An integrated approach to the application of geophysical methods to the Cecina Valley Survey Project
- Title
- An integrated approach to the application of geophysical methods to the Cecina Valley Survey Project
- Creator(s)
- Kay, Stephen
- Date
- 2003
- Is Part Of
-
Archeologia e Calcolatori
- Volume
- 14
- Pages
- 199–215
- Language
- eng
- Rights
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- Abstract
- Since its establishment in 1987, the Cecina Valley Survey Project, directed by Nicola Terrenato of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has undertaken the systematic investigation of the landscape surrounding the Etruscan, and then later Roman, city of Volaterrae in Northern Etruria, modern Tuscany. Whilst the main aim of the study is to investigate the distributions of settlements in the valley between 600 BC and AD 600, the survey has recorded the presence of artefacts of all periods. Together with a diverse approach to geophysical survey, the project has generated a wealth of data that has been documented within a spatial database, thus permitting interpretation to include both remotely sensed data and field surface collection. Through the powerful application of this GIS technology combined with a detailed site documentation, a useful methodology was developed that could be reapplied in the field. The combination of field walking and a multiple site approach to geophysical survey, enhanced by the application of mobile computing technology, allowed an immediate initial interpretation of the site to be made. This approach to field survey, combining the techniques of GIS, geophysics and traditional field walking, allowed a rapid detailed appraisal of the site, particularly through a target specific form of remote sensing. Presented here are some results from two seasons of geophysical surveying of rural settlements in the Cecina Valley and a discussion of the development of this integrated field survey approach. Appraisal is also made of the most suitable geophysical methods to be applied to individuate Hellenistic and early Roman rural settlements and the different forms of computer filter analysis that can be applied to extract clearer results.
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