Geophysical research (EMI, weerstand en magneotometer) at the location of mound 6 of the Eckelrad... more Geophysical research (EMI, weerstand en magneotometer) at the location of mound 6 of the Eckelrade burial mound group
– Revisiting geophysical results post-excavation can lead to additional information. – Giving geo... more – Revisiting geophysical results post-excavation can lead to additional information. – Giving geophysicists feedback on their interpretations can lead to valuable insights.
Geofysische technieken, zoals grondradar of weerstandsmeter, worden in de archeologie al jarenlan... more Geofysische technieken, zoals grondradar of weerstandsmeter, worden in de archeologie al jarenlang toegepast. Door te meten vanaf het maaiveld kunnen bepaalde archeologische verschijnselen snel en non-destructief in kaart worden gebracht. Aan het oppervlak onzichtbare funderingen van verdwenen, middeleeuwse gebouwen verschijnen prachtig in beeld. Maar werken deze technieken ook op andere, minder ‘harde’ of ‘grote’ sporen in de ondergrond, zoals die van prehistorische grafheuvels? Die vraag stond centraal tijdens het archeologieplatform van 20 april 2017 in Amersfoort.
Deze Rapportage Archeologische Monumentenzorg (RAM) beschrijft de resultaten van een veldonderzoe... more Deze Rapportage Archeologische Monumentenzorg (RAM) beschrijft de resultaten van een veldonderzoek in 2011, 2012 en 2013 rond de vuursteenmijnen in het Limburgse Rijckholt – St. Geertruid.
The Mergelland region in the South of The Netherlands has about 500 underground quarries and mine... more The Mergelland region in the South of The Netherlands has about 500 underground quarries and mines, ranging from Neolithic times to medieval times and the modern cold war era. These more than 500 kilometer of galleries are dark, cold and humid and form an invisible underground landscape. Although it is hidden, it is full of history and archaeology and local heritage. The obscurity of these tunnels make them unpopular for protection and studies, but with good analyses in GIS, these valuable features can be visualized. The analyses of the underground galleries give insight in the methods of extracting the minerals and can be connected with historical sources. Estimations can be made about the amount of people working in this craft and industry. Bringing the archaeology of the underground darkness into the open and presenting its values to science and the public.
To examine the response decline that occurs upon repetitive galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS)... more To examine the response decline that occurs upon repetitive galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) and hampers long-term clinical evaluations. This was a prospective experimental study conducted in a tertiary referral centre. In a previous study we developed a standardized procedure for reproducible quantification of galvanic-induced body sway (GBS). The most reproducible responses were found using a continuous 1-cosinusoidal stimulus (0.5 Hz; 2 mA) preceded by a pre-habituating stimulus. This binaural prestimulation reduced the short-term (<5 min) response decline to a non-significant level. The response decline without prestimulation was interpreted as habituation to the galvanic stimulation. In the present study we evaluated possible long-term habituation to GVS, which may hamper longitudinal clinical evaluations. Possible long-term habituation using the short-term habituating prestimulus concept was studied by quantifying GBS in 40 subjects at 5 consecutive time points. Subjects were subdivided into four equal groups who were tested with four different time intervals between the five measurements, ranging from 1 day to 2 weeks. The absolute test results did not vary with the time interval (p=0.217; repeated measurement test). Irrespective of the time interval between the tests, habituation occurred after the first stimulation and remained stable at all consecutive measurements. GVS habituation did not depend on either the degree of daily life activity (moderate practice of sport) or on gender. The current protocol, using a prehabituating binaural stimulus, showed that reproducible assessment of the GVS over a time course of days to weeks was possible starting from the second test.
This Master thesis shows that the man-made underground structures in the South of The Netherlands... more This Master thesis shows that the man-made underground structures in the South of The Netherlands and Belgium may be regarded as legitimate archaeological features and it is to demonstrate that conventional archaeological research methods and regulations may be applied to investigate and further our understanding of these underground structures, thereby providing a suite of archaeological techniques to encourage future studies.
At first an overview of the man-made underground in the limestone of the Mergelland region is given. The oldest are the Neolithic flint mines that are found on many different locations and are well studied and are regarded of international importance. Another type of underground are the chalk mines. Only a couple are identified as old chalk mines but their date is unknown. It can be Neolithic, Roman, early medieval or medieval. The largest number of underground sites are the limestone quarries for building stone. There’s 525 kilometres of galleries in over 400 individual quarries with more than 850 entrances. The oldest quarries are not determined, maybe Roman, maybe medieval. But from the 12th century onwards, there is evidence of underground quarrying for building stone. From the 14th to the 19th century the quarries produced high amounts of building stone. In the 20th century the underground quarrying declined but never completely disappeared as one quarry is still active. But the Mergelland region offers more underground in the limestone. There are road tunnels, train tunnels, transport tunnels, shelters from the Second World War and a couple of horizontal water wells. All of these underground sites have had an active secondary use as mushroom growery, storage or tourist attraction. All of these activities left their traces and can be archaeologically studied.
In this study archaeological research methods are applied to these underground sites. A predictive model for entrances and underground galleries was made for one parish (Valkenburg) using geological maps, LIDAR data and historical maps. The combination of these data sets resulted in a predictive model of the quarries with a 98% accuracy. The model is translated to a policy map for the local council to use in their management. The GIS as a historical analyses tool has been applied to the quarries to get some basic statistics and estimations. The total amount of limestone quarried has been estimated. From this figure, an estimation is made about the number of quarrymen working underground through the ages therefore positioning the craft of quarrymen in a historical context. The GIS data was also used in one quarry to visualize the extraction progress resulting in periods of high production and periods of low production. These could be linked to geological variations in the limestone and to demand for buildingstone. LIDAR data and geophysical measurements are important datasets and tools in archaeological prospection. They can also be useful to find quarry entrances and position quarries and understand the extend of a quarry but does have its limitations. The Dutch law, regulations and research agenda does not include quarries as a feature but the quarries and other underground structures can be included in the regulations and the law applies to them. The Dutch research agenda does have a couple of research questions that do apply to the underground sites but a series of additional research aims and questions are proposed.
It can be concluded that the man-made underground sites in the Mergelland region are archaeological sites, that archaeological research methods can be applied to them and that from a legal and regulation point of view, things are well organized but the research agenda needs some additional research aims and questions. These sites form a good connection between historical sources and material sources. Concluding that the quarrymen of the past working underground created an archaeology of the darkness.
International conference Archaeology and geoinformatics, RAS Moscow, 2021
A geophysical testsite in the village of Maarland in the south of The Netherlands was surveyed wi... more A geophysical testsite in the village of Maarland in the south of The Netherlands was surveyed with EMI, Resistivity and magnetometry as well as aerial photographs under several different conditions and soil usage. A late medieval farmstead / courthouse was found. Over the course of the surveys, the archaeological information about this site grew every time.
In the parish Millingen near Nijmegen, The Netherlands, an executionersplace was prospected using... more In the parish Millingen near Nijmegen, The Netherlands, an executionersplace was prospected using a desktopstudy and geophysics. The results are presented and the road towards the results. In the end, the executionersplace was found with the help of local volunteers. The used EMI and resistivity measurements are compared. Now hope for the site to get recognision.
The presentation was presented to the ISAP members during the ISAP 2020 December 21st online meeting.
Once upon a time there were mister Geophysics and miss Archaeology. He was a technician, loved el... more Once upon a time there were mister Geophysics and miss Archaeology. He was a technician, loved electrodes and digital numbers. She was more into humanities, loved the people and their relations. They fell in love but their relationship is characterized by disorderly commotion and emotional agitation. He produced graphs she didn’t understand and she formulated questions he could not put into his machines. Marriage counselling was brought in. They found out they enriched each other, given the right way of thinking.
The aim of this paper is to make the marriage between archaeology and geophysics work. A roadmap of logical steps will result in better understanding and better results. Starting with a thorough desktop study and proper archaeological questions. These are then translated to the geophysical technical world into terms of physical contrast, measurement noise and structural patterns. These translated physical parameters determine the type of geophysical instruments to be used. A prediction can then be made of the archaeological result. Will it be hopeless? Wil it be a nice clear result or is a trial needed? All this information can then be used to set up field planning. It is only after these steps that the fieldwork can be carried out. The technical geophysical report is translated back into archaeological answers. The beautiful picture is not the goal, the goal is to answer the archaeological questions.
To any archaeologist, this process should sound familiar, the same goes for trial trenches, augering campaigns, C14 dating and excavations. These research methods are a tool in the archaeologists toolkit. Geophysics is one other tool.
The necessity to pass information to the next research step is obvious. A proper feedback to learn from what was picked and what was missed is often forgotten.
Mrs Archaeology and Mr Geophysics lived happily ever after.
In the 1920 a series if burial mounds were excavated in a forested area. Later the area turned in... more In the 1920 a series if burial mounds were excavated in a forested area. Later the area turned into agriculture and the burial mounds were thought to have disappeared. LIDAR data proved the excistance and a combined geophysical and augering survey was carried out to verify and evaluate the presence of the burial mound. Part of the intact archaeological layer was identified and inn the landscape arround the mound, some unidentified structures were seen in the survey. Since the site is not under thread, no further study is planned. It will be made visible for the public.
Geophysical research (EMI, weerstand en magneotometer) at the location of mound 6 of the Eckelrad... more Geophysical research (EMI, weerstand en magneotometer) at the location of mound 6 of the Eckelrade burial mound group
– Revisiting geophysical results post-excavation can lead to additional information. – Giving geo... more – Revisiting geophysical results post-excavation can lead to additional information. – Giving geophysicists feedback on their interpretations can lead to valuable insights.
Geofysische technieken, zoals grondradar of weerstandsmeter, worden in de archeologie al jarenlan... more Geofysische technieken, zoals grondradar of weerstandsmeter, worden in de archeologie al jarenlang toegepast. Door te meten vanaf het maaiveld kunnen bepaalde archeologische verschijnselen snel en non-destructief in kaart worden gebracht. Aan het oppervlak onzichtbare funderingen van verdwenen, middeleeuwse gebouwen verschijnen prachtig in beeld. Maar werken deze technieken ook op andere, minder ‘harde’ of ‘grote’ sporen in de ondergrond, zoals die van prehistorische grafheuvels? Die vraag stond centraal tijdens het archeologieplatform van 20 april 2017 in Amersfoort.
Deze Rapportage Archeologische Monumentenzorg (RAM) beschrijft de resultaten van een veldonderzoe... more Deze Rapportage Archeologische Monumentenzorg (RAM) beschrijft de resultaten van een veldonderzoek in 2011, 2012 en 2013 rond de vuursteenmijnen in het Limburgse Rijckholt – St. Geertruid.
The Mergelland region in the South of The Netherlands has about 500 underground quarries and mine... more The Mergelland region in the South of The Netherlands has about 500 underground quarries and mines, ranging from Neolithic times to medieval times and the modern cold war era. These more than 500 kilometer of galleries are dark, cold and humid and form an invisible underground landscape. Although it is hidden, it is full of history and archaeology and local heritage. The obscurity of these tunnels make them unpopular for protection and studies, but with good analyses in GIS, these valuable features can be visualized. The analyses of the underground galleries give insight in the methods of extracting the minerals and can be connected with historical sources. Estimations can be made about the amount of people working in this craft and industry. Bringing the archaeology of the underground darkness into the open and presenting its values to science and the public.
To examine the response decline that occurs upon repetitive galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS)... more To examine the response decline that occurs upon repetitive galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) and hampers long-term clinical evaluations. This was a prospective experimental study conducted in a tertiary referral centre. In a previous study we developed a standardized procedure for reproducible quantification of galvanic-induced body sway (GBS). The most reproducible responses were found using a continuous 1-cosinusoidal stimulus (0.5 Hz; 2 mA) preceded by a pre-habituating stimulus. This binaural prestimulation reduced the short-term (<5 min) response decline to a non-significant level. The response decline without prestimulation was interpreted as habituation to the galvanic stimulation. In the present study we evaluated possible long-term habituation to GVS, which may hamper longitudinal clinical evaluations. Possible long-term habituation using the short-term habituating prestimulus concept was studied by quantifying GBS in 40 subjects at 5 consecutive time points. Subjects were subdivided into four equal groups who were tested with four different time intervals between the five measurements, ranging from 1 day to 2 weeks. The absolute test results did not vary with the time interval (p=0.217; repeated measurement test). Irrespective of the time interval between the tests, habituation occurred after the first stimulation and remained stable at all consecutive measurements. GVS habituation did not depend on either the degree of daily life activity (moderate practice of sport) or on gender. The current protocol, using a prehabituating binaural stimulus, showed that reproducible assessment of the GVS over a time course of days to weeks was possible starting from the second test.
This Master thesis shows that the man-made underground structures in the South of The Netherlands... more This Master thesis shows that the man-made underground structures in the South of The Netherlands and Belgium may be regarded as legitimate archaeological features and it is to demonstrate that conventional archaeological research methods and regulations may be applied to investigate and further our understanding of these underground structures, thereby providing a suite of archaeological techniques to encourage future studies.
At first an overview of the man-made underground in the limestone of the Mergelland region is given. The oldest are the Neolithic flint mines that are found on many different locations and are well studied and are regarded of international importance. Another type of underground are the chalk mines. Only a couple are identified as old chalk mines but their date is unknown. It can be Neolithic, Roman, early medieval or medieval. The largest number of underground sites are the limestone quarries for building stone. There’s 525 kilometres of galleries in over 400 individual quarries with more than 850 entrances. The oldest quarries are not determined, maybe Roman, maybe medieval. But from the 12th century onwards, there is evidence of underground quarrying for building stone. From the 14th to the 19th century the quarries produced high amounts of building stone. In the 20th century the underground quarrying declined but never completely disappeared as one quarry is still active. But the Mergelland region offers more underground in the limestone. There are road tunnels, train tunnels, transport tunnels, shelters from the Second World War and a couple of horizontal water wells. All of these underground sites have had an active secondary use as mushroom growery, storage or tourist attraction. All of these activities left their traces and can be archaeologically studied.
In this study archaeological research methods are applied to these underground sites. A predictive model for entrances and underground galleries was made for one parish (Valkenburg) using geological maps, LIDAR data and historical maps. The combination of these data sets resulted in a predictive model of the quarries with a 98% accuracy. The model is translated to a policy map for the local council to use in their management. The GIS as a historical analyses tool has been applied to the quarries to get some basic statistics and estimations. The total amount of limestone quarried has been estimated. From this figure, an estimation is made about the number of quarrymen working underground through the ages therefore positioning the craft of quarrymen in a historical context. The GIS data was also used in one quarry to visualize the extraction progress resulting in periods of high production and periods of low production. These could be linked to geological variations in the limestone and to demand for buildingstone. LIDAR data and geophysical measurements are important datasets and tools in archaeological prospection. They can also be useful to find quarry entrances and position quarries and understand the extend of a quarry but does have its limitations. The Dutch law, regulations and research agenda does not include quarries as a feature but the quarries and other underground structures can be included in the regulations and the law applies to them. The Dutch research agenda does have a couple of research questions that do apply to the underground sites but a series of additional research aims and questions are proposed.
It can be concluded that the man-made underground sites in the Mergelland region are archaeological sites, that archaeological research methods can be applied to them and that from a legal and regulation point of view, things are well organized but the research agenda needs some additional research aims and questions. These sites form a good connection between historical sources and material sources. Concluding that the quarrymen of the past working underground created an archaeology of the darkness.
International conference Archaeology and geoinformatics, RAS Moscow, 2021
A geophysical testsite in the village of Maarland in the south of The Netherlands was surveyed wi... more A geophysical testsite in the village of Maarland in the south of The Netherlands was surveyed with EMI, Resistivity and magnetometry as well as aerial photographs under several different conditions and soil usage. A late medieval farmstead / courthouse was found. Over the course of the surveys, the archaeological information about this site grew every time.
In the parish Millingen near Nijmegen, The Netherlands, an executionersplace was prospected using... more In the parish Millingen near Nijmegen, The Netherlands, an executionersplace was prospected using a desktopstudy and geophysics. The results are presented and the road towards the results. In the end, the executionersplace was found with the help of local volunteers. The used EMI and resistivity measurements are compared. Now hope for the site to get recognision.
The presentation was presented to the ISAP members during the ISAP 2020 December 21st online meeting.
Once upon a time there were mister Geophysics and miss Archaeology. He was a technician, loved el... more Once upon a time there were mister Geophysics and miss Archaeology. He was a technician, loved electrodes and digital numbers. She was more into humanities, loved the people and their relations. They fell in love but their relationship is characterized by disorderly commotion and emotional agitation. He produced graphs she didn’t understand and she formulated questions he could not put into his machines. Marriage counselling was brought in. They found out they enriched each other, given the right way of thinking.
The aim of this paper is to make the marriage between archaeology and geophysics work. A roadmap of logical steps will result in better understanding and better results. Starting with a thorough desktop study and proper archaeological questions. These are then translated to the geophysical technical world into terms of physical contrast, measurement noise and structural patterns. These translated physical parameters determine the type of geophysical instruments to be used. A prediction can then be made of the archaeological result. Will it be hopeless? Wil it be a nice clear result or is a trial needed? All this information can then be used to set up field planning. It is only after these steps that the fieldwork can be carried out. The technical geophysical report is translated back into archaeological answers. The beautiful picture is not the goal, the goal is to answer the archaeological questions.
To any archaeologist, this process should sound familiar, the same goes for trial trenches, augering campaigns, C14 dating and excavations. These research methods are a tool in the archaeologists toolkit. Geophysics is one other tool.
The necessity to pass information to the next research step is obvious. A proper feedback to learn from what was picked and what was missed is often forgotten.
Mrs Archaeology and Mr Geophysics lived happily ever after.
In the 1920 a series if burial mounds were excavated in a forested area. Later the area turned in... more In the 1920 a series if burial mounds were excavated in a forested area. Later the area turned into agriculture and the burial mounds were thought to have disappeared. LIDAR data proved the excistance and a combined geophysical and augering survey was carried out to verify and evaluate the presence of the burial mound. Part of the intact archaeological layer was identified and inn the landscape arround the mound, some unidentified structures were seen in the survey. Since the site is not under thread, no further study is planned. It will be made visible for the public.
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Talks by Joep Orbons
Papers by Joep Orbons
The obscurity of these tunnels make them unpopular for protection and studies, but with good analyses in GIS, these valuable features can be visualized. The analyses of the underground galleries give insight in the methods of extracting the minerals and can be connected with historical sources. Estimations can be made about the amount of people working in this craft and industry.
Bringing the archaeology of the underground darkness into the open and presenting its values to science and the public.
Books by Joep Orbons
At first an overview of the man-made underground in the limestone of the Mergelland region is given.
The oldest are the Neolithic flint mines that are found on many different locations and are well studied and are regarded of international importance.
Another type of underground are the chalk mines. Only a couple are identified as old chalk mines but their date is unknown. It can be Neolithic, Roman, early medieval or medieval.
The largest number of underground sites are the limestone quarries for building stone. There’s 525 kilometres of galleries in over 400 individual quarries with more than 850 entrances. The oldest quarries are not determined, maybe Roman, maybe medieval. But from the 12th century onwards, there is evidence of underground quarrying for building stone. From the 14th to the 19th century the quarries produced high amounts of building stone. In the 20th century the underground quarrying declined but never completely disappeared as one quarry is still active.
But the Mergelland region offers more underground in the limestone. There are road tunnels, train tunnels, transport tunnels, shelters from the Second World War and a couple of horizontal water wells.
All of these underground sites have had an active secondary use as mushroom growery, storage or tourist attraction. All of these activities left their traces and can be archaeologically studied.
In this study archaeological research methods are applied to these underground sites.
A predictive model for entrances and underground galleries was made for one parish (Valkenburg) using geological maps, LIDAR data and historical maps. The combination of these data sets resulted in a predictive model of the quarries with a 98% accuracy. The model is translated to a policy map for the local council to use in their management.
The GIS as a historical analyses tool has been applied to the quarries to get some basic statistics and estimations. The total amount of limestone quarried has been estimated. From this figure, an estimation is made about the number of quarrymen working underground through the ages therefore positioning the craft of quarrymen in a historical context.
The GIS data was also used in one quarry to visualize the extraction progress resulting in periods of high production and periods of low production. These could be linked to geological variations in the limestone and to demand for buildingstone.
LIDAR data and geophysical measurements are important datasets and tools in archaeological prospection. They can also be useful to find quarry entrances and position quarries and understand the extend of a quarry but does have its limitations.
The Dutch law, regulations and research agenda does not include quarries as a feature but the quarries and other underground structures can be included in the regulations and the law applies to them. The Dutch research agenda does have a couple of research questions that do apply to the underground sites but a series of additional research aims and questions are proposed.
It can be concluded that the man-made underground sites in the Mergelland region are archaeological sites, that archaeological research methods can be applied to them and that from a legal and regulation point of view, things are well organized but the research agenda needs some additional research aims and questions. These sites form a good connection between historical sources and material sources. Concluding that the quarrymen of the past working underground created an archaeology of the darkness.
Conference Presentations by Joep Orbons
The used EMI and resistivity measurements are compared.
Now hope for the site to get recognision.
The presentation was presented to the ISAP members during the ISAP 2020 December 21st online meeting.
The aim of this paper is to make the marriage between archaeology and geophysics work. A roadmap of logical steps will result in better understanding and better results.
Starting with a thorough desktop study and proper archaeological questions. These are then translated to the geophysical technical world into terms of physical contrast, measurement noise and structural patterns. These translated physical parameters determine the type of geophysical instruments to be used.
A prediction can then be made of the archaeological result. Will it be hopeless? Wil it be a nice clear result or is a trial needed? All this information can then be used to set up field planning. It is only after these steps that the fieldwork can be carried out.
The technical geophysical report is translated back into archaeological answers. The beautiful picture is not the goal, the goal is to answer the archaeological questions.
To any archaeologist, this process should sound familiar, the same goes for trial trenches, augering campaigns, C14 dating and excavations. These research methods are a tool in the archaeologists toolkit. Geophysics is one other tool.
The necessity to pass information to the next research step is obvious. A proper feedback to learn from what was picked and what was missed is often forgotten.
Mrs Archaeology and Mr Geophysics lived happily ever after.
Part of the intact archaeological layer was identified and inn the landscape arround the mound, some unidentified structures were seen in the survey. Since the site is not under thread, no further study is planned. It will be made visible for the public.
The obscurity of these tunnels make them unpopular for protection and studies, but with good analyses in GIS, these valuable features can be visualized. The analyses of the underground galleries give insight in the methods of extracting the minerals and can be connected with historical sources. Estimations can be made about the amount of people working in this craft and industry.
Bringing the archaeology of the underground darkness into the open and presenting its values to science and the public.
At first an overview of the man-made underground in the limestone of the Mergelland region is given.
The oldest are the Neolithic flint mines that are found on many different locations and are well studied and are regarded of international importance.
Another type of underground are the chalk mines. Only a couple are identified as old chalk mines but their date is unknown. It can be Neolithic, Roman, early medieval or medieval.
The largest number of underground sites are the limestone quarries for building stone. There’s 525 kilometres of galleries in over 400 individual quarries with more than 850 entrances. The oldest quarries are not determined, maybe Roman, maybe medieval. But from the 12th century onwards, there is evidence of underground quarrying for building stone. From the 14th to the 19th century the quarries produced high amounts of building stone. In the 20th century the underground quarrying declined but never completely disappeared as one quarry is still active.
But the Mergelland region offers more underground in the limestone. There are road tunnels, train tunnels, transport tunnels, shelters from the Second World War and a couple of horizontal water wells.
All of these underground sites have had an active secondary use as mushroom growery, storage or tourist attraction. All of these activities left their traces and can be archaeologically studied.
In this study archaeological research methods are applied to these underground sites.
A predictive model for entrances and underground galleries was made for one parish (Valkenburg) using geological maps, LIDAR data and historical maps. The combination of these data sets resulted in a predictive model of the quarries with a 98% accuracy. The model is translated to a policy map for the local council to use in their management.
The GIS as a historical analyses tool has been applied to the quarries to get some basic statistics and estimations. The total amount of limestone quarried has been estimated. From this figure, an estimation is made about the number of quarrymen working underground through the ages therefore positioning the craft of quarrymen in a historical context.
The GIS data was also used in one quarry to visualize the extraction progress resulting in periods of high production and periods of low production. These could be linked to geological variations in the limestone and to demand for buildingstone.
LIDAR data and geophysical measurements are important datasets and tools in archaeological prospection. They can also be useful to find quarry entrances and position quarries and understand the extend of a quarry but does have its limitations.
The Dutch law, regulations and research agenda does not include quarries as a feature but the quarries and other underground structures can be included in the regulations and the law applies to them. The Dutch research agenda does have a couple of research questions that do apply to the underground sites but a series of additional research aims and questions are proposed.
It can be concluded that the man-made underground sites in the Mergelland region are archaeological sites, that archaeological research methods can be applied to them and that from a legal and regulation point of view, things are well organized but the research agenda needs some additional research aims and questions. These sites form a good connection between historical sources and material sources. Concluding that the quarrymen of the past working underground created an archaeology of the darkness.
The used EMI and resistivity measurements are compared.
Now hope for the site to get recognision.
The presentation was presented to the ISAP members during the ISAP 2020 December 21st online meeting.
The aim of this paper is to make the marriage between archaeology and geophysics work. A roadmap of logical steps will result in better understanding and better results.
Starting with a thorough desktop study and proper archaeological questions. These are then translated to the geophysical technical world into terms of physical contrast, measurement noise and structural patterns. These translated physical parameters determine the type of geophysical instruments to be used.
A prediction can then be made of the archaeological result. Will it be hopeless? Wil it be a nice clear result or is a trial needed? All this information can then be used to set up field planning. It is only after these steps that the fieldwork can be carried out.
The technical geophysical report is translated back into archaeological answers. The beautiful picture is not the goal, the goal is to answer the archaeological questions.
To any archaeologist, this process should sound familiar, the same goes for trial trenches, augering campaigns, C14 dating and excavations. These research methods are a tool in the archaeologists toolkit. Geophysics is one other tool.
The necessity to pass information to the next research step is obvious. A proper feedback to learn from what was picked and what was missed is often forgotten.
Mrs Archaeology and Mr Geophysics lived happily ever after.
Part of the intact archaeological layer was identified and inn the landscape arround the mound, some unidentified structures were seen in the survey. Since the site is not under thread, no further study is planned. It will be made visible for the public.