Full Description
Mapping Archaeological Landscapes from Space offers a concise overview of air and spaceborne imagery and related geospatial technologies tailored to the needs of archaeologists. Leading experts including scientists involved in NASA's Space Archaeology program provide technical introductions to five sections:
1) Historic Air and Spaceborne Imagery
2) Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery
3) Synthetic Aperture Radar
4) Lidar
5) Archaeological Site Detection and Modeling
Each of these five sections includes two or more case study applications that have enriched understanding of archaeological landscapes in regions including the Near East, East Asia, Europe, Meso- and North America. Targeted to the needs of researchers and heritage managers as well as graduate and advanced undergraduate students, this volume conveys a basic technological sense of what is currently possible and, it is hoped, will inspire new pioneering applications.
Particular attention is paid to the tandem goals of research (understanding) and archaeological heritage management (preserving) the ancient past. The technologies and applications presented can be used to characterize environments, detect archaeological sites, model sites and settlement patterns and, more generally, reveal the dialectic landscape-scale dynamics among ancient peoples and their social and environmental surroundings. In light of contemporary economic development and resultant damage to and destruction of archaeological sites and landscapes, applications of air and spaceborne technologies in archaeology are of wide utility and promoting understanding of them is a particularly appropriate goal at the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.
Contents
Chapter Outline
Introduction: The History and Future of Geospatial Technologies in Archaeology
The Corona NASA ROSES Project
Use of Corona in Archaeology of China
Section 1: Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery
Multispectral Technology and Archaeological Applications
Understanding the Development of Nabataean Agriculture Through the Use of Landsat and Aster Imagery
Using Hyperion at Faynan, Jordan
Using Satellite Imagery to Monitor Change at Ancient Gordian, in Turkey
Merging Satellite Observations and Hydrological Models
Section 2: Synthetic Aperture Radar
Synthetic Aperture Radar, Technology, Past and Future Applications to Archaeology
The use of multispectral imagery and airborne synthetic aperture radar for the detection of archaeological sites and features in the western Maya wetlands of Chunchucmil, Yucatan, Mexico.
Using SAR to Model Spatial Relationships among Mayan Groups on the Usumacinta River
Site Detection Using Synthetic Aperture Radar on the Southern Channel Islands, California
Section 3: Lidar
LIDAR Technology and Applications to Archaeology
The Use of LIDAR at the Maya Site of Caracol, in Belize
The Lake Patzcuraro Archaeology Project
Section 4: Site Distribution Modelling and Detection
Agent Based Modelling for Archaeological Landscapes as Reconstructed in Aerial and Satellite Remote Sensing Imagery
Archaeological Site Pattern Analysis on San Clemente Island, California
Statistical Advances for the Automated Detection of Archaeological Sites
Detection of Archaeological Sites Using Merged Sensor Input from Airborne and Satellite Platforms
On tomb detection and distribution modelling in Yemen/Oman
Cultural Factors in Archaeological Predictive Modelling
