Anthony Beck

Evaluation of Corona and Ikonos high resolution satellite imagery for archaeological prospection in western Syria

Satellite surveys in Syria have made use of imagery recorded some 30 years apart. By comparing the earlier pictures (Corona) with the later (Ikonos), sites captured on the former can be accurately located by the latter. The comparison also reveals the stark implications for archaeology as large parts of west Asian landscape change from a state of ‘benign neglect’ to active redevelopment. Based on their experience in the Homs survey, the authors have important advice to offer in the design and costing of surveys using satellite imagery.

Kinematics of active left-lateral faulting in SE Turkey from offset Pleistocene river gorges: improved constraint on the rate and history of relative motion between the Turkish and Arabian plates

In the Arabian Platform of SE Turkey abundant evidence exists of fluvial incision by c. 110 ± 10 m since the late Early Pleistocene, starting in or around marine oxygen isotope stage 22 at 870 ka. This incision, which has accompanied regional surface uplift as the isostatic response to regional erosion, has progressively ‘locked’ rivers into their gorges in landscape that formerly had much lower relief. We use this effect to estimate 4.44 ± 0.06 km of left-lateral slip on this time scale on the Gölbaşı–Türkoğlu Fault, a segment of the East Anatolian Fault Zone, from offset river gorges, giving a slip rate of 5.10 ± 0.07 mm a−1. Piercing points indicate that this fault has slipped a total of 19 km, making its age 3.73 ± 0.05 Ma. A total of 33 km of relative motion between the Turkish and Arabian plates is documented on this time scale in the vicinity of Gölbaşı, at an overall time-averaged rate of 8.85 ± 0.12 mm a−1, the estimated Euler vector for relative motion between these plates being 0.89 ± 0.01° Ma−1 about 33.4°N, 42.3°E. This method can be readily applied to determine slip rates, time-averaged since the late Early Pleistocene, on other strike-slip fault zones worldwide.

Settlement and landscape development in the Homs Region, Syria : research questions, preliminary results 1999-2000 and future potential.

Abstract This report describes the results of the first and second seasons of field work by an interdisciplinary research team studying the landscape history of the upper Orontes Valley near Homs in western Syria. Initial discussions address the value of survey data to Syrian archaeology, the research aims of the project and describe the survey area. The project methodology, which includes a combination of both extensive and intensive survey methods, is outlined, and the use of satellite imagery as a means of site location discussed. Work on geomorphological processes and off-site artefact distributions has facilitated the development of sampling strategies for intensive surface collection planned for 2002 and 2003. A test core has established that pollen is well-preserved in the silts of Lake Qattine, which appear to offer a west Syrian palaeoenvironmental sequence. Preliminary work in the basalt terrain west of Homs has allowed the refinement of methodologies for the mapping and analysis of cairns and field systems which predominate in this area, and has highlighted the threat resulting from current bulldozing. The report concludes with some preliminary observations on the main trends as these are emerging from the data.

Kinematics of the Amanos Fault, southern Turkey, from Ar/Ar dating of offset Pleistocene basalt flows: transpression between the African and Arabian plates

Abstract We report four new Ar/Ar dates and 18 new geochemical analyses of Pleistocene basalts from the Karasu Valley of southern Turkey. These rocks have become offset left-laterally by slip on the N20°E-striking Amanos Fault. The geochemical analyses help to correlate some of the less-obvious offset fragments of basalt flows, and thus to measure amounts of slip; the dates enable slip rates to be calculated. On the basis of four individual slip-rate determinations, obtained in this manner, we estimate a weighted mean slip rate for this fault of 2.89±0.05mm/a (±2σ). We have also obtained a slip rate of 2.68±0.54mm/a (±2σ) for the subparallel East Hatay Fault farther east. Summing these values gives 5.57±0.54mm/a (±2σ) as the overall left-lateral slip rate across the Dead Sea fault zone (DSFZ) in the Karasu Valley. These slip-rate estimates and other evidence from farther south on the DSFZ are consistent with a preferred Euler vector for the relative rotation of the Arabian and African plates of 0.434±0.012° Ma−1 about 31.1°N, 26.7°E. The Amanos Fault is misaligned to the tangential direction to this pole by 52° in the transpressive sense. Its geometry thus requires significant fault-normal distributed crustal shortening, taken up by crustal thickening and folding, in the adjacent Amanos Mountains. The vertical component of slip on the Amanos Fault is estimated as c. 0.15mm/a. This minor component contributes to the uplift of the Amanos Mountains, which reaches rates of c. 0.2–0.4mm/a. These slip rate estimates are considered representative of time since. 3.73±0.05Ma, when the modern geometry of strike-slip faulting developed in this region; an estimated 11km of slip on the Amanos Fault and c. 10km of slip on the East Hatay Fault have occurred since then. It is inferred that both these faults came into being, and the associated deformation in the Amanos Mountains began, at that time. Prior to that, the northern part of the Africa–Arabia plate boundary was located further east.

A vision for Open Archaeology

Abstract By unblocking knowledge bottle-necks and enhancing collaborative and creative input ‘open’ approaches have the potential to revolutionize science, humanities and arts. ‘Open’ has captured the Zeitgeist, but what is it all about? Is it about providing clear and transparent access to knowledge objects: data, theories and knowledge (open access, open data, open methods, open knowledge)? Is it about providing similar access to knowledge acquisition processes (open science)? Obviously it is; however, this is not the whole story. Open approaches require active engagement. This is not just engagement from the ‘usual suspects’ but engagement from a broader societal base. For example, primary data creators need the appropriate incentives to provide access to Open Data – these incentives will vary between different groups: contract archaeologists, curatorial archaeologists and research archaeologists all have different drivers. Equally important is that open approaches raise a number of issues about data access and downstream data reuse. This paper will discuss these issues in relation to the current situation in the UK and in the context of the DART project: an Open Science research project.

Airborne LiDAR for the Detection of Archaeological Vegetation Marks Using Biomass as a Proxy

In arable landscapes, the airborne detection of archaeological features is often reliant on using the properties of the vegetation cover as a proxy for sub-surface features in the soil. Under the right conditions, the formation of vegetation marks allows archaeologists to identify and interpret archaeological features. Using airborne Laser Scanning, based on the principles of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to detect these marks is challenging, particularly given the difficulties of resolving subtle changes in a low and homogeneous crop with these sensors. In this paper, an experimental approach is adopted to explore how these marks could be detected as variations in canopy biomass using both range and full waveform LiDAR data. Although some detection was achieved using metrics of the full waveform data, it is the novel multi-temporal method of using discrete return data to detect and characterise archaeological vegetation marks that is offered for further consideration. This method was demonstrated to be applicable over a range of capture conditions, including soils deemed as difficult (i.e., clays and other heavy soils), and should increase the certainty of detection when employed in the increasingly multi-sensor approaches to heritage prospection and management.

Some techniques for improving the detection of archaeological features from satellite imagery

In common with all domains of remote sensing, residues indicative of past human activity can only be detected if they exhibit some form of identifiable contrast with their surroundings. Unlike many other domains these residues do not exhibit consistent spectral signatures. Archaeological spectral responses are commonly expressed as subtle deviations from their surrounding matrix. This is true for crop marks, soil marks and thermal anomalies. The challenge is to collect imagery when the contrast between archaeological residues and the background matrix is maximized and thus to find algorithms that will enhance these sometimes subtle distinctions so that they can be more readily detected. This paper will present work undertaken in the semi-arid environment of Homs, Syria. The project area includes two contrasting environmental zones with a differing repertoire of archaeological remains: a basalt zone (120 km2) and a marl zone (480 km2). Declassified Corona space photography and Ikonos satellite imagery (panchromatic and multispectral) were evaluated to determine their efficacy for detecting a range of different archaeological residues. No single image set was able to provide the best result for the two zones, as each required imagery collected under different environmental conditions.

The Archaeological Exploitation of Declassified Satellite Photography in Semi-arid Environments

Declassified satellite photographs are becoming an increasingly important archaeological tool. Not only are they useful for residue prospection and, when in stereo pairs, digital elevation model (DEM) generation, they can also provide large-scale temporal snapshots that provide essential information on landscape change. Importantly, in some instances, declassified photographs may be the only available record of archaeological residues that have subsequently been eradicated.

UK utility data integration: overcoming schematic heterogeneity

In this paper we discuss syntactic, semantic and schematic issues which inhibit the integration of utility data in the UK. We then focus on the techniques employed within the VISTA project to overcome schematic heterogeneity. A Global Schema based architecture has been developed. Although automated approaches to Global Schema definition were attempted the heterogeneities of the sector were too great. Hence, a manual approach to Global Schema definition was employed. The techniques used to define and subsequently map source utility data models to this schema are discussed in detail. In order to ensure a coherent integrated model, sub and cross domain validation issues are then highlighted. Finally the proposed framework and data flow for schematic integration is introduced.

Hyperspectral detection dynamics of archaeological vegetation marks and enhancement using full waveform LiDAR data

Archaeological features are the result of anthropogenic interference with the natural soil matrix. This causes differences in the composition and structure of the soil. These influence the development and health of the vegetation on the surface which may be detectable remotely. Indeed much work has been conducted using aerial photography indicating that the use of current remote sensing technologies could lead to improved detection. This paper explores the potential of hyperspectral and full waveform LiDAR data for the mapping of archaeology at an arable site in the UK. It is demonstrated that the archaeological features are detectable by both sensor types most successfully when looking at products that pertain to biomass. This means there is great potential for data fusion approaches using these products. These could be used to improve the spatial resolution of the hyperspectral data and potentially to improve the analysis of biomass in spectra analysis of vegetation parameters.