Daniel Canedo, João Fonte, Rita Dias, Tiago do Pereiro, Luís Gonçalves‐Seco, Marta Vázquez, Petia Georgieva, António J. R. Neves
{"title":"Automated Detection of Hillforts in Remote Sensing Imagery With Deep Multimodal Segmentation","authors":"Daniel Canedo, João Fonte, Rita Dias, Tiago do Pereiro, Luís Gonçalves‐Seco, Marta Vázquez, Petia Georgieva, António J. R. Neves","doi":"10.1002/arp.1958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1958","url":null,"abstract":"Recent advancements in remote sensing and artificial intelligence can potentially revolutionize the automated detection of archaeological sites. However, the challenging task of interpreting remote sensing imagery combined with the intricate shapes of archaeological sites can hinder the performance of computer vision systems. This work presents a computer vision system trained for efficient hillfort detection in remote sensing imagery. Equipped with an adapted multimodal semantic segmentation model, the system integrates LiDAR‐derived LRM images and aerial orthoimages for feature fusion, generating a binary mask pinpointing detected hillforts. Post‐processing includes margin and area filters to remove edge inferences and smaller anomalies. The resulting inferences are subjected to hard positive and negative mining, where expert archaeologists classify them to populate the training data with new samples for retraining the segmentation model. As the computer vision system is far more likely to encounter background images during its search, the training data are intentionally biased towards negative examples. This approach aims to reduce the number of false positives, typically seen when applying machine learning solutions to remote sensing imagery. Northwest Iberia experiments witnessed a drastic reduction in false positives, from 5678 to 40 after a single hard positive and negative mining iteration, yielding a 99.3% reduction, with a resulting F<jats:sub>1</jats:sub> score of 66%. In England experiments, the system achieved a 59% F<jats:sub>1</jats:sub> score when fine‐tuned and deployed countrywide. Its scalability to diverse archaeological sites is demonstrated by successfully detecting hillforts and other types of enclosures despite their typical complex and varied shapes. Future work will explore archaeological predictive modelling to identify regions with higher archaeological potential to focus the search, addressing processing time challenges.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"117 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142256008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cyrille Fauchard, Laure Aillaud, Astrid Legrand, Vincent Guilbert, Cyril Ledun, Bruno Beaucamp, Raphael Antoine
{"title":"Combining Photogrammetry and Subsurface Geophysics to Improve Historical Knowledge of Romanesque Churches in Normandy, France: Case Study of the Notre‐Dame‐du‐Val Chapel","authors":"Cyrille Fauchard, Laure Aillaud, Astrid Legrand, Vincent Guilbert, Cyril Ledun, Bruno Beaucamp, Raphael Antoine","doi":"10.1002/arp.1957","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1957","url":null,"abstract":"This study presents the results of aerial and geophysical measurements carried out on the Notre‐Dame‐du‐Val chapel in Sotteville‐sur‐Mer (Normandy, France), a former leprosarium dating from the 15th century; the chapel is now deconsecrated and has been showing signs of ageing in recent years. Restoration work is planned, and geophysical investigations of the area around the chapel have been commissioned. In this article, we propose a robust methodology combining aerial and terrestrial measurements in the visible range with surface prospecting methods. Compiling all the measurements within a perfectly georeferenced 3D model allows the joint analysis of the results of different physical measurement methods to provide unexpected architectural and archaeological information. Photos were taken from the ground and using a drone to build photogrammetric models of the interior and exterior of the chapel. Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) were the two survey methods deployed in the area surrounding the chapel. The geophysical measurements clearly reveal traces of apses—which have now disappeared—at the crossing of what would have been the building's transept, which match up with the filled‐in openings that are present. The existence of these apses can only be assumed from inside the chapel. The resistivity anomalies are perfectly correlated with the radar anomalies and allow new hypotheses to be formulated about the original structure of the chapel. Finally, mapping the local geology of the surroundings based on a geophysical survey provides crucial information about the history of the church's construction. Bringing this unknown architectural element to light and carrying out precise mapping of the local geology surrounding the chapel constitute a major breakthrough, as this will make it possible to improve our knowledge of the history of the chapel, in particular its origins, through research based on archaeological surveys.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142256009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dario Calderone, Nicola Lercari, Davide Tanasi, Dennis Busch, Ryan Hom, Rosa Lanteri
{"title":"Tackling the Thorny Dilemma of Mapping Southeastern Sicily's Coastal Archaeology Beneath Dense Mediterranean Vegetation: A Drone‐Based LiDAR Approach","authors":"Dario Calderone, Nicola Lercari, Davide Tanasi, Dennis Busch, Ryan Hom, Rosa Lanteri","doi":"10.1002/arp.1956","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1956","url":null,"abstract":"Airborne laser scanning (ALS), commonly known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote sensing technique that enables transformative archaeological research by providing high‐density 3D representations of landscapes and sites covered by vegetation whose analysis reveals hidden features and structures. ALS can detect targets under trees and grasslands, making it an ideal archaeological survey and mapping tool. ALS instruments are usually mounted on piloted aircraft. However, since the mid‐2010s, smaller laser scanners can be mounted on uncrewed aerial vehicles or drones. In this article, we examined the viability of drone‐based ALS for archaeological applications by utilizing a RIEGL VUX‐UAV<jats:sup>22</jats:sup> sensor to capture point clouds with high spatial resolution at the archaeological site of Heloros in Southeastern Sicily, founded by the Greeks in the late eighth century <jats:sc>bce</jats:sc>. Using this laser scanner, we surveyed over 1.6 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> of the archaeological landscape, producing datasets that outperformed noncommercial airborne ALS data for the region made available by the Italian government. We produced derivative imagery free of vegetation, which we visualized in GIS using a modified Local Relief Model technique to aid our archaeological analyses. Our findings demonstrate that drone‐based ALS can penetrate the dense Mediterranean canopy of coastal Sicily with sufficient point density to enable more efficient mapping of underlying archaeological features such as stone quarries, cart tracks, defensive towers and fortification walls. Our study proved that drone‐based ALS sensors can be easily transported to remote locations and that in‐house lab staff can safely operate them, which enables multiple on‐demand surveys and opportunistic collections to be conducted on the fly when environmental conditions are ideal. We conclude that these capabilities further increase the benefits of utilizing ALS for surveying the archaeological landscape under the Mediterranean canopy.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"211 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142256010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Needle in a Haystack: Landscape Survey and Archaeological Detection Experiments in Apalachee Bay","authors":"Simon Fitch, Jessica Cook Hale","doi":"10.1002/arp.1959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1959","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the results of a pilot landscape‐scale seismic survey undertaken in Apalachee Bay, Florida, across a submerged landscape that contains dozens of Pre‐Contact sites. In addition to the goals of improving the geophysical and remote sensing ground model for this submerged landscape, the survey also sought to undertake the first independent scientific test of the contentious ‘HALD’ methodology, an acoustic resonance method that it is claimed to identify knapped lithic artefacts at and/or below the seabed through the identification of distinct ‘haystack’ responses. The results of this work indicate that the HALD method, as currently described, produces results that could not be scientifically replicated in this survey. We conclude that any HALD ‘haystack’ signal should therefore not be considered as an example of detection of human‐modified lithic material but rather as a geophysical anomaly that requires additional constraints before it can be used to reliably identify human‐modified lithic materials. Thus, although the authors note that laboratory studies have successfully produced an acoustic signal in human‐modified lithics, the field‐based methods remain yet to be reliably determined. In addition to these results, the landscape mapping survey also recorded valuable information on buried and previously unrecorded landscape features that have archaeological significance and that may guide future site prospection. We therefore conclude that despite the results of the HALD test, the well‐preserved submerged landscape of Apalachee Bay region provides a highly useful testing ground for methods that can be deployed elsewhere globally.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"77 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142214135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Petra M. Creamer, Jonathan Alperstein, Michele Massa, James Osborne, Jesse Casana
{"title":"Magnetic Gradiometry Survey at the Urban Centre of Türkmen‐Karahöyük (Turkey)","authors":"Petra M. Creamer, Jonathan Alperstein, Michele Massa, James Osborne, Jesse Casana","doi":"10.1002/arp.1955","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1955","url":null,"abstract":"The understanding of urban centres in the ancient Near East, one of the main regions for investigating the development of cities, has been transformed in recent years through investigations using archaeological geophysical prospection tools. This paper presents results of our recent magnetic gradiometry survey at the large urban site of Türkmen‐Karahöyük (Konya Plain, Turkey) conducted using a SENSYS Magneto MXPDA cart‐based system. Results of the survey have successfully identified and characterized numerous areas of ancient settlement, industrial activity and burials across the massive site, offering new insights into the history of occupation at Türkmen‐Karahöyük. Our findings are thereby helping to shape future investigations at the site and, more broadly, demonstrate the opportunities and challenges presented by cart‐based geophysical survey instruments for archaeological investigations of mounded urban sites with extensive lower towns.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"77 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142214134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Victoria Robinson, Stuart Black, Robert Fry, Helen Beddow, Robert Clark, Mike Fulford
{"title":"Radiating Encouragement: Further Investigation Into the Application of Gamma Ray Spectroscopy for Archaeological Prospection at the Roman Town of Silchester","authors":"Victoria Robinson, Stuart Black, Robert Fry, Helen Beddow, Robert Clark, Mike Fulford","doi":"10.1002/arp.1950","DOIUrl":"10.1002/arp.1950","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study builds on a preliminary investigation into the efficacy of gamma radiation surveying as a complementary tool for archaeological prospection. Improved surveying and data processing methods were implemented, including the use of a vehicle-mounted Groundhog surveying system, use of alternative software tools and examination of the impacts of individual radionuclides. The study focuses on a range of targets within <i>Insulae</i> VII, XXXV and XXXIII in Silchester Roman town, Hampshire. Targets of interest included a polygonal temple, a house, ditches (including an Iron Age defensive ditch) and several Roman roads. While the survey revealed no measurable differences in the gamma radionuclide content of less substantial structures (such as the temple and house) and the surrounding soil, it successfully delineated major structures. The Roman roads, Iron Age defensive ditch and potentially an indication of a historic field boundary not present in modern records were clearly visible in the generated visualisations. The roads and field boundary appear as distinct linear features of depleted radioactivity. The location of the Iron Age ditch correlates with an area of elevated radioactivity. Notably, the technique not only successfully identified archaeological features but was also able to indicate differences in the properties of similar targets such as variations in road thickness. Further, the gamma radiation data indicates variations in the local geology attributable to historic changes in land use and geochemical composition. This latest study corroborates the findings of the preliminary investigation, demonstrating replicability, scalability and ability to enhance output data quality. Further research, including sampling and non-destructive analysis of materials from the site, is needed to better explain observed results.</p>","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"31 3","pages":"249-266"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/arp.1950","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141928707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Duncan Williams, Dominique Bosquet, Tony Pollard, Kate Welham, Stuart Eve, Philippe De Smedt
{"title":"Contributions of Multi-Method Geophysical Survey to Archaeological Research at the Battlefield of Waterloo","authors":"Duncan Williams, Dominique Bosquet, Tony Pollard, Kate Welham, Stuart Eve, Philippe De Smedt","doi":"10.1002/arp.1952","DOIUrl":"10.1002/arp.1952","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Archaeological prospection is continually expanding into new frontiers, examining increasingly large areas, diverse environmental contexts and varying site types. One area that has received only limited focus is historic battlefields. This paper presents results from large-scale geophysical surveys (> 100 ha) at the Napoleonic battlefield of Waterloo (1815) in Belgium, using fluxgate magnetometry and frequency-domain electromagnetic induction. Despite its international historical significance, professional archaeological research at the battlefield is still in its infancy. We demonstrate how important insights can be gained by using geophysical methods for identifying features and artefacts related to the battle and for developing an understanding of the various influences acting on the present landscape. The largest survey of its kind undertaken on a single battlefield site, this approach holds particular potential for battlefield archaeology, given the subtle and low-density nature of the sought-after targets and the extensive area of the site. Such an approach can mitigate (though not entirely resolve) challenges of resolution and scale associated with other methods of investigation. Using a representative range of examples from Waterloo, we consider successes and challenges in undertaking geophysical surveys on battlefield sites. An integrated approach that incorporates targeted sampling and other forms of ancillary data is emphasized for a more robust interpretation of noninvasive sensor data.</p>","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"31 3","pages":"267-287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/arp.1952","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141948209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Novel Approach for Autonomous Densely Spaced Acquisition of Buried Objects in Intertidal Environments—Field Examples From Avaldsnes, Norway","authors":"T. M. Olsen, W. Weibull, A. Escalona, A. S. Vivås","doi":"10.1002/arp.1949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1949","url":null,"abstract":"Underwater archaeology relies on expensive and time‐consuming invasive methods for identifying and excavating objects buried in the seabed or identifying layers in shallow and intertidal environments. Especially shallow and intertidal environments are challenging due to locally high levels of sedimentation that offer good conditions for preserving organic material, that is, archaeological objects, in stabile and low‐oxygen environments. We present a system capable of dense (25 cm × 25 cm) survey coverage that enables nondestructive decimetre‐scale visualization of buried objects and sedimentary layers lying in the subsurface. The system comprises an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) equipped with a single‐channel 2D Chirp sonar. A description of the vehicle design is presented, and results from five field tests demonstrate the ability of the system to collect high‐resolution acoustic data in a variety of shallow water environments. The system shows an example of the linearized zero offset reflectivity inversion dataset, visualizing a known buried shipwreck from the medieval period in Avaldsnes, Norway. The ASV system holds global implications as it can serve as a noninvasive first‐stage survey in sensitive heritage or archaeological areas. Areas where traditional methods are challenging, or invasive methods are dissuaded.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141869355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Issues of Sampling and Representativeness in Large‐Scale LiDAR‐Derived Archaeological Surveys in Mediterranean Contexts","authors":"Giacomo Fontana","doi":"10.1002/arp.1951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.1951","url":null,"abstract":"Landscape‐scale LiDAR‐based studies are becoming increasingly prevalent in archaeology, mainly focusing on detecting archaeological sites to create datasets for spatial analysis. However, the representativeness of these datasets in accurately reflecting the surviving distributions of archaeological sites has often been overlooked. This paper discusses issues of sampling and representativeness in LiDAR‐derived datasets, particularly within the scope of large‐scale landscape studies in Mediterranean contexts. Drawing insights from the Ancient Hillforts Survey, which analysed 15 296 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> in south‐central Italy, the study examines the variability in the visibility of different site typologies in open‐source but low‐resolution LiDAR data. Through an examination of hillforts, platform farms, settlements, field systems, traces of Roman centuriation, and transhumance routes, the paper highlights significant variability in the identification and mapping within and across different site types. Recognizing the need to account for this variability in the development of spatial analysis, the paper discusses the use of sampling areas to address this variability. This approach aims to effectively mitigate potential biases in analysis, emphasizing the necessity for nuanced methodologies in interpreting LiDAR data for archaeological research.","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141780246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to Magnetic and GPR Data Modelling via Multiscale Methods in San Pietro in Crapolla Abbey, Massa Lubrense (Naples)","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/arp.1953","DOIUrl":"10.1002/arp.1953","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 <span>Bianco, L.</span>, <span>M. La Manna</span>, <span>V. Russo</span>, and <span>M. Fedi</span>. <span>2024</span>. “ <span>Magnetic and GPR Data Modelling via Multiscale Methods in San Pietro in Crapolla Abbey, Massa Lubrense (Naples)</span>.” <i>Archaeological Prospection</i> <span>31</span>: <span>139</span>–<span>147</span>. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/arp.1936.</p><p>The funding statement for this article was missing. The below funding statement has been added to the article.</p>","PeriodicalId":55490,"journal":{"name":"Archaeological Prospection","volume":"31 3","pages":"289"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/arp.1953","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141780250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}