Responsible of CNR-IBAM-UOS of Potenza Professor of Architectural restoration at School of Architecture of Matera - University of Basilicata Visiting Professor at Chinese Academy of Sciences - RADI - HIST (International center on Space Technologies on Cultural and Natural heritage) Director of ITACA Mission in Peru
One of the major issues in buried archeological sites especially if characterized by intense huma... more One of the major issues in buried archeological sites especially if characterized by intense human activity, complex structures, and several constructive phases, is: to what depth conduct the excavation? The answer depends on a number of factors, among these one of the most important is the a priori and reliable knowledge of what the subsoil can preserve. To this end, geophysics (if used in strong synergy with archaeological research) can help in the planning of time, depth, and modes of excavation also when the physical characteristics of the remains and their matrix are not ideal for archaeo-geophysical applications. This is the case of a great part of the archaeological sites in Henan, the cradle of the most important cultures in China and the seat of several capitals for more than two millennia. There, the high depth of buried remains covered by alluvial deposits and the building materials, mainly made by rammed earth, did not favor the use of geophysics. In this paper, we present and discuss the GPR and ERT prospection we conducted in Kaifeng (Henan, China), nearby a gate of the city walls dated to the Northern Song Dynasty. The integration of GPR and ERT provided useful information for the identification and characterization of archaeological remains buried at different depths. Actually, each geophysical technique, GPR frequency (used for the data acquisition) as well as each way to analyze and visualize the results (from radargrams to time slice) only provided partial information of little use if alone. The integration of the diverse techniques, data processing and visualization enabled us to optimize the penetration capability, the resolution for the detection of archaeological features and their interpretation. Finally, the results obtained from the GPR and ERT surveys were correlated with archaeological stratigraphy, available nearby the investigated area. This enabled us to further improve the interpretation of results from GPR and ERT survey and also to date the anthropogenic layers from Qing to Yuan Dynasty.
This paper focuses on the results of a joint geoarchaeological research project of urban historic... more This paper focuses on the results of a joint geoarchaeological research project of urban historical remains in the ancient Roman city of Durrës, Albania. The project began with a desk-based analysis of all the historical and archival evidence including aerial photos from the 1920s–40s, a period before major urbanization of the area and prior to the capture of satellite imagery in the 1960s. These aerial photographs were reprocessed and then combined with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) imagery and used to locate a Late Roman villa in the city. The integrated results produced a visual idea of what the villa looked like, when analysed in conjunction with the known archaeological and historical literature. During analysis, different levels of data reliability and resolution have been identified, which inform methodological choices when undertaking reconstructions of the villa. These methodological issues have generic resonance in the reconstruction of urban landscapes.
With the development of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in terms of multi-band, multi-polarization... more With the development of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in terms of multi-band, multi-polarization and high-resolution data, space radar remote sensing for archaeology has become a potential field for research. Nevertheless, the archaeological detection capability of this technology has so far not been fully assessed. This paper is a pioneering effort to assess the potential of satellite SAR X-band data in the detection of archaeological marks. We focus on the results obtained from a collaborative contribution jointly carried out by archaeologists and remote sensing experts in order to test the use of COSMO-SkyMed data in different contexts and environmental conditions. The methodological approaches we adopted are based on two different feature-enhancement procedures: (i) multi-temporal OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2015, 7 25 analysis performed to reduce noise and highlight archaeological marks; (ii) single-date analysis to assess the ability of the single SAR scene to detect archaeological features like with optical remote sensing. Results from multi-temporal data analysis, conducted using 40 scenes from COSMO-SkyMed X-band Stripmap data (27 February to 17 October 2013), enable us to detect unknown archaeological crop, soil, and shadow marks representing Luoyang city, dating from the Eastern-Han to Northern-Wei Dynasties. Single-date analyses were conducted using COSMO-SkyMed Spotlight scenes acquired for Sabratha (Libya) and Metapontum (southern Italy). These case studies were selected because they are characterized by diverse superficial conditions (desert and Mediterranean area) and archaeological marks (crop, soil and shadow). The results we obtained for both of them show that even a single SAR X-band acquisition is a feasible and effective approach for archaeological prospection. Overall, the methodological approach adopted demonstrated that both multi-temporal and single-date analysis are suitable for the enhancement of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental features.
Ground stability of the built environment of the city of Rome in central Italy has been extensive... more Ground stability of the built environment of the city of Rome in central Italy has been extensively investigated in the last years by using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), with focus on deformation of both the monuments of the historic centre (e.g., [1-2]) and the southern residential quarters (e.g., [3]). C-band ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT ASAR time series deformation analyses brought evidence of overall stability across the town centre, except for localized deformation concentrated in areas geologically susceptible to instability (e.g. western slope of the Palatine Hill), whereas clear subsidence patterns were detected over the compressible alluvial deposits lying in proximity of the Tiber River. To retrieve an updated picture of stability and subsidence across the city, we analysed a time series of 32 COSMO-SkyMed StripMap HIMAGE, right-looking, ascending mode scenes with an image swath of 40 km, 3-m resolution and HH polarization, acquired between 21 March 2011 and 10 ...
Satellite images have been systematically explored by archaeologists to detect crop marks, which ... more Satellite images have been systematically explored by archaeologists to detect crop marks, which are considered as a proxy for the identification of buried archaeological remains. Even though several existing algorithms are frequently applied, such as histogram enhancements and vegetation indices, the detection of crop marks still remains a difficult task, while the final interpretation results can be very poor. This paper aims to present some of the current difficulties of " remote sensing archaeology " in terms of detection and interpretation of crop marks due to the crops' phenological variations. At the same time, the presented work seeks to evaluate the recently proposed linear equations for the enhancement of crop marks, initially developed for the eastern Mediterranean region. These linear equations re-project the initial n-space spectral into a new 3D orthogonal space determined by three components: a crop mark component, a vegetation component, and a soil component. For the aims of this study, the Lucera archaeological site (southern Italy), where several Neolithic trenches have been identified, was selected. QuickBird and GeoEye high-resolution satellite images were analysed, indicating that vegetation indices may mismatch some crop marks depending on the phenological stage of the vegetation cultivated in the area of the archaeological site. On the contrary, ratios from linear equations were able to spot these crop marks even in shadow areas, indicating that improvements and developments of novel methodologies and equations based on remote sensing datasets can further assist archaeological research.
ABSTRACT The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite ... more ABSTRACT The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite and aerial dataset to provide information on the 'forma urbis' of the Grumentum roman town, to detect new archaeological features in its close surrounding and to analyze changes of the landscape over the time. Grumentum is an ancient town, 50 km south of Potenza (Southern Italy), located near the 'Via Herculea' connecting Venusia, in the north est of Basilicata, with Heraclea in the Ionian coast. The first settlement date back to the 6th century BC. Then, it was resettled by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The town, which evidences a long history from the Republican age to late Antiquity (III BC-V AD), is characterized by the typical urban pattern of 'cardi' and 'decumani'. Its excavated ruins include a large amphitheatre, a theatre, the thermae, the Forum and some temples. LiDAR data, adequately filtered, classified and post processed by using geostatistics methods(Lasaponara et al. 2012), enabled to detect features linked to tombs under a dense vegetation located close to the urban perimeter. The analysis of historical air photos, draped over the ground surface obtained from the LiDAR survey, put in evidence some unknown crop-marks linked to roman urban fabric. Finally, the same photos along with the satellite multitemporal dataset allowed us to reconstruct the recent history of the landscape from the Agrarian Reform, in the 50s, up today. Reference Lasaponara R., Masini N., Holmgren R., Backe Forsberg Y., Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site San Giovenale, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 9, S26-S39, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S26
Data Revues 12962074 00080001 06001087, Mar 23, 2008
... The QuickBird imagery products are available at different processing levels (basic, standard,... more ... The QuickBird imagery products are available at different processing levels (basic, standard, ortho) serving the ... for the identification of archaeological features is mainly based on the use of data ... a data fusion algorithm that was specifically developed for VHR satellite images [13]. ...
Egu General Assembly Conference Abstracts, May 1, 2010
In last years the use of Infrared thermography for cultural heritage improved, because it is a te... more In last years the use of Infrared thermography for cultural heritage improved, because it is a technique that allows to realize in situ the not-destructive evaluation of constructional materials and to determine the possible existence of pathologies, decay, etc. The interpratation of IR images and mapping with accuracy existing patterns is nowadays still difficult. With this aim a geographically approach was used. A monument's wall can be considered an improper geographically space and the continuity/discontinuity of materials and their properties can be considered as spatial patterns. Consequently spatial analysis and cluster detection methods can be used to treat in a quantitative way the IR thermographic dataset and to map in a GIS characteristics of the wall, useful for an eventual program of restauration.
The detection of buried adobe structures is a crucial issue for the remote sensing (ground, aeria... more The detection of buried adobe structures is a crucial issue for the remote sensing (ground, aerial and satellite) applied to archaeology for the widespread of sun-dried earth as building material in several ancient civilizations in Central and Southern America, Middle East and North Africa. Moreover it is complex, due to the subtle contrast existing between the archaeological features and the surrounding, especially in arid setting, as in the case of the well know Nazca Ceremonial Centre of Cahuachi, located in the desert of Nazca (Southern Peru) . During the last two decades of excavations adobe monuments dating back from the 6th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D have been highlighted by the Centro de Estudios Arqueológicos Precolombinos (CEAP), an italian-peruvian mission directed by Giuseppe Orefici. Actually, the archaeologists are excavating and restoring the core of the Ceremonial centre where is located a great pyramid (kown as Gran Piramide). Beginning from 2007 the two institutes of CNR, IMAA and IBAM, have been involved by CEAP, in order to provide a scientific and technological support for the archaeological research. Therefore, a multi-scale approach based on the integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing with geophysical techniques was employed in order to provide data useful for archaeological excavations. The abstract refers to the last investigations performed on a mound, known as "Piramide Naranja", during the 2008. The processing of an aerial imagery time series and two QuickBird satellite images acquired in 2002 and 2005, allowed for identifying some features related to shallow and buried structures. Such features were verified by means of geophysical prospections, performed by using the magnetometric method which observed changes in the magnetic field within the first few metres beneath the subsurface detecting buried walls and anomalies linked to ceramic deposits referable to possible tombs. Finally, the integration of all data acquired by the different remote sensing techniques allowed for spatially characterizing the archaeological features, thus providing important information for the planning of the next archaeological campaign scheduled on July 2009
SPOT-Vegetation (SPOT-VGT) data at full spatial resolution were used in order to assess the poten... more SPOT-Vegetation (SPOT-VGT) data at full spatial resolution were used in order to assess the potentiality and feasibility of using low resolution optical satellite data for the estimation of time/space dynamics of surface moisture content. The seasonal trend of diverse parameters (single channels or spectral indices) suitable/or specifically designed for moisture estimation have been analyzed in some test sites of southern Italy. The investigations were performed by using imagery selected from a long time series of ten-day compositions of VGT data acquired from 1998 to 2002. The preliminary results indicate that the use of the VGT data for obtaining information on the time/space dynamics of surface moisture content can be useful.
The systematic monitoring of cultural and natural heritage is a basic step for its conservation. ... more The systematic monitoring of cultural and natural heritage is a basic step for its conservation. Monitoring strategies should constitute an integral component of policies relating to land use, development, and planning. To this aim remote sensing technologies can be used profitably. This paper deals with the use of multitemporal, multisensors, and multiscale satellite data for assessing and monitoring changes affecting cultural landscapes and archaeological sites. The discussion is focused on some significant test cases selected in Peru (South America) and Southern Italy . Artifacts, unearthed sites, and marks of buried remains have been investigated by using multitemporal aerial and satellite data, such as Quickbird, ASTER, Landsat MSS and TM.
One of the major issues in buried archeological sites especially if characterized by intense huma... more One of the major issues in buried archeological sites especially if characterized by intense human activity, complex structures, and several constructive phases, is: to what depth conduct the excavation? The answer depends on a number of factors, among these one of the most important is the a priori and reliable knowledge of what the subsoil can preserve. To this end, geophysics (if used in strong synergy with archaeological research) can help in the planning of time, depth, and modes of excavation also when the physical characteristics of the remains and their matrix are not ideal for archaeo-geophysical applications. This is the case of a great part of the archaeological sites in Henan, the cradle of the most important cultures in China and the seat of several capitals for more than two millennia. There, the high depth of buried remains covered by alluvial deposits and the building materials, mainly made by rammed earth, did not favor the use of geophysics. In this paper, we present and discuss the GPR and ERT prospection we conducted in Kaifeng (Henan, China), nearby a gate of the city walls dated to the Northern Song Dynasty. The integration of GPR and ERT provided useful information for the identification and characterization of archaeological remains buried at different depths. Actually, each geophysical technique, GPR frequency (used for the data acquisition) as well as each way to analyze and visualize the results (from radargrams to time slice) only provided partial information of little use if alone. The integration of the diverse techniques, data processing and visualization enabled us to optimize the penetration capability, the resolution for the detection of archaeological features and their interpretation. Finally, the results obtained from the GPR and ERT surveys were correlated with archaeological stratigraphy, available nearby the investigated area. This enabled us to further improve the interpretation of results from GPR and ERT survey and also to date the anthropogenic layers from Qing to Yuan Dynasty.
This paper focuses on the results of a joint geoarchaeological research project of urban historic... more This paper focuses on the results of a joint geoarchaeological research project of urban historical remains in the ancient Roman city of Durrës, Albania. The project began with a desk-based analysis of all the historical and archival evidence including aerial photos from the 1920s–40s, a period before major urbanization of the area and prior to the capture of satellite imagery in the 1960s. These aerial photographs were reprocessed and then combined with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) imagery and used to locate a Late Roman villa in the city. The integrated results produced a visual idea of what the villa looked like, when analysed in conjunction with the known archaeological and historical literature. During analysis, different levels of data reliability and resolution have been identified, which inform methodological choices when undertaking reconstructions of the villa. These methodological issues have generic resonance in the reconstruction of urban landscapes.
With the development of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in terms of multi-band, multi-polarization... more With the development of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in terms of multi-band, multi-polarization and high-resolution data, space radar remote sensing for archaeology has become a potential field for research. Nevertheless, the archaeological detection capability of this technology has so far not been fully assessed. This paper is a pioneering effort to assess the potential of satellite SAR X-band data in the detection of archaeological marks. We focus on the results obtained from a collaborative contribution jointly carried out by archaeologists and remote sensing experts in order to test the use of COSMO-SkyMed data in different contexts and environmental conditions. The methodological approaches we adopted are based on two different feature-enhancement procedures: (i) multi-temporal OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2015, 7 25 analysis performed to reduce noise and highlight archaeological marks; (ii) single-date analysis to assess the ability of the single SAR scene to detect archaeological features like with optical remote sensing. Results from multi-temporal data analysis, conducted using 40 scenes from COSMO-SkyMed X-band Stripmap data (27 February to 17 October 2013), enable us to detect unknown archaeological crop, soil, and shadow marks representing Luoyang city, dating from the Eastern-Han to Northern-Wei Dynasties. Single-date analyses were conducted using COSMO-SkyMed Spotlight scenes acquired for Sabratha (Libya) and Metapontum (southern Italy). These case studies were selected because they are characterized by diverse superficial conditions (desert and Mediterranean area) and archaeological marks (crop, soil and shadow). The results we obtained for both of them show that even a single SAR X-band acquisition is a feasible and effective approach for archaeological prospection. Overall, the methodological approach adopted demonstrated that both multi-temporal and single-date analysis are suitable for the enhancement of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental features.
Ground stability of the built environment of the city of Rome in central Italy has been extensive... more Ground stability of the built environment of the city of Rome in central Italy has been extensively investigated in the last years by using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), with focus on deformation of both the monuments of the historic centre (e.g., [1-2]) and the southern residential quarters (e.g., [3]). C-band ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT ASAR time series deformation analyses brought evidence of overall stability across the town centre, except for localized deformation concentrated in areas geologically susceptible to instability (e.g. western slope of the Palatine Hill), whereas clear subsidence patterns were detected over the compressible alluvial deposits lying in proximity of the Tiber River. To retrieve an updated picture of stability and subsidence across the city, we analysed a time series of 32 COSMO-SkyMed StripMap HIMAGE, right-looking, ascending mode scenes with an image swath of 40 km, 3-m resolution and HH polarization, acquired between 21 March 2011 and 10 ...
Satellite images have been systematically explored by archaeologists to detect crop marks, which ... more Satellite images have been systematically explored by archaeologists to detect crop marks, which are considered as a proxy for the identification of buried archaeological remains. Even though several existing algorithms are frequently applied, such as histogram enhancements and vegetation indices, the detection of crop marks still remains a difficult task, while the final interpretation results can be very poor. This paper aims to present some of the current difficulties of " remote sensing archaeology " in terms of detection and interpretation of crop marks due to the crops' phenological variations. At the same time, the presented work seeks to evaluate the recently proposed linear equations for the enhancement of crop marks, initially developed for the eastern Mediterranean region. These linear equations re-project the initial n-space spectral into a new 3D orthogonal space determined by three components: a crop mark component, a vegetation component, and a soil component. For the aims of this study, the Lucera archaeological site (southern Italy), where several Neolithic trenches have been identified, was selected. QuickBird and GeoEye high-resolution satellite images were analysed, indicating that vegetation indices may mismatch some crop marks depending on the phenological stage of the vegetation cultivated in the area of the archaeological site. On the contrary, ratios from linear equations were able to spot these crop marks even in shadow areas, indicating that improvements and developments of novel methodologies and equations based on remote sensing datasets can further assist archaeological research.
ABSTRACT The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite ... more ABSTRACT The papers deals with the integration of aerial laser scanning, multitemporal satellite and aerial dataset to provide information on the 'forma urbis' of the Grumentum roman town, to detect new archaeological features in its close surrounding and to analyze changes of the landscape over the time. Grumentum is an ancient town, 50 km south of Potenza (Southern Italy), located near the 'Via Herculea' connecting Venusia, in the north est of Basilicata, with Heraclea in the Ionian coast. The first settlement date back to the 6th century BC. Then, it was resettled by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The town, which evidences a long history from the Republican age to late Antiquity (III BC-V AD), is characterized by the typical urban pattern of 'cardi' and 'decumani'. Its excavated ruins include a large amphitheatre, a theatre, the thermae, the Forum and some temples. LiDAR data, adequately filtered, classified and post processed by using geostatistics methods(Lasaponara et al. 2012), enabled to detect features linked to tombs under a dense vegetation located close to the urban perimeter. The analysis of historical air photos, draped over the ground surface obtained from the LiDAR survey, put in evidence some unknown crop-marks linked to roman urban fabric. Finally, the same photos along with the satellite multitemporal dataset allowed us to reconstruct the recent history of the landscape from the Agrarian Reform, in the 50s, up today. Reference Lasaponara R., Masini N., Holmgren R., Backe Forsberg Y., Integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing for archaeological investigations: a case study of the Etruscan site San Giovenale, Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, vol. 9, S26-S39, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S26
Data Revues 12962074 00080001 06001087, Mar 23, 2008
... The QuickBird imagery products are available at different processing levels (basic, standard,... more ... The QuickBird imagery products are available at different processing levels (basic, standard, ortho) serving the ... for the identification of archaeological features is mainly based on the use of data ... a data fusion algorithm that was specifically developed for VHR satellite images [13]. ...
Egu General Assembly Conference Abstracts, May 1, 2010
In last years the use of Infrared thermography for cultural heritage improved, because it is a te... more In last years the use of Infrared thermography for cultural heritage improved, because it is a technique that allows to realize in situ the not-destructive evaluation of constructional materials and to determine the possible existence of pathologies, decay, etc. The interpratation of IR images and mapping with accuracy existing patterns is nowadays still difficult. With this aim a geographically approach was used. A monument's wall can be considered an improper geographically space and the continuity/discontinuity of materials and their properties can be considered as spatial patterns. Consequently spatial analysis and cluster detection methods can be used to treat in a quantitative way the IR thermographic dataset and to map in a GIS characteristics of the wall, useful for an eventual program of restauration.
The detection of buried adobe structures is a crucial issue for the remote sensing (ground, aeria... more The detection of buried adobe structures is a crucial issue for the remote sensing (ground, aerial and satellite) applied to archaeology for the widespread of sun-dried earth as building material in several ancient civilizations in Central and Southern America, Middle East and North Africa. Moreover it is complex, due to the subtle contrast existing between the archaeological features and the surrounding, especially in arid setting, as in the case of the well know Nazca Ceremonial Centre of Cahuachi, located in the desert of Nazca (Southern Peru) . During the last two decades of excavations adobe monuments dating back from the 6th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D have been highlighted by the Centro de Estudios Arqueológicos Precolombinos (CEAP), an italian-peruvian mission directed by Giuseppe Orefici. Actually, the archaeologists are excavating and restoring the core of the Ceremonial centre where is located a great pyramid (kown as Gran Piramide). Beginning from 2007 the two institutes of CNR, IMAA and IBAM, have been involved by CEAP, in order to provide a scientific and technological support for the archaeological research. Therefore, a multi-scale approach based on the integration of aerial and satellite remote sensing with geophysical techniques was employed in order to provide data useful for archaeological excavations. The abstract refers to the last investigations performed on a mound, known as "Piramide Naranja", during the 2008. The processing of an aerial imagery time series and two QuickBird satellite images acquired in 2002 and 2005, allowed for identifying some features related to shallow and buried structures. Such features were verified by means of geophysical prospections, performed by using the magnetometric method which observed changes in the magnetic field within the first few metres beneath the subsurface detecting buried walls and anomalies linked to ceramic deposits referable to possible tombs. Finally, the integration of all data acquired by the different remote sensing techniques allowed for spatially characterizing the archaeological features, thus providing important information for the planning of the next archaeological campaign scheduled on July 2009
SPOT-Vegetation (SPOT-VGT) data at full spatial resolution were used in order to assess the poten... more SPOT-Vegetation (SPOT-VGT) data at full spatial resolution were used in order to assess the potentiality and feasibility of using low resolution optical satellite data for the estimation of time/space dynamics of surface moisture content. The seasonal trend of diverse parameters (single channels or spectral indices) suitable/or specifically designed for moisture estimation have been analyzed in some test sites of southern Italy. The investigations were performed by using imagery selected from a long time series of ten-day compositions of VGT data acquired from 1998 to 2002. The preliminary results indicate that the use of the VGT data for obtaining information on the time/space dynamics of surface moisture content can be useful.
The systematic monitoring of cultural and natural heritage is a basic step for its conservation. ... more The systematic monitoring of cultural and natural heritage is a basic step for its conservation. Monitoring strategies should constitute an integral component of policies relating to land use, development, and planning. To this aim remote sensing technologies can be used profitably. This paper deals with the use of multitemporal, multisensors, and multiscale satellite data for assessing and monitoring changes affecting cultural landscapes and archaeological sites. The discussion is focused on some significant test cases selected in Peru (South America) and Southern Italy . Artifacts, unearthed sites, and marks of buried remains have been investigated by using multitemporal aerial and satellite data, such as Quickbird, ASTER, Landsat MSS and TM.
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