AARG Annual
Conference 2004
5th
– 8th September 2004
AERIAL
ARCHAEOLOGY: EUROPEAN ADVANCES
ABSTRACTS
Bavarian State Department for Monuments and Sites, The Old Mint,
Bayerisches Landesamt für
Denkmalpflege, Alte Münze, München
http://aarg.univie.ac.at/
The Aerial Archaeology Research Group (AARG) provides an
international forum for the exchange of ideas and information for all those
actively involved in aerial photography, photo interpretation, field archaeology and landscape history. AARG keeps in touch
with its members through its regularly updated homepage and bi-annual
newsletter. Formed in 1980, the Aerial Archaeology Research Group (AARG) has
become increasingly active in projects designed to reach a wider audience of
archaeologists and those engaged in the management of cultural and heritage
resources. With membership world-wide, and recent
involvement in European aerial archaeology training courses, AARG actively
provides opportunities for the establishment of new networks for the exchange
of skills and ideas. The annual conference, bi-annual newsletter AARGnews, and homepage, help to keep
members informed of current developments and wider issues. The European
training courses organised by AARG have been a particularly successful
development, offering intensive introductions to students and professionals in
all aspects of aerial archaeology. By joining this group you can keep in touch
with, and contribute to, the latest news and developments in this important
subject.
Die Forschungsgruppe Luftbildarchaeologie
- Aerial Archaeology Research Group (AARG) - bietet allen, die sich
mit Flugprospektion, Bildauswertung, Feldarchaeologie
und historischer Geographie
beschaeftigen, ein internationales Forum fuer den Gedanken-
und Informationsaustausch. Durch
eine regelmaessig aktualisierte Homepage und seine Halbjahreszeitschrift
haelt AARG Kontakt mit seinen Mitgliedern.
1980 gegruendet, hat AARG zunehmend
Aktivitaeten entwickelt, um
einen weiteren Kreis von Archaeologen und von Verantwortlichen fuer denBereich
des kulturellen und historischen
Erbes zu erreichen. Durch weltweite Mitgliedschaft und juengste europaeische Ausbildungskurse in archaeologischer
Flugprospektion bietet AARG
fuer den Austausch von Ideen
und Kenntnissen eine Plattform. Eine jaehrliche Konferenz, die halbjaehrliche Zeitschrift
AARGnews und eine eigene
Homepage eroeffnen den Mitgliedern
Informationen ueber aktuelle Entwicklungen und weitergreifende Themen.
Von AARG organisierte europaeische Lehrgaenge waren ein besonders
erfolgreicher Ansatz, sie boten Studenten
und Fachleuten eine
intensive Einfuehrung in alle
Aspekte der Luftbildarchaeologie. Mit Ihrem Beitritt zur AARG bleiben Sie auf dem Laufenden
und Sie koennen an der weiteren
Entwicklung dieser wichtigen Methode aktiv mitwirken.
Le Groupe de Recherches Archéologiques Aériennes présente un forum international pour l'échange
d'idées et d'informations
pour ceux qui sont activement engagés dans la photographie aérienne, l'interprétation de ces photos, le travail de terrain et la reconstruction du paysage. AARG est en contact avec ses abonnés par l'intermédiaire de sa page Web et d'un bulletin d'information
publié deux fois par an. Le Groupe de Recherches Archéologiques Aériennes (AARG) fondé en 1980 s'engage de plus en plus dans des
projects désignés à atteindre une audience plus large
d'archéologues ainsi que de ceux qui s'occupent de l'organisation des ressources culturelles et du patrimoine national. Avec des abonnés dans tous
les coins du monde et une
participation récente en Europe à
des cours de formation en archéologie
aérienne, AARG fournit très activement des ouvertures pour l'établissement
de réseaux nouveaux pour l'échange
de compétences et d'idées. Une conférence annuelle, un bulletin deux fois par an ainsi qu'une page Web aident à garantir
que nos abonnés
sont tenus informés des développements récents ainsi que
de problèmes plus généraux.
Les cours de formation organisés
par AARG en Europe ont été
tout particulièrement couronnés
de succés et ont offert une introduction intensive
aux étudiants et professionels
pour tous les aspects de l'archéologie
aérienne. Joignez-vous à nous, restez
en contact et contribuez aux dernières
nouvelles ainsi qu'aux développements nouveaux de
ce sujet si important !
The 2004/5 AARG Committee are:
Chairman:
Vice-Chair: David Strachan (
Honorary
Secretary: Dr
Cinzia.Bacilieri@english-heritage.org.uk
Treasurer: Helen Winton (English Heritage).
helen.winton@english-heritage.org.uk
Meetings
Secretary: Fiona Small (English Heritage).
fiona.small@english-heritage.org.uk
Continental
Correspondent: Michael.Doneus@univie.ac.at
Editor,
AARGnews:
The organizing committee for AARG 2004 European Advances has included:
Dr Kenneth Brophy
Dr Jörg Fassbinder
Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege. joerg.fassbinder@blfd.bayern.de
Peter
Weinzierl
Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege. peter.weinzierl@BLFD.bayern.de
REVEALING NEOLITHIC
Abstracts (in alphabetical order)
Revealing Neolithic Europe: The contribution of aerial reconnaissance and remote sensing
to an understanding of the Neolithic landscapes of Europe
The Revealing Neolithic Europe colloquium is a challenge to aerial
archaeologists and Neolithic specialists. Aerial archaeologists across Europe
(as the speakers will demonstrate) are annually ‘filling in’ spaces in
distribution maps, expanding known distributions, and discovering new types of
sites and enclosures; however these results are often only partially
interpreted and not placed within their wider Neolithic context. Many Neolithic
specialists across
Kenneth Brophy
Department of Archaeology
G12 8QQ
k.brophy@archaeology.gla.ac.uk
Gordon Barclay
Historic
Longmore House
EH9 1SH
gordon.barclay@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
The Circle Game:
Henges in the British Isles and in Europe
M Barber
Among British prehistorians, the
henge is commonly regarded as a largely insular and home-grown phenomenon - as
Ian Kinnes (2004) has recently restated, "there are no known continental parallels". Nonetheless,
the term 'henge' is being applied outside the
Reference:
I Kinnes,
2004. Trans-manche: l'entente cordiale or
vive la difference? In J Cotton, D Field (eds)
Towards a New Stone Age: aspects of the Neolithic in south-east
Martyn Barber
Aerial
Survey
English
Heritage
SN2 2GZ,
martyn.barber@english-heritage.org.uk
Understanding
the Neolithic: ex oriente - how did they get there?
B Bewley
The transition from the “hunter-gatherer” economy to an
agricultural way of life was not uniform nor a continuous progression. It occurred in different ways in different
countries. However, the accepted wisdom
is still that the beginnings of this transition started in the
Dr R Bewley
Regional Director
South West Region
English Heritage
Bob.BEWLEY@english-heritage.org.uk
Revealing
Neolithic Europe : an introduction
K Brophy
This paper will outline a brief biography of the
relationship between aerial archaeology and Neolithic studies in
Kenneth Brophy
Department of Archaeology
G12 8QQ,
k.brophy@archaeology.gla.ac.uk
Pattern and purpose – recovering the Neolithic
from the air
M Brown
When it comes to setting out the contribution of aerial
survey to the knowledge of archaeology in
Marilyn
Brown
Royal Commission on the Ancient
and Historical Monuments of
John Sinclair House
16 Bernard Terrace
EH8 9NX,
Early Neolithic settlement structures in the Polish Lowlands
L Czerniak
and
Although aerial archaeology in
The experience of intensifying analysis of
aerial photographs leads to new questions. If we are to advance effectiveness
of aerial survey in Polish archaeology, an understanding of factors affecting
the development of cropmarks
is of particular significance. Appearance of some types of sites
as cropmarks remains largely unclear. At the same time, chronological and
functional attribution of some type of sites (e.g. Brześć
Kujawski type settlements) seems to be very easy.
Structures such as longhouses are straightforward to identify on air
photographs as archaeological sites. A correct identification of archaeological
features, being some kind of pits (such as pit-houses, storage pits, rubbish
pits, graves, post holes etc.), remains much more problematical for the Polish
photo interpreters.
It is difficult to differentiate this kind of
features from natural pits and to precise their chronology. Additional problem is
related to the recognition of features that have not been yet discovered in
Polish prehistory. The only solution is this respect seems to be a combined
survey, namely association of aerial photographs with field-walking and
geophysical prospection.
Discovering new sites and new type of sites is
only one aspect of the significance of aerial photographs in the Polish
Neolithic studies. Aerial photographs are equally important for the recognition
of larger settlement structures and consequently, they can be used for refuting
existing knowledge about the Neolithic landscape and settlement patterns. The paper is aimed at presentation
of new discoveries of the Neolithic sites, especially from the Kujawy region, and interpretation of the Neolithic-like
features. Its another objective comprises the
usefulness of aerial photography in the Neolithic studies in
Ul. Zwierzyniecka
20
60-815
czerniak@man.poznan.pl
Wlodzimierz Raczkowski
sw. Marcin
78
PL-61809
LBK settlements and
henge monuments in Lower
Austria
M Doneus and
No abstract received
Institute
for Prehistory
Franz Kleingasse 1
A-1190
The Neolithic of
the Upper Severn Valley
A Gibson
The
Alex Gibson
Department of Archaeological Sciences
Bradford
BD7 1DP,
Large enclosures in Bohemia
M Gojda
This paper is devoted to the phenomenon of large enclosed
areas that, in certain prehistoric periods, form the most significant dominant
features of the cultural landscape. While their existence has been recognised
for a long time, their number increased considerably in the post-war period
when aerial archaeology found a permanent place in research into prehistoric
landscapes. While the majority of these structures have been dated to the
Neolithic and Eneolithic, archaeological excavations
in recent decades (mostly of only limited extent) have shown that their
appearance is far from limited to those periods. A considerable contribution to
this recognition was made during the Prehistoric
Settlement Patterns in Bohemia project (Institute of Archaeology, 1997-2002),
in the course of which a total of nine sites – not counting the typical
Neolithic rondels and other medium-sized circular
enclosures – were identified, either wholly or partially surrounded by ditches
or systems of ditches/palisades, and which occupy lowland sites that, given
their geomorphology, cannot be regarded as strategically placed sites (or at
least seem so today). Three of these enclosures were investigated by
small-scale test excavation within the framework of the project mentioned
above. The results achieved during these test digs will be a part of the
presentation at the Revealing Neolithic Europe day.
Martin Gojda
Mala Strana,
Letenska 4,
CR-11801,
The impact of
aerial reconnaissance on Neolithic studies in Devon
F
Until the 1980s, the map of Neolithic and Bronze Age
ceremonial monuments in South West England coincided to a large extent to the
map of the high ground –
Frances
Griffith
The
Historic Environment Section (Archaeology)
County
Hall
EX2 4QW,
Neolithic
circular enclosures in Slovakia
I Kuzma
Only few Neolithic circular enclosures were known from
Slovakia before the systematic use of aerial prospection: two in Svodín, another one in Bučany,
one with a not clear position in Šurany-Nitriansky Hrádok and a palisade enclosure in Žlkovce;
all of them were found during large-area excavations.
Now we have evidence of another more than 50 circular
enclosures in
Although circular enclosures do not strictly adhere to a
circular shape and they are often deformed in various ways, remarkable
elliptical formations - "rondeloids" can be
separated from them, with which proportion of sides ranges between 1: 1,2 and 1: 1,5. These have only one ditch and according to
surface collection can be dated to the Bronze Age prevailingly. Circular or
slightly oval ditches with diameters of 20-30 m, that are quite numerous, have
been still unanswered question.
In
Along with the aerial prospection, utilization of
geophysical measurements is necessary, too, which in many cases gives the base
for determination of the enclosure shape and number of ditches. Before the year
1997 it used to be realised with a proton magnetometer
PM-2 (Geofyzika Brno, CZ), from 1997 with a caesium magnetometer SMARTMAG SM 4G (
Ivan Kuzma
Slovenská
akadémia vied
Archeologický ústav
Akademická 2, 949 21
ivan.kuzma@savba.sk
Neolithic settlements
near the Vilaine and the
G Leroux
No abstract received
Gilles Leroux
La Pochetière
35 890 Laillé
Monumentalising Neolithic river valleys:
the impact of aerial photography
J Mills
This paper will examine a range of Neolithic sites found
within the east
These neighbouring east
Significantly, the results that this paper will discuss have
important implications for the regional study of eastern
This paper wishes to put forward, from evidence captured on
aerial photographs, a new way of thinking about river valley life in the
Neolithic. Such differences in the spatiality of Neolithic river valley
monuments indicate major implications for how group, inter-group, and river
valley identities were asserted within and between the river valleys; how
practice maintained and changed monumental traditions; as well as how scales of
movement and mobility interacted with everyday living and monumental
landscapes. Aerial archaeology has provided the evidence from which to ask such
questions and consequently this research would not be possible if aerial
photography had not been conducted in these river valleys.
Jessica
Mills
Doctoral
Researcher
CF10 3XU
Aerial archaeology and the discovery of earthworks
of the Middle Neolithic period in Saxony-Anhalt (
R Schwarz
One of the most significant discoveries
by aerial archaeology was that of large settlement enclosures, which can be
dated to the Middle Neolithic period. Before aerial reconnaissance started in
Saxony-Anhalt in 1991, only 8 enclosures of the
Funnel Beaker Culture were known. Of these only the sites of
Aerial reconnaissance led to the
discovery of further 38 fortifications: 18 double-ditched and 20 single-ditched
ones. Although not all of the 38 structures are dated by archaeological
prospection, close similarities in general shape and size, pecularities
in the shapes of the entrances and their combination with graves characteristic
for this period support a homogeneous age of the whole morphological group.
These fortifcations are of an oval shape with slight
irregularities within the course of the ditches. Most fortifications are
situated on the plains alongside river valleys, close to their margins, so that
sometimes erosion caused the destruction of parts of the ditches. A few
fortifications are not totally enclosed, but erosion might have destroyed the missing
parts in at least some of these cases as well.
Based upon small scale excavations and
field surveys 10 enclosures can be dated to the early period of the Funnel
Beaker Culture and attributed either to the Baalberge
or the Salzmünde Culture [Salzmünde
(Salzmünde Culture), Wallendorf
(late Baalberge/Salzmünde Culture), Oschersleben (late Baalberge
Culture), Freckleben (Salzmünde
Culture), Siersleben (Salzmünde
Culture), Petersberg (Baalberge
Culture), Gollma (Salzmünde
Culture), Krosigk (late Baalberge
Culture), Uichteritz (Salzmünde
Culture) and Schellsitz (Baalberge
Culture)]. 8 fortifications (Wallendorf, Salzmünde, Oschersleben, Freckleben, Gollma, Petersberg and Siersleben) are
double-ditched ones, further 3 (Krosigk, Uichteritz and Schellsitz) are
single-ditched. 2 smaller enclosures, a double-ditched (Derenburg)
and a single-ditched one (Barleben), can be
attributed to the Bernburg Culture.
The single-ditched enclosures of the
early period of the Funnel Beaker Culture have sizes of about 8 ha to 10 ha,
whereas the double-ditched ones range from about 10 ha to 63 ha in size.
However, some large single-ditched enclosures, which exceed the size of 10 ha,
were also found. There are no differences in size between double-ditched and
single-ditched earthworks of the Bernburg Culture.
The Bernburg type of double-ditched enclosure is best
represented by the earthwork of Derenburg. In 1990
D.W. Müller noted that the construction scheme of
this fortification ressembles that of the earthworks
of the Salzmünde Culture in detail and looks like a
miniature of their predecessors. Unfortunately, the forticication
of Derenburg represents the only enclosed earthwork
of the Bernburg Culture. The excavated settlement of Quenstedt lies on a spur and was cut off from the hinterland
by a segment of a ditch, and of the enclosures of Barleben
and Morl only small sections of the ditch have been
excavated. Based on their sizes 13 further enclosures may be attributed to the Bernburg Culture, which all have an oval shape and look
like small versions of the earthworks of the Baalberge
and Salzmünde Culture.
References:
D. W. Müller,
Befestigte Siedlungen der Bernburger Kultur - Typen und Verreitung .
Jahresschr.
Mitteldt.
Vorgesch.
73, 1990, 271-286.
R. Schwarz, Pilotstudien.
12 Jahre Luftbildarchäologie
in Sachsen-Anhalt (
Ralf Schwarz
Landesamt fuer Archaeologie,
Sachsen-Anhalt,
Richard-Wagner-Str.9-10,
06114
In a predominantly arable
landscape, such as that of modern
All three enclosures, the only
sites of this type known from the county, are notable for their small size and
circular shape. In national terms their morphology is rather
anomalous, a characteristic which can be interpreted in a number of ways.
It has been suggested that they may have more in common with hengiform monuments of the later Neolithic and early Bronze
Age than with 'normal' causewayed enclosures of the fourth millennium BC.
Alternatively, they might represent a regional tradition distinct to this part
of the country. In addition, the geographical distribution of the sites is
confined to north-east
The need for regional and even
sub-regional interpretations in prehistoric archaeology has long been
recognised, and the causewayed enclosures from
Sophie Tremlett
Union House, Gressenhall
Dereham,
sophie.tremlett@norfolk.gov.uk
EUROPEAN ADVANCES
Abstracts (in alphabetical order)
In September 1994 the
historic Symposium zur
Luftbildarchaology in Ostmitteleuropa,
‘Aerial Archaeology in Central and
Eastern Europe’, was held at Kleinmachnow,
Brandenburg, drawing together aerial archaeology and remote sensing
practitioners from across Europe following the fall of the Iron Curtain. Ten
years on, the Munich conference will celebrate and investigate the progress of
aerial and ground remote sensing in Europe and surrounding countries,
addressing a number of key academic, technical, management, and survey issues.
New Solutions To An Old Problem: Multiple Image Registration With Sparse
Ground Control Data
A Bartoli, R
Palmer and I Scollar
When making extreme oblique images, it is often difficult to
include control information suitable for mapping while at the same time showing
the archaeological features to their best advantage. Sets of images may also
include those made in different years, and control information from field
boundaries, roads or buildings may not be consistent or poorly visible. These
and other difficulties complicate the mapping problem. Furthermore, very little
is usually known about the cameras. Existing computerized methods for mapping
based on a single image which contains points also visible on a map may not be applicable
when an insufficient number of points is available.
For over forty years, photogrammetrists
have treated multiple image sequences using the Bundle Adjustment method which
can incorporate all available information simultaneously in order to find the
position from which each image was taken, the orientation angles of the cameras
and, if enough information is present, even data from uncalibrated
amateur cameras can be used. An iterative method to refine all parameters is
usually involved for which several dozen commercial programme
implementations are available. Although this approach to Bundle Adjustment can been applied to
archaeological image sets under favorable conditions, it sometimes converges
incorrectly when a poor initial solution for the iterative technique is
supplied.
We propose an initialization strategy based on recent
developments in the computer vision community. It builds on methods that
compute relative camera placements based on a minimal number of feature
correspondences between the images. Feature correspondences that are not
visible on the map are taken into account, making it possible to register sets
of images which defeat previous algorithms. The new methods are robust in the
sense that they can cope with spurious correspondences when a redundant set is
provided. In addition, the image and map correspondences do not have to be
contained entirely in a single picture. By using a suitably rapid
implementation, it may also be possible to obtain an ortho-mosaic
from an image sequence with nearly real-time interactive fine tuning
correction.
Adrien Bartoli
Department of Engineering Science
Ewert House,
Summertown
phone/fax 0044 1865 280 947 / 922
Air Photo Services
phone/fax 0044 1223 572063
Irwin Scollar
In der Au 9
D 53424 Remagen
phone 0049 2642 23734
The A1 corridor in East
D Cowley
& O Lelong
The inspection of aerial photographic coverage in the assessment
of linear interventions, such as roads and pipelines, is a matter of routine.
In many cases, the aerial photography has been shown to register only a small
proportion of the archaeological sites that are subsequently discovered during
work, and, at an intra-site level, features that are visible on the
photography. That additional detail is recovered on excavated sites is not a
surprise, but in the context of evaluations for planning purposes the large
numbers of sites that do not register at all represents more of a problem. One
approach to this problem is the retrospective analysis of the results of the
excavation work along these interventions, in combination with an analysis of
the biases in AP coverage, landuse histories and
geomorphic data, such as drift geology and bore hole logs, to identify any
patterning in the manner in which material is recorded (or not). In this case
study from the A1 corridor in East Lothian, these sources have been combined to
inform the interpretation of the excavated sites in a regional context, and
should also serve to inform future practice in the assessment of similar
interventions.
Dave Cowley (CORRESPONDENCE HERE)
RCAHMS
John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace
EH8 9NX
Tel. 0131 662 1456
Fax. 0131 662 1499
Olivia Lelong
GUARD
Tel: 0141 330 5541
Fax: 0141 330 3863
o.lelong@archaeology.gla.ac.uk
Aerial archaeology in the Hinterland of Carnuntum
M Doneus
In November 2003, a research project financed by the
Austrian Science Fund was launched which deals with the settlement pattern of
the late Iron Age and Early Roman
times in the Hinterland south of Carnuntum ("Celts in the Hinterland of
Carnuntum"). The team consisting of 2 full-time and 3 part-time
researchers tries to meet two project
aims. First, we want to produce a detailed archaeological map of this 600 km2
large region derived from literature, systematic aerial archaeology and field
surveys. Secondly,
the data will be the basis for the assessment of settlement patterns and
social, economic, and geographic conditions that were substantial for the
Romanization of the Carnuntum area. In the course of this project, systematic
data collection of all sites will be carried out in a 10 km wide corridor along
the river Leitha between Wr.
Neustadt and Bruck an der Leitha.
Institute
for Prehistory
Franz Kleingasse 1
A-1190
Macula features and
Maculae sites: an attempt at their classification.
M Gojda
The most common component of the central European
archaeological landscape identified during aerial research of the lowland
settlement zone is the macula, a feature that yields cropmarks (or soilmarks) across its entire area, such as a
sunken-featured building, pit, grave, post hole, etc. Items of this type are
distinguished by a different size, from round pits (as identified for example
in above-ground floor plans) up to destroyed and filled-in quarries and clay
pits. It is this very type of feature that can most easily be confused with
those that are not of ancient human origin (marks in fields, forming clusters,
which are the results of current fertilisation or of local occurrence of weeds
on the otherwise homogenous surface of the fields of fully-grown cereal crops).
The correct identification of these features is to a certain extent dependent
on the experience of the observer, who should take notice not just of whether
identified features have a geometric form, but also what is their mutual
relationship like and the total character of the locality (their placing in the
landscape from the view of the morphology of the terrain).
A particular problem is how to work with areas the
components of which comprise maculae, which appear both singly and in
concentrations with numbers running into the dozens and hundreds of features.
In the area of interest to the Czech project the great majority were classified
into the groups of either pits (the more precise
functional determination of which is unascertainable from photographs in most
cases), dwellings or graves. In the classification of settlement areas (or
residential components) formed by this type of feature, however, there are
several problems. It has become ever more necessary to create a specific system
for the description of settlement areas (or parts thereof) captured on aerial
photographs by means of cropmarks. The paper brings a suggestion for the description of such areas
(traditionally termed sites).
Martin Gojda
Mala Strana,
Letenska 4,
CR-11801,
Flying with Vampires. Six years aerial reconnaissance in
W.S. Hanson and I.A. Oltean
Each summer (bar one) since 1998 the authors have undertaken
aerial reconnaissance in
Professor W.S. Hanson
Department of Archaeology
W.hanson@archaeology.gla.ac.uk
Aerial Archaeology in
Dr. habil R Heynowski
The first
aerial photos of archaeological sites go back to the late twenties and the
thirties of the 20th century, when pictures were made from Zeppelines and than by military units. During the GDR,
aerial archaeology was impossible because of the difficult organizational and
technical conditions. After opening the skies over eastern
Since 2001,
the Saxon Department of Archaeology has taken over this responsibility on its
own. For this purpose a sports plane with pilot is chartered. The archaeologist
decides the route, looks out for sites and takes the photos. Besides the
discovery of new sites, big advantages result in the personal union: the aerial
archaeology is integrated into the listing of monuments and the Geographical
Information System DIA (a saxon
wide data bank, which connects the location with special subject information).
For publications and current excavations are well-aimed and demand-oriented
aerial photos possible any time. A dense information network in the Department
of Archaeology works via intranet. The indispensable administrative acts are
organized in a way, that an operation is possible any
time, even immediate.
The
Department of Archaeology tried to find potential alternatives to the classical
aerial archaeology. These are aerial photos, which were made for an other purpose, especially by the surveyor´s
office or different offices of natural environment or forestry. A specific
feature was given by the flights of the military reconnaissance during the
flood of the
Dr. R.
Heynowski
Landesamt für Archäologie
mit Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Zur Wetterwarte
7
D-01277
Ronald.Heynowski@archsax.smwk.sachsen.de
Crop marks near Zaasch, Kr. Delitzsch (Saxony), medieval settlement „Jesau“, 30.06.2003, Photo: R. Heynowski, Landesamt für Archäologie Dresden, Luftbildarchiv-Nr. 4538/130-05
Air Archaeology in Solvenia: Rectangular Ditches of Prekmurje from the
Air
B
Introduction
The paper introduces the achievements of air archeology in
the region of Prekmurje in that cropmarks in the shape of rectangular ditches
will be presented and defined in detail.
Prekmurje is part of the Sub-Panonnian
region located on the left banks of the Mura
River, featuring an extensive plain, bordering, on its south side, on a
wide flooding area between the Mura River
and the Ledava River; on its northern side, however,
it touches the foothills of the hilly Goričko part
of Prekmurje. (Fig. 1).Between the Mura and the Ledava
flooding zones there is an extensive alluvial plain, the so-called Prekmurje
gravel field, the largest arable complex of Prekmurje. Usually it features a
thin layer of humus, underneath which there is some clay and under this clay there is
sandy gravel or sandy clay. It is this part of Prekmurje which has been
reconnoitered many times over with the help air photography thus there is an extensive
collection of air photos of potential archaeological sites. Apart from circular
and semi-circular ditches, straight-line ditches and curved-line ditches and
small circular dug-ins, cropmarks quite often feature rectangular ditches
(Kerman 1999, 333-347; Kerman 2002).
Cropmarks in the Shape
of Rectangular Ditches
Apart from circular ditches rectangular ditches are the most
common cropmark of the Prekmurje fields. In the air photos these morphological
patterns can be identified in the shape of horizontal or straight-line structures, i.e.
enclosed areas featuring straight-line
sides and rounded-off angles, although there are also patterns featuring
acute angles. The majority of rectangular morphological patterns feature a very
simple if precise rectangular shape with a single ditch.
Rectangular enclosures are encircled by a ditch in that one
of the sides features an opening for entrance, located centrally or laterally.
The size of individual sides can vary from 15 meters and up to 60 meters in length.
Among the documented rectangular ditches one can distinguish between several
architectural types which can be ranked not only according to the shape and the
size of the object but also in conncetion with
circular ditches, paths and roads. (Fig.2).
The most common shape is a small self-supporting rectangular
ditch with straight-line sides; the sides of the corners can be slightly
rounded off or else the corners can be sharp. One of the sides features an openign for entrance into the enclosure which is always
centrally located. At this point the ditch is interrupted. A very similar
entrance shape can be seen with circular ditches as well (Rakičan,
Murska Sobota). The second
group is represented by identical rectangular ditches, very much like the ones
of the first group, the difference being the fact that in their immediate
vicinity there are circular ditches and miscellaneous dug-ins. It is, however,
not always that rectangular and circular ditches appear simultaneously.
The third group is comprised of small rectangular ditches
which can be accompanied by smaller circular ditches; these rectangular ditches
could be remnants of grave plots in a burial ground. Large rectangular ditches
with straight-line sides are a very common cropmark; one of the sides features
an opening for entrance, located centrally or laterally. The last group is
represented by smaller rectangular ditches with an entrance; they are
interconnected into either oblong or L-shaped objects.
Interpretation
Typologically architectural shapes have been divided into
five types. None of the said architectural objects has either been checked in the
field or excavated thus it will be difficult for them to be defined precisely.
Rectangular ditches are the second largest group of
cropmarks in the region of Prekmurje. This type of fenced-in rectangular
enclosures is characteristic of the time period of late Iron Age (Irlinger
1996, 183-190; Becker, 191-198). Rectangular ditches are defined as remnants of
settlements, strongholds or bigger and smaller farms, in that they could also
be remnants of ritual sites. Rectangular ditches are conclusive evidence of the
early types of settlements and farms, representing the very beginning of the
urbanization of the region of Prekmurje. The spread of rectangular ditches
shows the division of the region into several agricultural complexes.
The most densely populated area is located by the stream Dobel, with
rectangular ditches, with individual blank fileds
among them, spreading north of the
Conclusion
The survey of various types of rectangular ditches shows a densley populated region of Prekmurje; these cropmarks,
along with circular ditches and lines representing roads, do not only call for complex
research work into colonisation of the region but
also make it possible for the issue to be rethought and redefined.
Literature
Becker, H. 1996, Ein keltischer Tempel als Bewuchsmerkmal
im Getreide – Die Viereckschanze bei Hartkirchen. Archäologische prospektion. Luftbildarchäologie und Geophysik, Arbeitshefte Bayerisches Landesamt für
Denkmalpflege, Band 59, 191 – 197. (München)
Irlinger, W. 1996, Die keltischen Viereckschanzen. Erkennungsmöglichkeiten verebneter Anlage im Luftbild. Archäologische prospektion. Luftbildarchäologie und Geophysik, Arbeitshefte
Bayerisches Landesamt für
Denkmalpflege, Band 59, 183 - 190. (München)
Appendix
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2. Shapes of rectangular ditches, 1 (Rakičan), 2 (Murska Sobota) small rectangular itches with entrance, 3 (Beltinci), 4-5 (Krog) small
rectangular ditches with entrance complete with circular ditches 7 (Renkovci), 8 (Pušča)rectangular
and circular ditches – grave plots in burial ground, 9 (Murska
Sobota), 10 (Pušča),
11 (Tropovci), 12 (Dobrovnik)
large rectangular ditches with entrance, located centrally or laterally, 13 (Veščica), 14-15 (Lipovci)
oblong rectangular ditches comprised of several smaller ditches
Fig. 3. Spread of square ditches in the
region of Prekmurje
Fig. 4. Beltinci (cropmark). Ditch
of square enclosure with entrance, adjacent to it are the semicircular ring-like ditch and two oblong
wide ditches on the right side. Photo: B. Kerman ©
Branko Kerman
Univ. dipl. archaeologist
Pokrajinski muzej
Trubarjev drevored
4
9000 Murska Sobota
Aerial archaeology in south
K
Leidorf
No abstract received.
Mottes and baileys from the air between Britanny
and
Mottes castrales vues du ciel : pouvoirs et territoires entre
G Leroux
Peut-être encore plus que
les châteaux-forts, la très forte densité
des mottes médiévales symbolise l’émiettement des pouvoirs de la société féodale naissante. L’Ouest de la France n’échappe pas
à cette règle ;
elle constitue même une caractéristique
de la zone géographique dite
des «Marches de Bretagne », partagée entre les départements de l’Ille-et-Vilaine et de la Mayenne.
Mais il est
encore prématuré pour donner
des raisons objectives à cet
état ;
on peut en effet y voir autant des raisons d’ordre géopolitique que sociologique.
Bien que leur intérêt
ait suscité la réalisation d’inventaires chez
les érudits des deux derniers siècles, ou plus récemment au sein des Services régionaux de l’archéologie (Ministère de la
Culture), la pratique intensive de l’archéologie aérienne apporte encore son lot de découvertes
inédites ou d’informations complémentaires. Ces travaux restent prioritaires dans la mesure où l’on
assiste encore de nos jours à des destructions irrémédiables !
La diversité des états de conservation de ce patrimoine oblige aussi à réaliser
des vols dans des
conditions climatiques et végétales
différentes. Ainsi, les survols hivernaux favoriseront la révélation des
micro-reliefs sur les prairies
grâce à la lumière rasante, ou la vision globale de sites préservés dans les milieux forestiers ; tandis que les missions estivales mettront au jour les
traces archéologiques sur tous les supports végétaux.
La variété typologique
des mottes est
également de mise puisque l’archéologie aérienne enregistre aussi bien des mottes entourées d’une unique douve circulaire, des mottes avec leur basse-cour adjacente, que des ensembles plus
castes et mieux élaborés jusqu’à une véritable
organisation des paysages. Certaines d’entre elles ont constitué
des pôles évidents dans la constitution des villages médiévaux
ou l’édification postérieure des châteaux-forts, devenus
les nouveaux sièges des seigneuries – nous en connaissons plusieurs exemples dans les départements de la Sarthe et de la Mayenne, mais la majorité d’entre elles ont
vu leur évolution stoppée rapidement au gré des regroupements des pouvoirs locaux.
(machine translation with possible errors)
Perhaps even more than the castle-forts, the
very strong density of the medieval mounds symbolizes
the crumbling of the capacities of the incipient feudal company. The West of
France does not escape from this rule; it constitutes even a characteristic of
the geographical area known as of the "Steps of Brittany", divided
between the departments of l’Ille-et-Vilaine and Mayenne. But it is still premature to give objective
reasons in this state; one can see indeed there as many the reasons of a
geopolitical nature that sociological. Although their interest caused the
realization of inventories in the last two century old scholars, or more
recently the regional Services of archaeology (Ministry for the Culture), the
intensive practice of air archaeology still brings its batch of new discoveries
or additional information. This work remains priority insofar as one attends
irremediable destruction still nowadays! The diversity of the states of
conservation of this inheritance also obliges to carry out flights under
climatic and vegetable conditions different. Thus, the winter overflights will support the revelation of the microreliefs on the meadows thanks to the glancing light,
or the global vision of sites preserved in the forest mediums; while the
missions will put at the day the archaeological traces on all the vegetable
supports. The typological variety of the mounds is also of setting since air
archaeology as well records mounds surrounded of a single circular ditch,
mounds with their adjacent farmyard, that sets plus castes and better elaborate
until a true organization of the landscapes. Some of them constituted of the
obvious poles in the constitution of the medieval villages or the posterior
construction of the castle-forts, become new seats of the seigniories
- we know of them several examples in the departments of the
Gilles
LEROUX
Archaeologist
in Britanny and Pays de la Loire (France)
Institut
National de Recherches Archéologiques
Préventives
La Pochetière
35890 Laillé FRANCE
AARG, training schools and Culture 2000: 1996-????
C Musson
For AARG and its members training has been a preoccupation
since at least 1996, when the first aerial archaeology training school was held
in
Aber Photo Services
Tanyffordd
Pisgah
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion. SY23 4NE
A System Approach to Establish a Digital Spatial Platform for the
Application of the Cultural Inventory of
T Özalp and
The
This initiative requires devising, adopting and making use
of innovative methods and facilities for managing, accessing, interpreting,
preserving and visualizing
The strategic goal is to encourage Turkish institutions,
organizations and research communities holding cultural values and related
scientific materials, to form collaborative partnerships. It brings together a
wide range of actors from the research, the public and the private sectors;
such as libraries, museums and galleries, archives, public bodies, educational
institutions (schools, universities) and research centers which are responsible
for the management of cultural heritage in
T Ozalp and
Atatürk Bulvari
No:221
06100 – Kavaklidere
Taking Aerial Survey to
R Palmer and
A Faustmann
A request to help introduce archaeological aerial survey to
a country which has no civilian aviation, no accessible photographs or maps,
and is very security conscious may seem somewhat unreasonable but it offers an
interesting challenge. We’ve made
several visits to
RP: An introduction to aerial survey
seems best made by demonstrating its usefulness in archaeological research and
my first visit to
To date we have examined
AF: How is it possible to work from the paramotor? The
observer needs to be fit enough to do the take-off running, brave enough to
hang from straps while perched on a short plank, and then needs to retain
sufficient powers of observation and critique to distinguish organised stones
from the random stones that cover
Air Photo Services
phone/fax 0044 1223 572063
Antje Faustmann
Graduiertenkolleg Gegenwartsbezogene
Landschaftsgenese
Institut für
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Belfortstr. 22
79085
a.faustmann@ufg.uni-freiburg.de
Cost efficient data collection?
R Palmer
This paper will examine the cost-efficiency of vertical
aerial photography and oblique aerial photography. Direct comparisons between
time, cost and efficiency between the two techniques will be considered.
Air Photo Services
phone/fax 0044 1223 572063
Understanding the landscape of
Loughcrew (Slieve na Calliagh) through
airborne lidar survey and digital spatial analysis
Dr
The Loughcrew neolithic passage
grave cemeteries on Slieve na Calliagh in western Co. Meath
dominate a rich archaeological landscape that includes a stone circle, henge
monuments, standing stones, extensive ancient fields, a controversial ‘cursus’ monument, and many later period sites. The distribution of these sites, their positions in the landscape, and
their locational inter-relationships have been
investigated with airborne lidar, a tool new to archaeological research.
Airborne lidar creates a very accurate digital model of the landscape that can
be investigated and visualised by computer. The lidar
instrument measured spot heights of the land surface, including trees and
buildings, approximately every half metre across a 5
by 6 kilometre area around Slieve na
Calliagh. This detailed survey was placed in its wider context with a 5 metre interval aerial photogrammetric
survey of a surrounding 10 by 12 kilometre area. This
provided also a 20 centimetre resolution colour orthophoto mosaic of this
larger area.
As well as situating the important Loughcrew passage graves
within a wider landscape context, the Loughcrew Project has recorded the extent
of the surviving surface archaeological evidence around Slieve na Calliagh, with many new features recognised for the first
time. Over 150 km of earlier field boundaries have been transcribed. Archaeological
features have been compared with the existing National Monument Record and new
potential barrows, fulachta fiadh,
and enclosures have been found. The integration of very high resolution digital
terrain models and aerial imagery has advanced our knowledge of this important
landscape, and created a dataset that can inform future planning decisions, and
against which future change can be measured. The Loughcrew landscape has been
recognised as particularly sensitive to development. Comparison with 1960s
aerial photography has revealed the impact of pasture improvement on the
archaeological record. Afforestation and the
provision of tourist facilities are further pressures. Enhancing our
understanding of this internationally important archaeological landscape is not
only valuable for the study of european
prehistory, but also for future planning and management.
Relief shaded lidar image of bivallate ringfort
(Co. Meath inv. No. 644), enclosures and ancient
field boundaries.
Dr Colin
Shell
Department
of Archaeology
CB2 3DZ,
The integration of active aerial photography and GIS in the
F Vermeulen, G Verhoeven
& J Semey
In 2000 a team of
In a first
phase the whole
The second phase of active aerial photography is aimed at
the detection of previously unknown archaeological features in the crops,
ploughed fields and other surface coverage. Such results are pursued by very
regular flights in the whole
Jointly
geographers and archaeologists have elaborated an original GIS of the whole
During this communication we will discuss topics as general
methodology, potential of this landscape for remote sensing, GIS-analysis and
typical geo-archaeological approaches.
We will also go into some of the major archaeological themes and results
of the aerial photography in the valley, such as: reconstructing Roman city
topography, the siting and erosion of rural settlement and the influence of
changes in river courses and coastlines on archaeological sites.
Frank Vermeulen, Geert Verhoeven & Jacques Semey
Vakgroep Archeologie en Oude Geschiedenis van Europa
Universiteit
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History of Europe
Ghent University
Blandijnberg 2
B-9000
België/Belgium
Tel. +32-(0)9-2644137 Fax +32-(0)9-2644173
E-mail: Frank.Vermeulen@UGent.be
Where is the landscape?
L Zuk
A critical examination of the use of
morphological analyses in aerial interpretation. This paper will look at the
development of aerial archaeology in recent years with a focus on morphological
analyses. This appears to be the only proposition for the interpretation of our
data, which in my opinion leads nowhere. I would like to consider whether other
approaches to aerial data are possible.
Lidka Zuk,
sw. Marcin
78
PL-61809