Archeological crop marks identified from Cosmo-SkyMed time series: the case of Han-Wei capital city, Luoyang, China. Issue 8 (3rd August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jiang, Aihui; Chen, Fulong; Masini, Nicola; Capozzoli, Luigi; Romano, Gerardo; Sileo, Maria; Yang, Ruixia; Tang, Panpan; Chen, Panpan; Lasaponara, Rosa; Liu, Guolin
• Is Part Of: International journal of digital earth. Volume 10:Issue 8(2017)
• Page Start: 846
• Page End: 860
• Publication Date: 2017-08-03
• Subjects: SAR -- crop mark -- archeological prospection -- Luoyang -- Han-Wei capital city -- geoarcheology; Geographic information systems -- Periodicals; Sustainable development -- Information technology -- Periodicals; Social planning -- Information technology -- Periodicals; 910.285
• DOI: 10.1080/17538947.2016.1254686
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1753-8947

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The development of spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology declares that the golden era of SAR remote sensing in archeology is approaching; however, nowadays its methodology framework is still lacking due to the inadequate case studies validated by ground-truths. In this study, we investigated the crop marks using multi-temporal Cosmo-SkyMed data acquired in 2013 by applying a two-step decision-tree classifier in conjunction with a spatial analysis in an area of archeological interest nearby the archeological site of Han-Wei capital city (1900–1500 BP), in Luoyang, China. The time-series backscattering anomalies related to the wheat growth cycle were identified and then further validated in two zones by geophysical investigations (Ground Penetration Radar and electrical measurements) and in a third zone by archeological excavations made after the SAR data acquisition. This study provides a new approach for the relic detection, shallowly buried and covered by the crop vegetation, by temporal crop marks on spaceborne SAR images. We also emphasize the necessity to establish a satellite-to-ground methodology framework for the promotion of remote-sensing technology in archeology.