This article focuses on the possible drawbacks and pitfalls in the GPR data interpretation proces... more This article focuses on the possible drawbacks and pitfalls in the GPR data interpretation process commonly followed by most GPR practitioners in archaeological prospection. Standard processing techniques aim to remove some noise, enhance reflections of the subsurface. Next, one has to calculate the instantaneous envelope and produce C-scans which are 2D amplitude maps showing high reflectivity surfaces. These amplitude maps are mainly used for data interpretation and provide a good insight into the subsurface but cannot fully describe it. The main limitations are discussed while studies aiming to overcome them are reviewed. These studies involve integrated interpretation approaches using both B-scans and C-scans, attribute analysis, fusion approaches, and recent attempts to automatically interpret C-scans using Deep Learning (DL) algorithms. To contribute to the automatic interpretation of GPR data using DL, an application of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to classify GPR dat...
The geophysical prospection survey at Isernia constitutes a ground-based remote-sensing research ... more The geophysical prospection survey at Isernia constitutes a ground-based remote-sensing research module of the Aesernia field survey project (Stek et al. in press). This is a subproject of the “Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project”, funded by NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) and based at Leiden University and the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, which is implemented in Molise in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Molise (Stek and Pelgrom 2013). The project investigates the rural settlement organization of the Roman towns of Venusia and Aesernia through conventional surface survey techniques and remote-sensing approaches (aerial imagery and geophysical prospection). Five different sites in the area of Isernia were prospected using an integrated strategy, namely magnetometry, soil resistance and ground penetrating (GPR) techniques. More than 16,820 m2 were prospected with a large degree of overlap between different met...
Archaeological geophysics is a range of techniques for the minimally invasive, remote investigati... more Archaeological geophysics is a range of techniques for the minimally invasive, remote investigation of the physical parameters of the nearsurface environment. This suite of methods is complementary to archaeological survey or excavation as it can provide information about the stratigraphy of the survey area, locate anthropogenic traces of the past, document their spatial dimensions and—under ideal conditions—explore the physical properties of subsurface materials. Both material culture items such as a building foundations and indirect indications of anthropogenic activity such as subsurface disturbance or evidence of burning are excellent direct targets for geophysical investigations since they can be differentiated on the basis of their material properties from the wider soil context. In addition to directly locating archaeological material, geophysical techniques can make an important contribution to geoarchaeological investigations by elucidating the site stratigraphy and mapping...
A large number of monuments in the wider region of Palaepaphos, Cypi-us (known as Kouklia today) ... more A large number of monuments in the wider region of Palaepaphos, Cypi-us (known as Kouklia today) have been excavated since the late 19"' and the mid-2 ff'' centuries. These archaeological monuments are dated from the Late Bronze Age to the Venetian Domination and the Turkish Rule Specifically, the monuments that have been systematically excavated include the Sanctuaiy of Aphrodite, parts of the fortification of the ancient city, houses with mosaics, "administrative " residences, two historical induurial installations of cane sugar refineiy and a number of tombs, either single graves or extended cemeteries. For the aforementioned reasons, the design of an interactive tool which utilizes the G.l.S. technology has been proposed for the monitoring of the developmeiU plans of the region, emphasizing the registration, conservation and protection of the cultural and environmental monuments of the area. The continuous recording of the archaeological and cultural m...
For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essen... more For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded by unwanted components, or noise. This review clarifies the terminology, discusses the four major sources of noise (instrument, use of instrument, external, soil), and demonstrates how it can be characterized using geostatistical and wavenumber methods. It is important to recognize that even with improved instruments, some noise sources, like soil noise, may persist and that degraded data may be the result of unexpected sources, for example, global positioning system synchronization problems. Suggestions for the evaluation and recording of noise levels are provided to allow estimation of the limit of detection for archaeological geophysical anomalies.
The geophysical prospection of Neolithic tells imposes specific challenges due to the preservatio... more The geophysical prospection of Neolithic tells imposes specific challenges due to the preservation and nature of the architectural context and the multiple, usually disturbed, soil strata. Contrary to the usual application of a single method, this paper deals with the advantages of using an integrated geophysical approach through the employment of various methodologies to map the Neolithic cultural and environmental landscape of Thessalian tells (magoules) in Central Greece. The success and failure of each method in resolving the various features of the magoules are discussed in detail, and as a whole, they demonstrate the benefits of a manifold geophysical prospection of the sites.
Abstract:-Various levels and types of noise are responsible for hindering the valuable informatio... more Abstract:-Various levels and types of noise are responsible for hindering the valuable information obtained through shallow depth geophysical exploration of archaeological sites. Wavelet transform techniques were tested as a method for decomposition of the original geophysical data in order to eliminate the noise levels inherent to the geophysical measurements. Unsupervised classification techniques were employed for the final fusion of different datasets originating from various surveys or processing procedures. The resulting ...
22nd CIPA Symposium, Digital Documentation, Interpretation & Presentation of Cultural Heritage, Kyoto, Japan, 2009
ABSTRACT: The paper discusses the definition of a framework of principles for the management of r... more ABSTRACT: The paper discusses the definition of a framework of principles for the management of regions of archaeo-cultural value, which are destined to sustain modern development. Kouklia-Palaepaphos in SW Cyprus, where a three-year pilot project is taking place, is an extensive archaeological region, rich in sensitive anthropogenic data, which lacks a management plan that would render the preservation and enhancement of its archaeological resources, and its economic development, mutually compatible operations ...
WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, Nov 1, 2005
The comparative study of the implementation of different types of wavelets is the subject matter ... more The comparative study of the implementation of different types of wavelets is the subject matter of the current paper. On a discrete wavelet transform basis, several standard wavelets were implemented onto Quickbird imagery, toserve the purposes of multisensor image fusion as a tool for high-resolution urban mapping. Respective results were evaluated using extended photointerpretation and three types of indices, mathematical, statistical and similarity-based. Best wavelet fusion results were combined with the IHS image fusion ...
This article focuses on the possible drawbacks and pitfalls in the GPR data interpretation proces... more This article focuses on the possible drawbacks and pitfalls in the GPR data interpretation process commonly followed by most GPR practitioners in archaeological prospection. Standard processing techniques aim to remove some noise, enhance reflections of the subsurface. Next, one has to calculate the instantaneous envelope and produce C-scans which are 2D amplitude maps showing high reflectivity surfaces. These amplitude maps are mainly used for data interpretation and provide a good insight into the subsurface but cannot fully describe it. The main limitations are discussed while studies aiming to overcome them are reviewed. These studies involve integrated interpretation approaches using both B-scans and C-scans, attribute analysis, fusion approaches, and recent attempts to automatically interpret C-scans using Deep Learning (DL) algorithms. To contribute to the automatic interpretation of GPR data using DL, an application of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to classify GPR dat...
The geophysical prospection survey at Isernia constitutes a ground-based remote-sensing research ... more The geophysical prospection survey at Isernia constitutes a ground-based remote-sensing research module of the Aesernia field survey project (Stek et al. in press). This is a subproject of the “Landscapes of Early Roman Colonization project”, funded by NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) and based at Leiden University and the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome, which is implemented in Molise in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Molise (Stek and Pelgrom 2013). The project investigates the rural settlement organization of the Roman towns of Venusia and Aesernia through conventional surface survey techniques and remote-sensing approaches (aerial imagery and geophysical prospection). Five different sites in the area of Isernia were prospected using an integrated strategy, namely magnetometry, soil resistance and ground penetrating (GPR) techniques. More than 16,820 m2 were prospected with a large degree of overlap between different met...
Archaeological geophysics is a range of techniques for the minimally invasive, remote investigati... more Archaeological geophysics is a range of techniques for the minimally invasive, remote investigation of the physical parameters of the nearsurface environment. This suite of methods is complementary to archaeological survey or excavation as it can provide information about the stratigraphy of the survey area, locate anthropogenic traces of the past, document their spatial dimensions and—under ideal conditions—explore the physical properties of subsurface materials. Both material culture items such as a building foundations and indirect indications of anthropogenic activity such as subsurface disturbance or evidence of burning are excellent direct targets for geophysical investigations since they can be differentiated on the basis of their material properties from the wider soil context. In addition to directly locating archaeological material, geophysical techniques can make an important contribution to geoarchaeological investigations by elucidating the site stratigraphy and mapping...
A large number of monuments in the wider region of Palaepaphos, Cypi-us (known as Kouklia today) ... more A large number of monuments in the wider region of Palaepaphos, Cypi-us (known as Kouklia today) have been excavated since the late 19"' and the mid-2 ff'' centuries. These archaeological monuments are dated from the Late Bronze Age to the Venetian Domination and the Turkish Rule Specifically, the monuments that have been systematically excavated include the Sanctuaiy of Aphrodite, parts of the fortification of the ancient city, houses with mosaics, "administrative " residences, two historical induurial installations of cane sugar refineiy and a number of tombs, either single graves or extended cemeteries. For the aforementioned reasons, the design of an interactive tool which utilizes the G.l.S. technology has been proposed for the monitoring of the developmeiU plans of the region, emphasizing the registration, conservation and protection of the cultural and environmental monuments of the area. The continuous recording of the archaeological and cultural m...
For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essen... more For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded by unwanted components, or noise. This review clarifies the terminology, discusses the four major sources of noise (instrument, use of instrument, external, soil), and demonstrates how it can be characterized using geostatistical and wavenumber methods. It is important to recognize that even with improved instruments, some noise sources, like soil noise, may persist and that degraded data may be the result of unexpected sources, for example, global positioning system synchronization problems. Suggestions for the evaluation and recording of noise levels are provided to allow estimation of the limit of detection for archaeological geophysical anomalies.
The geophysical prospection of Neolithic tells imposes specific challenges due to the preservatio... more The geophysical prospection of Neolithic tells imposes specific challenges due to the preservation and nature of the architectural context and the multiple, usually disturbed, soil strata. Contrary to the usual application of a single method, this paper deals with the advantages of using an integrated geophysical approach through the employment of various methodologies to map the Neolithic cultural and environmental landscape of Thessalian tells (magoules) in Central Greece. The success and failure of each method in resolving the various features of the magoules are discussed in detail, and as a whole, they demonstrate the benefits of a manifold geophysical prospection of the sites.
Abstract:-Various levels and types of noise are responsible for hindering the valuable informatio... more Abstract:-Various levels and types of noise are responsible for hindering the valuable information obtained through shallow depth geophysical exploration of archaeological sites. Wavelet transform techniques were tested as a method for decomposition of the original geophysical data in order to eliminate the noise levels inherent to the geophysical measurements. Unsupervised classification techniques were employed for the final fusion of different datasets originating from various surveys or processing procedures. The resulting ...
22nd CIPA Symposium, Digital Documentation, Interpretation & Presentation of Cultural Heritage, Kyoto, Japan, 2009
ABSTRACT: The paper discusses the definition of a framework of principles for the management of r... more ABSTRACT: The paper discusses the definition of a framework of principles for the management of regions of archaeo-cultural value, which are destined to sustain modern development. Kouklia-Palaepaphos in SW Cyprus, where a three-year pilot project is taking place, is an extensive archaeological region, rich in sensitive anthropogenic data, which lacks a management plan that would render the preservation and enhancement of its archaeological resources, and its economic development, mutually compatible operations ...
WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, Nov 1, 2005
The comparative study of the implementation of different types of wavelets is the subject matter ... more The comparative study of the implementation of different types of wavelets is the subject matter of the current paper. On a discrete wavelet transform basis, several standard wavelets were implemented onto Quickbird imagery, toserve the purposes of multisensor image fusion as a tool for high-resolution urban mapping. Respective results were evaluated using extended photointerpretation and three types of indices, mathematical, statistical and similarity-based. Best wavelet fusion results were combined with the IHS image fusion ...
This article argues that a holistic approach to documenting and understanding the physical eviden... more This article argues that a holistic approach to documenting and understanding the physical evidence for individual cities would enhance our ability to address major questions about urbanisation, urbanism, cultural identities and economic processes. At the same time we suggest that providing more comprehensive data-sets concerning Greek cities would represent an important contribution to cross-cultural studies of urban development and urbanism, which have often overlooked relevant evidence from Classical Greece. As an example of the approach we are advocating, we offer detailed discussion of data from the Archaic and Classical city of Olynthos, in the Halkidiki. Six seasons of fieldwork here by the Olynthos Project, together with legacy data from earlier projects by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and by the Greek Archaeological Service, combine to make this one of the best-documented urban centres surviving from the Greek world. We suggest that the material from the site offers the potential to build up a detailed ‘urban profile’, consisting of an overview of the early development of the community as well as an in-depth picture of the organisation of the Classical settlement. Some aspects of the urban infrastructure can also be quantified, allowing a new assessment of (for example) its demography. This article offers a sample of the kinds of data available and the sorts of questions that can be addressed in constructing such a profile, based on a brief summary of the interim results of fieldwork and data analysis carried out by the Olynthos Project, with a focus on research undertaken during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.
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Papers by Apostolos Sarris