A Regional Approach to Ancient Urban Studies in Greece Through Multi-Settlement Geophysical Survey. (3rd September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Donati, Jamieson C.; Sarris, Apostolos; Papadopoulos, Nikos; Kalaycı, Tuna; Simon, François-Xavier; Manataki, Meropi; Moffat, Ian; Cuenca-García, Carmen
• Is Part Of: Journal of field archaeology. Volume 42:Number 5(2017)
• Page Start: 450
• Page End: 467
• Publication Date: 2017-09-03
• Subjects: integrated geophysics -- regional survey -- urban archaeology -- ancient town-planning -- remote sensing; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Methodology -- Periodicals; 930.105
• DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2017.1365565
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0093-4690

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The systematic exploration of large archaeological sites in the Mediterranean has evolved considerably since the "big dig" excavations. Pedestrian field surveying and remote sensing applications, including satellite and airborne image analysis, are now practical and relatively cost-efficient methods of characterizing large and diachronically diverse landscapes on regional scales. However, the use of geophysical techniques as a means for exploring manifold archaeological contexts is still in its infancy. In this paper, we highlight the advantages of archaeological geophysics to conduct regional surveys in the Mediterranean. Through a multi-site geophysical fieldwork campaign to investigate the patterns and dynamics of ancient cities in Greece, we show how geophysics offer new opportunities for characterizing the spatial attributes and regional dynamics of urban landscapes, and, in doing so, we make an argument for its wider adoption on regional survey projects.