ADVANCING THE DOCUMENTATION OF BURIED ARCHAEOLOGICAL
LANDSCAPES
W. Neubauer1,2, M. Doneus2,3,1, I. Trinks1
1
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190-Vienna, Austria. 2 VIAS – Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science, University of Vienna, Franz Klein-Gasse 1/V, A-1190-Vienna, Austria. 3
UFG – Institute for Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology, University of Vienna, Franz Klein-Gasse 1/III, A-1190-Vienna, Austria.
CIPA, ICOMOS and WG V/2
KEY WORDS: Archaeology, Aerial Archaeology, LiDAR, Ground Penetrating Radar, magnetometry, hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy
ABSTRACT:
The future demands on professional archaeological prospection will be its ability to cover large areas in a time and cost efficient manner with very high spatial resolution and accuracy. The objective of the 2010 in Vienna established Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, in collaboration with its nine European partner organisations, is the advancement of the state-of-the-art. This goal will be achieved by focusing on the development of remote sensing, geophysical prospection and virtual reality applications. Main focus will be placed on novel integrated interpretation approaches combining cutting-edge near-surface prospection methods with advanced computer science.
1. INTRODUCTION
Over the past decades landscape archaeology has increasingly gained importance. Despite a vast variety of approaches, a tacit agreement consists in the fact that landscape archaeologists are investigating beyond the individual site, dealing with space at different scales. This has led many archaeologists, but also preservationists, to enlarge their field of endeavour from individual sites towards entire archaeological landscapes. In order to be able to protect archaeological landscapes, these have to be identified and documented, which for various reasons presents an archaeological challenge: The massive threat of destruction and deterioration of buried cultural heritage demands for fast, efficient and reliable methods for its identification, documentation and interpretation. At the same time, the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Valletta-Convention) states that non-destructive investigation methods should be applied wherever possible (ETS N143, article 3).
Therefore, large-scale applications of non-invasive archaeological prospection methods (e.g. aerial archaeology, airborne laser scanning (ALS) and all kinds of near-surface geophysical prospection) comprise a great potential. These methods offer the most appropriate solution in order to provide both landscape archaeologists and planning authorities with the necessary spatial information at multiple scales, ranging from the archaeological site to a complete archaeological landscape. However, scientific archaeological prospection requires the implementation and adherence to the highest technical standards in regard to instrumentation, spatial sampling intervals, positioning accuracy, data processing and visualization, as well as appropriate novel methodological concepts for the archaeological interpretation of individual sites and archaeological landscapes. This requirement demands coordinated fundamental research aimed at the development and improvement of new ways to acquire the basic data sets, and to extract their archaeologically relevant information by means of well-thought, integrative interpretation tools.
2. THE LBI INITIATIVE
The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI ArchPro), founded in April 2010, is focusing on the necessary fundamental and applied research to develop remote sensing, geophysical prospection, Virtual Reality applications and novel integrated interpretation approaches dedicated to landscape archaeology. The LBI ArchPro is based in Vienna, but integrates a Europe-wide partner consortium, representing academic and research institutions, archaeological service providers, and governmental authorities from Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden. Its major objectives are
1. The development of novel methods, algorithms and software tools for the processing, digital GIS-based description and three-dimensional visualization of the huge amount of data collected.
2. Sophisticated processing of the airborne and geophysical data for subsequent integrated archaeological interpretation.
3. The development of an integrative GIS-based platform for researchers to manage and to collaborate on the huge and complex datasets covering archaeological landscapes.
4. Among these implementations, Virtual Reality will function as an important interface technology, making data and results graphically accessible to the scientific community and the public.
The research programme is focusing on the following programme lines: Archaeological Remote Sensing, Archaeological Geophysical Prospection and Archaeological Interpretation, Spatial Analysis & Virtual Archaeology. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B5, 2012
3.1 Airborne
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3. RESEARC
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phitheatre of D geometry is gorithms (Doneus
o International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B5, 2012
Figure 2. Visu
Figure 3.
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3.2 Efficient
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that is accu ogists.
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Case Studies
hin the researc e been selected scapes for dis hods and techn uding remote lity and dyna rpretation. The
-study areas an he integrated pro
bringing togeth ds of high-putational scien e an active rese dards and contr rnational arch pective, the kno scientific result ine application ch will be of fu the investigati tage. The aim o
apply cutting-e oaches to illum
hectares per day s (visible as rows ustria (courtesy of
for integrated based archaeol
ropriate, easy patial analysis a archiving, da
ch programme, in order to pro tinct case stud niques mention
sensing, geop amic GIS-base proposed pres d present the la ospection appro
4. OUTL
her national and -tech archaeo nce, the LBI A arch and develo ributing at the haeological sc owledge, hard- s produced by n of novel me undamental ben
ion and protec of the LBI Arc dge technology minate archaeol
in unprecedented s of black dots) of f MALÅ Geoscie
d archaeologica logical inform y-to-use tools
for integrated data retrieval a
, various geog ovide different dies. Here, all ned above will physical prospe ed integrated sentation will f atest developme oach.
LOOK
d international ological pros ArchPro and it
opment unit, es highest levels cience. In t
and software to the LBI ArchP ethodologies a nefit to archaeo ction of endan chPro initiative y and integrated logical heritage
d resolution: this f the hypocaust ence AB).
al interpretation mation system, for dynamic archaeological and long term
graphical areas archaeological l non-invasive, be combined, ection, Virtual archaeological focus on these ents and results
experts in the spection and ts partners will stablishing new to the field of the long-term ools, as well as Pro will permit and techniques ological science ngered cultural e is to develop d interpretation e by visualising n International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B5, 2012
unique, formerly unknown, and otherwise invisible archaeological monuments and sites, which will be of great value to scientists as well as the general public alike. Providing scientists with new technological solutions, the development of novel archaeological concepts based on empirical data collected in great quality and quantity will be possible. Expanding the international LBI ArchPro case studies into large-scale applications, the work conducted within the research consortium will provide scientific access to GIS-based virtual and scalable archaeological data - from individual postholes to entire archaeological landscapes.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to express their thanks to the team of the LBI ArchPro and its partners. The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (http://archpro.lbg.ac.at) is based on an international cooperation of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society (A), the University of Vienna (A), the Vienna University of Technology (A), the Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamic (A), the office of the provincial government of Lower Austria (A), Airborne Technologies (A), the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz (D), the Swedish Central National Heritage Board (S), the IBM VISTA laboratory at the University of Birmingham (GB) and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (N).
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