The Application of Freely-Available Satellite Imagery for Informing and Complementing Archaeological Fieldwork in the “Black Desert” of North-Eastern Jordan

Smith, Stefan Lorenz; Chambrade, Marie–Laure

doi:10.3390/geosciences8120491

Cited by 6 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Vector data can be extracted from historical documents and integrated with those from other sources (e.g., [32]), such as remote sensing data (e.g., [19,26]), and importantly, can be combined with digital navigation tools to facilitate archaeological fieldwork. Many GIS tools are open source and open access, and can be combined with other accessible data sources such as Google Earth Imagery, dramatically improving the resolution of cultural heritage landscape data in many parts of the world [33][34][35].…”

Section: Historical Maps Gis and Remote Sensingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-Discovering Ancient Landscapes: Archaeological Survey of Mound Features from Historical Maps in Northwest India and Implications for Investigating the Large-Scale Distribution of Cultural Heritage Sites in South Asia

Green

Orengo²,

Alam

et al. 2019

Remote Sensing

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Incomplete datasets curtail the ability of archaeologists to investigate ancient landscapes, and there are archaeological sites whose locations remain unknown in many parts of the world. To address this problem, we need additional sources of site location data. While remote sensing data can often be used to address this challenge, it is enhanced when integrated with the spatial data found in old and sometimes forgotten sources. The Survey of India 1” to 1-mile maps from the early twentieth century are one such dataset. These maps documented the location of many cultural heritage sites throughout South Asia, including the locations of numerous mound features. An initial study georeferenced a sample of these maps covering northwest India and extracted the location of many potential archaeological sites—historical map mound features. Although numerous historical map mound features were recorded, it was unknown whether these locations corresponded to extant archaeological sites. This article presents the results of archaeological surveys that visited the locations of a sample of these historical map mound features. These surveys revealed which features are associated with extant archaeological sites, which were other kinds of landscape features, and which may represent archaeological mounds that have been destroyed since the maps were completed nearly a century ago. Their results suggest that there remain many unreported cultural heritage sites on the plains of northwest India and the mound features recorded on these maps best correlate with older archaeological sites. They also highlight other possible changes in the large-scale and long-term distribution of settlements in the region. The article concludes that northwest India has witnessed profound changes in its ancient settlement landscapes, creating in a long-term sequence of landscapes that link the past to the present and create a foundation for future research and preservation initiatives.

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Section: Historical Maps Gis and Remote Sensingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-Discovering Ancient Landscapes: Archaeological Survey of Mound Features from Historical Maps in Northwest India and Implications for Investigating the Large-Scale Distribution of Cultural Heritage Sites in South Asia

Green

Orengo²,

Alam

et al. 2019

Remote Sensing

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“…The initiation of new research projects in the past ten years is beginning to alter this perspective dramatically (Akkermans, Huigens, & Brüning, 2014; Jones et al, 2016; Müller‐Neuhof & Abu‐Azizeh, 2016; Rollefson, Rowan, & Wasse, 2014; Rowan et al, 2015a; Smith & Chambrade, 2018). One of these projects, the Eastern Badia Archaeological Project, has undertaken survey and excavations since 2008 primarily at two locations in the Black Desert: Wisad Pools at the eastern edge of the basaltic region, and at the basalt capped mesas of Wadi al‐Qattafi on the southwestern corner of the harra (Rollefson, Rowan, & Wasse, 2014; Rowan et al, 2015a).…”

Section: Research In the Black Desertmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inscribed landscapes in the Black Desert: Petroglyphs and kites at Wisad Pools, Jordan

Hill

Rowan

Wasse

et al. 2020

Arab Archaeol Epigr

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Petroglyphs are well known in the Negev, eastern and southern Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula. Intensive documentation of hundreds of petroglyphs at the site of Wisad Pools in the Black Desert of eastern Jordan records animals, humans, hunting traps and geometric designs, connecting people and places to the larger landscape. These were recorded at the landscape scale with drones and photogrammetry, and the local scale through the construction of a database combined with GPS recording and terrestrial photogrammetry. Petroglyphs of animals and hunting traps are significant because the site is located within a landscape that includes enormous and enigmatic hunting traps (desert kites). Mapping these depictions highlights typological distribution, association of types, and relation to landscape features as well as the topography of the basalt boulders on which they were pecked. The depictions of animals and hunting traps provide clues about the use of desert kites, the social role of hunting, communal gatherings, and feasting in the region.

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“…In this respect, arid regions typically rank very high, since the absence of dense vegetation allows for a more direct observation of the properties of the soils. A first obvious benefit comes when satellite imagery is used for visual interpretation [33,34]. However, spectral analysis also benefits from the absence of dense vegetation.…”

Section: Satellite Remote Sensing In Problem-oriented Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Site Detection: The Role of Satellite Remote Sensing in Analysing Archaeological Problems. A Case Study in Lithic Resource Procurement in the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

et al. 2019

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Remote sensing archaeology in recent years has emphasized the use of high-precision and high-accuracy tools to achieve the detailed documentation of archaeological elements (drones, LIDAR, etc.). Satellite remote sensing has also benefited from an increase in the spatial and spectral resolution of the sensors, which is enabling the discovery and documentation of new archaeological features and sites worldwide. While there can be no doubt that a great deal is being gained via such “site detection” approaches, there still remains the possibility of further exploring remote sensing methods to analyse archaeological problems. In this paper, this issue is discussed by focusing on one common archaeological topic: the mapping of environmental resources used in the past and, in particular, the procurement of lithic raw material by hunter-gatherer groups. This is illustrated by showing how the combined use of Landsat 8 images and “ground-truthing” via focused field studies has allowed the identification of a number of potential chert sources, the major lithic resource used by coastal groups between 11,500–1,500 cal. BP, in a vast area of the Atacama Desert covering 22,500 km2. Besides discussing the case study, the strength of remote sensing techniques in addressing archaeological questions comprising large spatial scales is highlighted, stressing the key role they can play in the detection and study of specific environmental resources within challenging physical settings.

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The Application of Freely-Available Satellite Imagery for Informing and Complementing Archaeological Fieldwork in the “Black Desert” of North-Eastern Jordan

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

Re-Discovering Ancient Landscapes: Archaeological Survey of Mound Features from Historical Maps in Northwest India and Implications for Investigating the Large-Scale Distribution of Cultural Heritage Sites in South Asia

Re-Discovering Ancient Landscapes: Archaeological Survey of Mound Features from Historical Maps in Northwest India and Implications for Investigating the Large-Scale Distribution of Cultural Heritage Sites in South Asia

Inscribed landscapes in the Black Desert: Petroglyphs and kites at Wisad Pools, Jordan

Beyond Site Detection: The Role of Satellite Remote Sensing in Analysing Archaeological Problems. A Case Study in Lithic Resource Procurement in the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

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