Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
In-Situ Sensing of (Geo-)Archaeological Soil and Sediment Archives: Emerging Methodologies and Applications
Content:
In recent decades, there have been significant advances in the use of aerial remote sensing techniques (e.g., LiDAR) and proximal sensing methods (e.g., near-surface geophysics) in archaeology. While these approaches yield high-resolution data at the horizontal level, their capacity for vertical subsurface discrimination is more constrained. This limitation is often addressed by collecting data as the sensor moves down the soil profile or within a borehole. Consequently, the miniaturization of computing and sensing equipment has enabled a growing adoption of direct push- type sensors (e.g., cone penetration testing, color logging tools) in (geo-)archaeology, particularly for mapping deeply buried deposits in-situ, especially in wetlands and floodplains. In parallel, sensors traditionally capable of microscoping sensing, but originally designed for laboratory use, such as portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and portable OSL (pOSL), have now been adapted for field measurements, enhancing their applicability in on-site archaeological investigations of sections and profiles.
Archaeological investigations often require the integration of multiple sensing techniques, each capturing different types of evidence. However, integration poses significant challenges in fusing different scales, dimensions, and properties and extracting meaningful information from diverse datasets. Moreover, the varying signals and responses encountered in different archaeological and soil materials underscore the necessity for comparative frameworks, databases, and networks. As a result, there is also a growing need for the development and deployment of low-cost, efficient equipment.
This session invites papers that explore novel in-situ sensing approaches in (geo-)archaeological research. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, direct push sensing, borehole and core applications, long-term monitoring of in-situ archaeological remains, or handheld sensing and imagery applications in excavation settings as well as examples of in situ data with remote/proximal sensing fusion. Submissions that address the session's themes of technological innovation, methodological challenges, and practical applications in diverse archaeological contexts are particularly welcomed.
Keywords:
Direct Push Sensing, In-Situ Sensing, Borehole Applications, Soil Archives, Geoarchaeology, Geophysics
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
EAA Archaeological Prospection Community
Main organiser:
Lukas Werther (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Jeroen Verhegge (Belgium) 2
Antony Brown (United Kingdom) 3,4
Anne Köhler (Germany) 5
Affiliations:
1. German Archaeological Institute, RGK
2. Gent University
3. University of Southampton
4. The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø
5. Leipzig University
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