A methodology for rapid archaeological site documentation using ground-penetrating radar and terrestrial photogrammetry

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 521-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique Lorenzo ◽  
Pedro Arias
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Terrestrial Photogrammetry

scholarly journals Applicability of Ground Penetrating Radar on desert archaeological sites: a case study from the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Welc ◽  
Radosław Mieszkowski ◽  
Sebastian Kowalczyk ◽  
Jerzy Trzciński
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Clay Fraction ◽  
Mineralogical Composition ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Geological Structure ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract This paper presents the preliminary results of ground penetrating radar sounding applied at the desert archaeological site in Saqqara (Egypt). The survey was carried out in 2012 within a project realized by Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw and the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw. One of the key aims of the research was testing the application of ground penetrating radar to non-invasive surveys of desert archaeological sites. Radargrams obtained for area of so called the Dry Moat channel surrounding the Step Pyramid complex have shown the geological structure of its filling. It comprises among others debris-sand conglomerate of diluval origin characterized by a significant content of the clay fraction and clay minerals. Such lithological content strongly attenuate the propagation of EM waves, restricting the depth range of the GPR survey. The conducted geophysical prospection west to the Step Pyramid in Saqqara has confirmed the high applicability of the GPR method in non-invasive studies of vast architectural structures, such as the monumental ditch surrounding the Step Pyramid known as the Dry Moat. It should summarised that high horizontal resolution obtained during GPR survey is a result of local geological structure of the searched area, i.e. strong lithological contrast of the sediments filling the Dry Moat, which, depending on their mineralogical composition

Use of ground-penetrating radar to map subsurface features at the Lapa do Santo archaeological site (Brazil)

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Luis Porsani ◽  
Guilherme de Matos Jangelme ◽  
Renato Kipnis
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Ground Penetrating

scholarly journals Preliminary results of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospection in the area of the prehistoric flint mine Borownia, southeastern Poland

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
Radosław Mieszkowski ◽  
Fabian Welc ◽  
Janusz Budziszewski ◽  
Witold Migal ◽  
Anna Bąkowska
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Good Resolution ◽  
Underground Structures ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Geological Conditions ◽  
Prehistoric Mining ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract Preliminary results of GPR field prospection carried out in the area of the prehistoric mining field Borownia (Ćmielów, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski District) are presented. This mining field forms a belt (30-50 m wide and 700 m long), starting from the valley edge of the Kamienna River southeastwards. Southeastern and western parts of the site have preserved the original post-exploitation relief. Geology of the Borownia mining field was examined and acquired radiograms revealed three distinct zones of anomaly concentrations. The central zone (B) is clearly a fragment of the prehistoric mining field, confirmed not only by the GPR sounding but also by archeological surveys. The other two zones have not yet been investigated in detail yet but their surface and archaeological examination may determine only whether their underground structures are natural or have been created by humans. Data obtained during the GPR prospection at the Borownia archaeological site confirmed usefulness of 100, 250 and 500 MHz antennas. The relatively large depth range and good resolution are due to favorable geological conditions.

scholarly journals ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION IN SOUTHEASTERN PARÁ STATE, BRAZIL USING GEOPHYSICAL METHODS: A CASE STUDY OF SÍTIO DOMINGOS

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Gouvêa Luiz ◽  
Edithe Da Silva Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Main Tool ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Magnetic Anomalies ◽  
Archaeological Excavation ◽  
Archaeological Prospection ◽  
Magnetic Resistivity ◽  
Ground Penetrating

ABSTRACT. Magnetic, resistivity and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods were applied to Sítio Domingos, a Brazilian archaeological site located in Pará State, to find objects buried by an ancient civilization that may have inhabited the site. Archaeological excavations based on the locations of magnetic anomalies reveal a concentration of ceramic fragments and pots. The correlation between the resistivity models and the soil profile of the study area suggests that the resistivity range of 2000 to 2500 ohm-m represents the archaeological occupation layer. Several anomalous features detected by GPR are correlated with magnetic anomalies. However, when these features are analyzed independently of the magnetic anomalies, they do not conclusively represent the objects being searched. Therefore, GPR is not recommended as the main tool for archaeological prospection in the study area.Keywords: magnetometry, electrical resistivity, GPR, archaeological excavation. RESUMO. Os métodos magnético, resistividade e radar de penetração no solo (GPR) foram aplicados no Sítio Domingos, um sítio arqueológico brasileiro localizado no Estado do Pará, para encontrar objetos enterrados por uma civilização antiga que pode ter habitado a região. Escavações arqueológicas com base nos locais de anomalias magnéticas revelaram uma concentração de fragmentos de cerâmica e vasos. A correlação entre os modelos de resistividade e do perfil do solo da área de estudo sugere que a faixa de resistividade de 2000-2500 ohm-m representa a camada de ocupação arqueológica. V´arias feições anômalas detectadas pelo GPR são correlacionáveis com anomalias magnéticas. No entanto, quando essas feições são analisadas independente das anomalias magnéticas, elas não representam de forma conclusiva os objetos que est~so sendo procurados. Portanto, o GPR não é recomendado como a principal ferramenta de prospecção arqueológica na área de estudo.Palavras-chave: magnetometria, resistividade elétrica, GPR, escavação arqueológica.

Retrieving signs of buried historical roads by GPR: preliminary results from Villa dei Sette Bassi in Rome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Bianchini Ciampoli ◽  
Andrea Benedetto ◽  
Alessandra Ten ◽  
Carla Maria Amici ◽  
Roberta Santarelli
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Computer Application ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>Ground Penetrating Radar has widely proven to be an effective tool for archaeological purposes [1, 2]. Our contribution concerns a geophysical experimental activity carried out in the Complex of Villa dei Sette Bassi, an archaeological site located in Rome, Italy.</p><p>In particular, the area was hypothesized to be interested by the track of the ancient via Latina [3, 4], which was the main internal route that connected Rome with the ancient Region of Campania; it ran parallel to the Via Appia, but it was built way before it.</p><p>The historical evolution of this landscape has seen great changes since the Middle Ages with a new economy that designed new parcels, new land uses and the stripping of building material from ancient remains: activities that have profoundly altered the territory in its appearance and functioning but also its road network. The uncontrolled building development, has over time hidden the ancient road network, today witnessed only by decontextualized monuments immersed in modern urbanization. Accordingly, great portion of the ancient via Latina remains still buried.</p><p>This works reports on the outcomes of the geophysical tests conducted within the area of Villa dei Sette Bassi, with the specific goal of locating the buried track of the via Latina. The survey has been carried out by using multi-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems with different central frequencies. In detail, a preliminary low frequency analysis was conducted over the entire area that was indicated to be interested by the hidden remains by literary sources, to the intent of detecting the position of the buried road with higher accuracy. Based on the this, a second survey with higher resolution was conducted over a regularly spaced grid.</p><p>As a result, GPR tests have returned a coherent reflection pattern that is reasonably representative of a road subgrade/embankment. According to the preliminary archaeological interpretations, these results are most likely related to the historical track of via Latina, even though inspection pits are required in order to verify these assumptions.</p><p>In conclusion, GPR demonstrated a great applicability to archaeological purposes, i.e. to detect buried remains and to interpret the function of buried structures, despite the reliability and productivity of the data interpretation are strongly influenced by the expertise of both the geophysicists and the archaeologists involved.</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p>[1] Bianchini Ciampoli, L., Santarelli, R., Loreti, E.M., Ten, A., Benedetto, A. {2020} “Structural detailing of buried Roman baths through GPR inspection”, Archaeological Prospections, In Press.</p><p>[2] Milligan, R., & M., Atkin, {1993}. The use of ground-probing radar within a digital environment on archaeological sites, in Andresen, J., Madsen, T. and Scollar, I., eds., Computing the Past: Computer Application and Quantitative methods in Archaeology: Aarhus, Denmark, Aarhus University Press, pp. 285–291.</p><p>[3] Monti, P.G. {1995} “Via Latina”, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. Libreria dello Stato Roma.</p><p>[4] Rea, R., Montella, F., Egidi, R.. Alteri, R., Diamanti, F., Mongetta, M., {2005} “Via Latina”, in Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae, III, pp. 133-202, Quasar ed., Roma.</p>

Multi-sensing geophysical surveys at the Archaeological Park of Paestum: the discovery of a small Doric temple

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Catapano ◽  
Luigi Capozzoli ◽  
Giovanni Ludeno ◽  
Gianluca Gennarelli ◽  
Gregory De Martino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Magnetic Characteristics ◽  
Geophysical Surveys ◽  
Earth Magnetic Field ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>Nowadays, non-invasive sensing technologies working at different spatial scales represent a recognized tool to support archaeological researches, because their deployment and cooperative use allow detection and localization of buried ruins before performing excavation. Therefore, they get significant advantages in planning the stratigraphic assays, while reducing costs and times, and support holistic approaches where cultural heritage management, protection and fruition aspects are considered under a unified context.</p><p>As a further example among those available in literature, this communication summarizes a successful case study carried out at the Archaeological site of Paestum, sited in the southern Italy [1].</p><p>Based on the analysis of aerial imagery and several unexpected archaeological findings, terrestrial measurement campaigns, involving magnetometer (MGA) [2] and ground penetrating radar (GPR) [3] methodologies, were carried out in the northwest quarter of the ancient city near the fortification wall and few meters away from the gate of Porta Marina. As detailed in [4], the MGA was exploited to investigate a large subsurface area in a relatively short time and allowed the identification of the most significant archaeological anomalies, by accounting for the variations of the earth magnetic field due to the different magnetic susceptibilities of construction materials and the magnetic characteristics of the shallow subsoil. The georeferenced MGA image was exploited to select the area requiring a further and more detailed survey, which was performed by means of GPR. Then, GPR data were processed by means of a microwave tomography based approach [4], which allowed a high resolution three dimensional reconstruction of buried targets starting from the electromagnetic field that they backscatter when illuminated by a known incident field. By doing so, detailed information about depth, shape, and orientation of the buried targets were retrieved and an impressive visualization of the the basement of the structure was achieved.</p><p>The area is currently under excavation and the initial discovered ruins fully confirm the hypotheses formulated on the basis of the elements found on the surface, the photo interpretations and geophysical investigations. The proposed reconstructive hypothesis of the building as a whole is a stylobate of 10.83 m x 6.80 on which 4 x 7 columns were arranged, with a significantly increased intercolumniation on the short sides (2.02 m) compared to the long sides (1.68 m).</p><p>[1] https://www.museopaestum.beniculturali.it/?lang=en</p><p>[2] A. Aspinall, C. Gaffney, A. Schmidt, A Magnetometry for archaeologists. Geophysical methods for archaeology, Altamira Press, Lanham, (2008).</p><p>[3] D. J. Daniels, Ground penetrating radar, IET, (2004).</p><p>[4] Capozzoli, L.; Catapano, I.; De Martino, G.; Gennarelli, G.; Ludeno, G.; Rizzo, E.; Soldovieri, F.; Uliano Scelza, F.; Zuchtriegel, G. The Discovery of a Buried Temple in Paestum: The Advantages of the Geophysical Multi-Sensor Application. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2711.</p>

The use of GPR in Archaeology: the structural detailing of buried roman baths

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Santarelli ◽  
Luca Bianchini Ciampoli ◽  
Andrea Benedetto
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Computer Application ◽  
Group Project ◽  
Plan View ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Roman Baths ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Structural Detailing

<p>Ground Penetrating Radar has widely proven to be an effective tool for archaeological purposes [1-4]. Our contribution concerns a geophysical experimental activity carried out in the Maxentius Complex, an archaeological site located between the second and the third miles of the ancient Appian Way in Rome, Italy. This site is characterized by different phases dated between the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century AD. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of GPR, in this case using two different antennas (200 MHz and 600 MHz frequencies), for the structural detailing of buried roman baths structures. As a result, GPR analysis confirmed the literature-based information, i.e. to precisely locate the tanks of the thermal area (2nd century AD). The structure was partially brought to light and reburied during the second half of the last century, providing a partial plan view of the area. In addition, the tomographic results, together with the analysis of B-Scans, highlighted the presence of two further tanks, thereby suggesting the possibility of further rooms which are located close to the known ones. Furthermore, the tomographic analysis revealed a wall pattern that seems to suggest the presence of other rooms in the top-right side of the area. In general terms, GPR demonstrated a great applicability to archaeological purposes, for example to detect buried remains and to interpret the function of buried structures, despite the reliability and productivity of the data interpretation are strongly influenced by the expertise of both the geophysicists and the archaeologists involved.</p><p> </p><p>This work falls within the project “ArchaeoTrack”, supported by Regione Lazio, under the Framework “L.R. 13/08, Research Group Project n. 20 prot. 85-2017-14857”.</p><p> </p><ol><li>Bianchini Ciampoli, L., Benedetto, A., Tosti, F., {2018} “The ArchaeoTrack Project: Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar for Preventive Conservation of Buried Archaeology Towards the Development of a Virtual Museum”, In. Proc. of MetroArchaeo, Cassino, Italy</li> <li>Milligan, R., & M., Atkin, {1993}. The use of ground-probing radar within a digital environment on archaeological sites, in Andresen, J., Madsen, T. and Scollar, I., eds., Computing the Past: Computer Application and Quantitative methods in Archaeology: Aarhus, Denmark, Aarhus University Press, pp. 285–291.</li> <li>Oswin, J., {2018}. The Roman Baths, Bath Archway Project Geophysical Survey, January 2018.</li> <li>Pisani Sartorio, G., & Calza R., {1976}. “La villa di Massenzio sulla Via Appia: Il Palazzo - Le Opere D'Arte”, in Monumenti romani VI, Roma.</li> </ol>

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