northwestern Australia. The application of this methodology resulted in the discovery of the first two confirmed sub-tidal ancient Aboriginal archaeological sites on Australia's continental shelf.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yongcan Yu, Jianhu Zhao, Chao Huang, Xi Zhao
Summary: This paper proposes a method to improve the detection performance of underwater objects by disentangling noise features. The method treats speckle noise as the domain shift between training data and real-measured images, and incorporates feature manipulation, noise-agnostic subnetwork, and auxiliary noise-biased subnetwork to handle noise features effectively. Additionally, the ACmix attention module is introduced to enhance learning capacity and focus on object areas.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Esther Rodriguez Gonzalez, Pablo Paniego Diaz, Sebastian Celestino Perez
Summary: In the Guadiana basin, human impact has significantly transformed river landscapes, leading to a disconnection between archaeological sites and their physical environment. By combining LiDAR and APSFR data, a methodological approach was designed to analyze settlement patterns and the knowledge of ancient societies regarding their environment.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Michela Ricca, Beatriz Camara, Rafael Fort, Monica Alvarez de Buergo, Luciana Randazzo, Barbara Davidde Petriaggi, Mauro Francesco La Russa
Summary: This study examines 13 pottery fragments from the underwater archaeological site of Baia in Naples, Italy. Diagnostic tests were conducted to characterize the materials, their properties, and the effects of degradation in seawater, particularly due to biological growth. The research provides insights into underwater cultural heritage and the function of ceramic materials in technology and conservation.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark Altaweel, Adel Khelifi, Zehao Li, Andrea Squitieri, Tasnim Basmaji, Mohammed Ghazal
Summary: This communication article calls for UAV users in archaeology to publicly share imagery data and introduces a tool based on deep learning algorithms for instance segmentation and feature identification. Testing with datasets from various regions, the trained data is capable of identifying ruined structures, qanats, and mounded sites. The authors strongly urge the wider publication and use of UAV imagery data in order to improve accuracy.
Article
Anthropology
Jesse Casana
Summary: Remote sensing technologies are becoming a revolutionary tool in archaeological research, offering innovative ways of investigating the archaeological record and providing transformative insights into human history. However, they also bring new challenges and controversies related to data access and preservation, information overload, and ethical considerations.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY, VOL 50
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yulin Tang, Liming Wang, Shaofeng Bian, Shaohua Jin, Yuting Dong, Houpu Li, Bing Ji
Summary: This article proposes an augmentation method for SSS image samples of underwater targets based on the cross-domain mapping relationship of images of the same object. By constructing a physical model and obtaining a series of optical images and SSS images of underwater targets under different conditions, high-quality samples are generated and used to train a detection model. Experimental results show that this method achieves impressive performance with significant improvements in underwater mine target detection and shipwreck target detection compared to using only real SSS data.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Francesca Cigna, Timo Balz, Deodato Tapete, Gino Caspari, Bihong Fu, Michele Abballe, Haonan Jiang
Summary: This paper showcases the main research avenues in optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing for archaeological and cultural heritage applications. It focuses on archaeological prospection and heritage site protection, utilizing novel sensor data, big data, and high-performance computing. Six demonstration use-cases are presented with various heritage asset types and research objectives. The results achieved contribute to the discussion on the advantages and limitations of optical and SAR-based archaeological and heritage applications.
GEO-SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Philippe De Smedt, Paul Garwood, Henry Chapman, Koen Deforce, Johan De Grave, Daan Hanssens, Dimitri Vandenberghe
Summary: Geophysical soil survey, combined with targeted sampling and excavation, enables reliable identification of complex activity traces and provides significant implications for understanding Stonehenge and its landscape setting.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Xinxin Wang, Hao Wang, Bingjian Zhang, Yulan Hu, Longguan Zhu
Summary: A prospective study was conducted to investigate the use of veratraldehyde for in-situ solidifying extraction of underwater wooden artifacts. The study showed that the method was successful in solidifying and extracting waterlogged ship wood from a shipwreck, without causing significant damage to the wood microstructure.
JOURNAL OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Nicodemo Abate, D. Roubis, F. Sogliani, V. Vitale, M. Sileo, P. Arzu, R. Lasaponara, N. Masini
Summary: This study utilized multiscale and multisensor remote sensing techniques combined with big data analysis to identify buried archaeological remains or areas of potential archaeological interest. Multiple types of remote sensing data, such as satellite multispectral data, drone-based imagery, and geophysical prospecting, were utilized. The analysis provided insights into the ancient landscape as well as the discovery of small features, contributing to a deeper understanding of the ancient city of Metaponto in southern Italy.
EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Wouter B. Verschoof-van der Vaart, Karsten Lambers
Summary: This study examines the applicability and efficiency improvement of using an automated detection tool in archaeological practice, exploring different geographical contexts. The results demonstrate that the tool can detect potential ancient burial sites and fields, providing insights into past landscape structures.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nikos Georgiou, Xenophon Dimas, Elias Fakiris, Dimitris Christodoulou, Maria Geraga, Despina Koutsoumpa, Kalliopi Baika, Pari Kalamara, George Ferentinos, George Papatheodorou
Summary: The study presents a successful multidisciplinary, non-intrusive approach for the documentation of underwater cultural heritage in Aegina Island, Greece, providing information for both geomorphological and archaeological purposes in a time- and cost-effective way. This approach revealed previously unknown archaeological sites and demonstrated the anthropogenic impact on the preservation status of submerged ancient structures.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aksel Alstad Mogstad, Oyvind Odegard, Stein Melvaer Nornes, Martin Ludvigsen, Geir Johnsen, Asgeir J. Sorensen, Jorgen Berge
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Alma Elizabeth Thuestad, Ole Risbol, Jan Ingolf Kleppe, Stine Barlindhaug, Elin Rose Myrvoll
Summary: Remote sensing, including LiDAR and image data, has proven to be highly effective for archaeological surveying in northern landscapes. A multi-sensor approach increases detection rates, and the characteristics of features play a key role in detectability.
Article
Archaeology
Immo Trinks, Manuel Gabler, Mario Wallner, Erich Nau, Alois Hinterleitner, Roland Filzwieser, Lars Larsson, Wolfgang Neubauer
Summary: In an archaeological prospection case study at the Swedish Iron Age site of Uppakra near Lund, extensive magnetic surveys detected numerous anomalies caused by buried archaeological remains. These anomalies, including magnetic readings of large structures and pits, are interpreted as possible traces of a Swedish army camp established under Field Marshal Gustav Horn in autumn 1644. The study presents archaeological prospection data from Uppakra related to the events of Horn's war in 1644.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Manuel Gabler, Claes Olof Johan Uhner, Nils Ole Sundet, Alois Hinterleitner, Pal Nymoen, Monica Kristiansen, Immo Trinks
Summary: Wetlands are important for preserving archaeological remains, but detecting and registering them is challenging. Alternative methods are needed to support traditional archaeological work in such environments.
Article
Archaeology
Arne Anderson Stamnes, Krzystof Kiersnowski
ARCHEOSCIENCES-REVUE D ARCHEOMETRIE
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Chris Gaffney, Vincent Gaffney, Eamonn Baldwin, Martin Bates, Richard Bates, Tim Kinnaird, Tom Sparrow, Klaus Lockyear, Wolfgang Neubauer, Immo Trinks, Mario Wallner
ARCHEOSCIENCES-REVUE D ARCHEOMETRIE
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Satu Koivisto, Antti Lahelma
Summary: The discovery of a unique wooden snake figurine during the excavations of a Neolithic wetland site in Finland in 2020 has broadened our understanding of the worldview of northern peoples 4400 years ago.
Article
Anthropology
Wesa Perttola
Summary: This paper introduces a novel method for simulating directed sail-powered voyages using ArcGIS Pro functionality through Python macros. The model performs well in favorable winds but struggles to simulate tacking properly in adverse conditions.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL METHOD AND THEORY
(2022)
Article
Geology
Sarah Louise Boyd, Tim C. Kinnaird, Aayush Srivastava, John E. Whittaker, C. Richard Bates
Summary: Ruddons Point on the Firth of Forth coastline in Scotland is a laterally extensive terrace of glacial and marine sediment deposits. Through the use of various sediment and survey methods, the site provides insights into the depositional history spanning the last 29,000 years and helps to understand the complex coastal evolution in the region.
SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Richard Tipping, Richard Bates, Alison Cameron, Ann Clarke, Sheila Duthie, Lorna Ewan, Tim Kinnaird, Bruce Mann, Gordon Noble, Irvine Ross, Heather Sabnis, Caroline Wickham-Jones
Summary: This study presents archaeological excavation and analysis of Nethermills of Crathes, the largest concentration of lithics along the River Dee in Scotland. Through various methods, the researchers aimed to understand the environmental and landscape dynamics of the site and clarify the formation process and the role of fluvial processes.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Carmen Cuenca-Garcia, Elina Aidona, Clare Wilson, Abir Jrad, Apostolos Sarris
Summary: This paper explores the potential of magnetic-susceptibility and phosphate soil analyses to locate and characterize buried Neolithic settlements in Thessaly, Greece. It presents the results of large-area magnetometer surveys and soil samples collected at three well-known sites, which demonstrate the capability of these analyses to detect and interpret the features of interest.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Vincent Gaffney, Simon Fitch, Martin Bates, Roselyn L. Ware, Tim Kinnaird, Benjamin Gearey, Tom Hill, Richard Telford, Cathy Batt, Ben Stern, John Whittaker, Sarah Davies, Mohammed Ben Sharada, Rosie Everett, Rebecca Cribdon, Logan Kistler, Sam Harris, Kevin Kearney, James Walker, Merle Muru, Derek Hamilton, Matthew Law, Alex Finlay, Richard Bates, Robin G. Allaby
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Siobhan F. Killingbeck, Adam D. Booth, Philip W. Livermore, C. Richard Bates, Landis J. West