An Experimental Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar to Identify Human Footprints

Wiewel, Adam; Conyers, Lawrence B.; Piroddi, Luca; Papadopoulos, Nikos

doi:10.4000/archeosciences.9144

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…The presence of sloth tracks was not known prior to the GPR survey and was later confirmed when the prints became partially visible after a period of precipitation (a) [120]. Three-dimensional trackway surface generated with horizon detection methods applied to a very high-resolution GPR dataset and the same result following subtraction of the trend surface (b) [121].…”

Section: Small Archaeological Features Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, Wiewel et al [121] studied a real-scale model of buried human footprints, to stress the capability of GPR in such an imaging goal, and they produced a 3D image of the clay soil interface containing the footprints with a horizon detection processing technique. The final experimental dataset was collected with an antenna of 2.6 GHz nominal frequency and 10 cm of interline distance, but even 900 MHz and 2 GHz systems were tested.…”

Section: Small Archaeological Features Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Imaging Cultural Heritage at Different Scales: Part I, the Micro-Scale (Manufacts)

et al. 2023

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Applications of non-invasive sensing techniques to investigate the internal structure and surface of precious and delicate objects represent a very important and consolidated research field in the scientific domain of cultural heritage knowledge and conservation. The present article is the first of three reviews focused on contact and non-contact imaging techniques applied to surveying cultural heritage at micro- (i.e., manufacts), meso- (sites) and macro-scales (landscapes). The capability to infer variations in geometrical and physical properties across the inspected surfaces or volumes is the unifying factor of these techniques, allowing scientists to discover new historical sites or to image their spatial extent and material features at different scales, from landscape to artifact. This first part concentrates on the micro-scale, i.e., inspection, study and characterization of small objects (ancient papers, paintings, statues, archaeological findings, architectural elements, etc.) from surface to internal properties.

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Section: Small Archaeological Features Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Small Archaeological Features Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imaging Cultural Heritage at Different Scales: Part I, the Micro-Scale (Manufacts)

et al. 2023

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GPR and Digital Survey for the Diagnosis and the 3D Representation of the Battle of Issus Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii (Naples, Italy)

et al. 2022

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The application of non-invasive geophysical techniques and digital surveys to explore cultural heritage is becoming a very important research field. The capability to detect inner and superficial changes in the inspected surfaces allows for imaging spatial inhomogeneity and material features and planning targeted conservation and restoration interventions. In this work, the results of a research project carried out on the famous Battle of Issus Mosaic, also known as the “Alexander Mosaic”, are presented. It is a masterpiece of ancient art that was found in 1831 in the House of Faun, the most luxurious and spacious house in Pompeii. It is notable for its size (3.41 × 5.82 m), the quality of workmanship and the subject that represents the culminating phase of the battle between Alexander Magno’s army and the Persian one of Darius. In 1916, it was moved inside the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, where the original horizontal location was changed with a vertical arrangement supported by an inner wooden structure, whose exact manufacture is unclear. Today, the mosaic is affected by important instability phenomena highlighted by the appearance of the significant detachment of tiles, superficial lesions and swelling of the surface. Given the important need to preserve it, a high-detail diagnostic study was realized through a digital survey and non-invasive geophysical surveys using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The investigation was repeated after two years, in 2018 and 2020, with the aim of verifying the evolution of degradation. The work provided a high-resolution estimate of the state of the health of the mosaic and allowed for obtaining a three-dimensional reconstruction of the internal mosaic structure, including the formulation of hypotheses on the engineering supporting works of the twentieth century; this provides an essential tool for the imminent conservation project, which also implies restoring the original horizontal position.

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Application of GPR Prospection to Unveil Historical Stratification inside Monumental Buildings: The Case of San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes in Santu Lussurgiu, Sardinia, Italy

Piroddi

Rassu

2023

Land

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Stratigraphy is a fundamental classification tool for archaeology on which modern excavation techniques are based, and essentially consists of a sedimentological, pedological and archaeological interpretation of the multiple cultural layers found while digging; this concept can be adopted when studying monumental buildings and, in particular, their hidden parts or elements. The precious and delicate surfaces of monuments need non-invasive techniques such as geophysical methods and in the present article, the use of GPR technique has been exploited through a dataset collected over the nave of the church of San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes in Sardinia. First, the georadar results have been jointly analyzed by means of the B- and C-scans, in which some most significant patterns were detected and analyzed by looking at their signal features over the investigated volume. Following the analysis, elements from the signal attribute analysis and horizon detection and visualization, with a 3D approach, were used. To strengthen the reliability of the GPR results, a thermal infrared survey was simultaneously carried out. Thanks to the integrated geophysical and historical analysis of the monument, the ancient layout of the church has been reconstructed and other targets of potential archaeological interest identified

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An Experimental Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar to Identify Human Footprints

Abstract: Highlights:• Features like human footprints can be identified in two-dimensional radar profiles.• Amplitude variations associated with footprints have been demonstrated with slices.• Horizon detection methods are another avenue for detecting subsurface footprints.

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Imaging Cultural Heritage at Different Scales: Part I, the Micro-Scale (Manufacts)

Imaging Cultural Heritage at Different Scales: Part I, the Micro-Scale (Manufacts)

GPR and Digital Survey for the Diagnosis and the 3D Representation of the Battle of Issus Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii (Naples, Italy)

Application of GPR Prospection to Unveil Historical Stratification inside Monumental Buildings: The Case of San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes in Santu Lussurgiu, Sardinia, Italy

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