Magnetic prospecting in archaeological sites

Becker, Helmut, Brunner, U., Chouker, Faris, Fassbinder, Jörg W. E., Gerlach, Iris, Herbich, T., Irlinger, Walter, Sack, D., Schweitzer, C. and Stefani, M. (2001) Magnetic prospecting in archaeological sites. Documentation. Lipp GmbH, Munich, Germany, 102p. Monuments & Sites (2001-), 06. ISBN 3-87490-675-2. [Book]

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Abstract (in English)

„Surveying and Documentation of Historic Buildings, Monuments and Sites — Traditional and Modern Methods" is the theme of the International Symposion organised by the Interna-tional Committee for Architectural Photogrammetry (CEPA) in Potsdam, Germany (18-21 September 2001). One of the most successful modern methods in archaeological prospection is the highly sensitive magnetometry. On the occasion of the conference in Potsdam ICOMOS is therefore introducing some examples of magnetic prospecting in archaeological sites, published in its series of "Monuments and Sites". These are examples which have partly been taken from another publication of the German national committee of ICOMOS, the publication of the Third International Conference on Archaeological Prospection, organised by the Bavarian State Conservation Office and the European Geophysical Society (EGS) in co-operation with ICOMOS Germany, Munich 9-11 September 1999 (ICOMOS-Journals of the German National Committee XXXIll, Munich 1999). The last years have seen tremendous technological progress in archaeological prospecting. New devices, geophysical methods and evaluation possibilities have rendered field work much faster and more sophisticated. New ways of presenting results to the public have also become available, among them modern computer software to demonstrate the whole wide range of research being done aided by field models and 3D animation, which make even tiniest traces visible. Prospecting archaeological sites looks back on a proud tradition of more than 100 years. Air photography, geophysical meth-ods and remote sensing have proven to be the most successful. Air photography has been employed widely in archaeology for quite some time. Magnetometry, first successfully applied by Martin Aitken in 1957, has established itself as the most effective geophysical method. Measuring methods have improved substantially since Irwin Scollar first introduced computers in field work and in the evaluation of measured data in the 1960s and 1970s. Especially, the use of caesium magnetometers in archaeological prospecting has made great strides. Fundamental research and development in different applications of caesium magnetometers was conducted by the Bavarian State Conservation Office, notably by Helmut Becker and Jorg Fassbinder who kept improving measuring procedures. Contin-uous study of the theoretical principles contributed enormously to the understanding of the methods. The examination of the magnetic properties of archaeological sites and the discovery of magnetic soil bacteria, in particular, drew word-wide attention and can be regarded as the essential pioneer work in magnetic prospecting. The first measuring car hearing a caesium magnetometer developed by the Bavarian State Conservation Office is now already on exhibition in the Bonn branch of the „Deutsches Museum fur Forschung and Technik in Deutschland nach 1945". The development of accelerated data processing in the field opened new dimensions for its application. Today even quite large archaeological sites can be measured within a reasonable amount of time; for instance Cicah in Siberia, Troy, Hellenic Palmyra, the Ramsessidean city of Qantir in Egypt and the city of Gilgamesh, Uruk, in Iraq, where the geophysicists have worked to show how precise images of ancient settlement struc-tures can be obtained. Moreover, successful prospecting forms an ideal basis for archaeological research, because it reduces to a minimum the time-consuming search for the important centres of excavations. Accurate maps permit exact calculation, pinpoint plotting of sections and sieving out areas in which important results may be anticipated. Thus at the beginning of the 21st century, a time when so many archaeological sites all over the world are threatened with destruction, improved prospecting methods in conjunction with scientific scholarship offer archaeological conservation new perspectives.

Item Type:	Book (Documentation)
Authors:	Authors Email Becker, Helmut UNSPECIFIED Brunner, U. UNSPECIFIED Chouker, Faris UNSPECIFIED Fassbinder, Jörg W. E. UNSPECIFIED Gerlach, Iris UNSPECIFIED Herbich, T. UNSPECIFIED Irlinger, Walter UNSPECIFIED Sack, D. UNSPECIFIED Schweitzer, C. UNSPECIFIED Stefani, M. UNSPECIFIED
Editors:	Editors Email Becker, Helmut UNSPECIFIED Fassbinder, Jörg W. E. UNSPECIFIED Hemmeter, Karlheinz UNSPECIFIED Irlinger, Walter UNSPECIFIED Petzet, Michael UNSPECIFIED Ziesemer, John UNSPECIFIED
Languages:	English
Keywords:	magnetic surveys; archaeological research; archaeological sites; urban archaeological sites; prehistoric sites; topographical measurements and instruments; Germany; Sri Lanka; Turkey; Yemen; Spain; Italy; Egypt; Syria; Russia; China; plans
Subjects:	B. ARCHAEOLOGY > 02. Archaeological site and remains B. ARCHAEOLOGY > 05. Archaeological research B. ARCHAEOLOGY > 06. Urban archaeological site B. ARCHAEOLOGY > 10. Prehistoric site F.SCIENTIFIC TECHNIQUES AND METHODOLOGIES OF CONSERVATION > 31. Magnetic surveys P. GEOGRAPHIC AREAS > 04. Asia and Pacific islands P. GEOGRAPHIC AREAS > 05. Europe
Name of monument, town, site, museum:	Roman castellum at Ruffenhoffen, Germany; Egweil, Bavaria, Germany; Ibbankatuwa, Sri Lanka; Sigiriya rock fortification, Sri Lanka; Archaeological Site of Troy, Turkey; Monte da Ponte, Concelho Evora, Portugal; Hagar Yahirr, Yemen; Neolithic site of Ambrona, province of Soria, Spain; Ostia Antica, Italy; Zoser's Pyramid, Saqqara, Egypt; Piramesses, Egypt; Rusafat Hisam, Syria; Palmyra, Syria; Marib, Yemen; Prehistoric necropolis of Suchanicha, Minusinsk Basin, Russia; Scythian site of Cicah, Russia; Uruk, Iraq; Wazigang, Qian county, Shaanxi, China
UNESCO WHC Number:	849; 1979; 23; 1700; 1481
International Scientific Committee:	CIPA - Heritage Documentation
ICOMOS Special Collection:	Monuments & Sites (2001-)
ICOMOS Special Collection Volume:	06
Volume:	6
Number of Pages:	102
ISBN:	3-87490-675-2
Depositing User:	ICOMOS DocCentre
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2023 15:06
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2023 08:02
URI:	https://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/2946

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