The role of integrated geophysical survey in the assessment of archaeological landscapes: the case of Portus
The role of integrated geophysical survey in the assessment of archaeological landscapes: the case of Portus
The regular application of geophysical, geochemical and topographical 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 a variety of survey techniques over different sites and landscapes in Italy and elsewhere, focusing on the recent results from the ongoing survey and excavations at Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. An integration of methods, including magnetometry, resistance survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been used at the site to fulfil a number of different research objectives. Results of the magnetometer survey have successfully recorded the nature and extent of archaeological material over an area of 220 ha, allowing a plan of the port and related structures to be produced and variations in archaeological potential across the entire landscape to be assessed. The integration of several techniques in one area of the site between the Porto di Claudio and the Porto di Traiano has mapped the structural remains of this area of the port prior to and during investigation of the zone through excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data, using different software programs for the processing of survey data and merging different datasets using geographical information system packages, has allowed the results of the work to be visualized and presented to archaeologists in a comprehensive and unambiguous fashion, facilitating the future management and preservation of the site. In addition ongoing research is using different statistical and visual methods of integration to refine the archaeological interpretation of the study area.
geophysical survey, landscape, roman ports, integrated methods
154-166
Keay, Simon
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Earl, Graeme
724c73ef-c3dd-4e4f-a7f5-0557e81f8326
Hay, Sophie
ad00c295-7b71-4d56-83d5-2c936e6b77d2
Kay, Stephen
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Ogden, Jessica
5be425d0-bb63-40fd-9650-01b6751ce761
Strutt, Kristian
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23 July 2009
Keay, Simon
52b4cdfd-fc5e-4fa0-bd3e-8dd896624f41
Earl, Graeme
724c73ef-c3dd-4e4f-a7f5-0557e81f8326
Hay, Sophie
ad00c295-7b71-4d56-83d5-2c936e6b77d2
Kay, Stephen
b3fc6474-c911-47f0-a755-2561e78463cb
Ogden, Jessica
5be425d0-bb63-40fd-9650-01b6751ce761
Strutt, Kristian
b342b4b8-5762-4a2a-a607-f053afc8c2d3
Keay, Simon, Earl, Graeme, Hay, Sophie, Kay, Stephen, Ogden, Jessica and Strutt, Kristian
(2009)
The role of integrated geophysical survey in the assessment of archaeological landscapes: the case of Portus.
Archaeological Prospection, 16 (3), .
(doi:10.1002/arp.358).
Abstract
The regular application of geophysical, geochemical and topographical 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 a variety of survey techniques over different sites and landscapes in Italy and elsewhere, focusing on the recent results from the ongoing survey and excavations at Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. An integration of methods, including magnetometry, resistance survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been used at the site to fulfil a number of different research objectives. Results of the magnetometer survey have successfully recorded the nature and extent of archaeological material over an area of 220 ha, allowing a plan of the port and related structures to be produced and variations in archaeological potential across the entire landscape to be assessed. The integration of several techniques in one area of the site between the Porto di Claudio and the Porto di Traiano has mapped the structural remains of this area of the port prior to and during investigation of the zone through excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data, using different software programs for the processing of survey data and merging different datasets using geographical information system packages, has allowed the results of the work to be visualized and presented to archaeologists in a comprehensive and unambiguous fashion, facilitating the future management and preservation of the site. In addition ongoing research is using different statistical and visual methods of integration to refine the archaeological interpretation of the study area.
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Published date: 23 July 2009
Additional Information:
Special Issue: Integrated remote sensing techniques for archaeological prospection. Issue edited by Marcello Ciminale, Rosa Lasaponara, Salvatore Piro
Keywords:
geophysical survey, landscape, roman ports, integrated methods
Organisations:
Archaeology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 69030
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69030
ISSN: 1075-2196
PURE UUID: 79eba769-3ab5-4d87-8452-afd60db73755
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Date deposited: 19 Oct 2009
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 19:16
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Author:
Graeme Earl
Author:
Sophie Hay
Author:
Stephen Kay
Author:
Jessica Ogden
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