Paul Cheetham

The effectiveness of geophysical techniques in detecting a range of buried metallic weapons at various depths and orientations

Abstract The use of weapons in violent crime in the UK is well attested by crime statistics. It has been demonstrated by previous experimental studies that geophysical techniques have the potential for use in the search and detection of buried metallic weapons. Previous research has focused on only one weapon type, or the depths at which weapons can be detected, while this study also considers weapon orientation. This study employs magnetometry (fluxgate gradiometry), Slingram electromagnetic (both phases in both horizontal magnetic dipole (HMD) and vertical magnetic dipole (VMD) orientations) and ground-penetrating radar (500 and 800 MHz) methods to investigate the detectability of a wide variety of weapon types when buried in the ground in different orientations and depths. This study demonstrates that there were limitations for each instrument employed resulting from the orientation of the weapon in the ground, with none of the techniques in this work being able to detect all of the weapons in all orientations. A second limitation was the inability of all these instruments to detect smaller weapons. This study shows that a combination of techniques is required to increase the chances of successful detection. Blind searching trials in a range of environments are now required to quantify the level of successful detection that can be achieved in practice. The influence of metal composition of the weapons also needs to be further investigated.

Educational Virtual Reality Visualisations of Heritage Sites

This paper discusses the use of games engines to create virtual heritage applications. The use of 3D software for cultural or heritage applications is discussed with reference to the capabilities and potential of games engines. The contribution of students from Bournemouth University to the New Forest Heritage Mapping project through the creation of interactive virtual reality visualisations of historic landscapes is described. The creation and evaluation of three different applications representing three alternative interaction styles are discussed. The first does not indicate where information can be found, the second uses visible cues and the third implements an objective marker system.

An experimental study of two grave excavation methods: Arbitrary Level Excavation and Stratigraphic Excavation

Abstract The process of archaeological excavation is one of destruction. It normally provides archaeologists with a singular opportunity to recognise, define, extract and record archaeological evidence: the artefacts, features and deposits present in the archaeological record. It is expected that when archaeologists are excavating in a research, commercial or forensic setting the methods that they utilise will ensure a high rate of evidence recognition and recovery. Methods need to be accepted amongst the archaeological and scientific community they are serving and be deemed reliable. For example, in forensic contexts, methods need to conform to scientific and legal criteria so that the evidence retrieved is admissible in a court of law. Two standard methods of grave excavation were examined in this study with the aim of identifying the better approach in terms of evidence recovery. Four archaeologists with a range of experience each excavated two similarly constructed experimental ‘single graves’ using two different excavation methods. Those tested were the arbitrary level excavation method and the stratigraphic excavation method. The results from the excavations were used to compare recovery rates for varying forms of evidence placed within the graves. The stratigraphic excavation method resulted in higher rates of recovery for all evidence types, with an average of 71% of evidence being recovered, whereas the arbitrary level excavation method recovered an average of 56%. Neither method recovered all of the evidence. These findings raise questions about the reliability and so suitability of these established approaches to excavation.

Archaeological geophysical prospection in peatland environments: Case studies and suggestions for future practice

Peatland environments, in contrast to ‘dry-land’ sites, preserve organic material, including anthropogenic objects, because they are anaerobic, and are therefore of great importance to archaeology. Peat also preserves macro- and micro- paleoenvironmental evidence and is the primary resource for understanding past climates and ecology. Archaeological sites often lie within or at the base of wet, deep, homogenous peat rendering them invisible to surface observers. As a result, they most often c...