Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
Landscape-scale geophysical surveys are becoming increasingly cost-effective due to recent advances in instrumentation and data processing. For the first time, researchers can conduct surveys of an extent commensurate with the monumental scale of many ancient cultural landscapes. In particular, the availability of multi-sensor arrays and real-time positioning systems permits us to widen our field of view and place individual features, sites, and monuments in their broader context. This symposium showcases results from recent large-scale surveys in the Americas, Europe, and beyond. These studies demonstrate how landscape-scale surveys often add rich texture and detail to the archaeological record, and provide opportunities for novel interpretations. Also highlighted are extensive datasets with potential for improvements in heritage resource management, and mapping that can lead to greater public appreciation of the sites and deeper engagements with local communities. At the same time, the scale of these datasets presents new challenges for data processing, analysis, visualization, and storage. This session will explore these issues with a view to advancing archaeological theory and practice in step with advances in archaeogeophysical instrumentation.
Other Keywords
Remote Sensing/Geophysics •
Landscape Archaeology •
Woodland •
Monumentality •
Neolithic •
Magnetometry •
Iron Age •
Ritual and Symbolism •
Highland Mesoamerica: Classic
Geographic Keywords
North America (Continent) •
United States of America (Country) •
Missouri (State / Territory) •
Kentucky (State / Territory) •
Illinois (State / Territory) •
Wisconsin (State / Territory) •
Indiana (State / Territory) •
Michigan (State / Territory) •
Nebraska (State / Territory) •
Kansas (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-7 of 7)
- Documents (7)
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Changing the Picture – 1000 Hectare High Resolution Magnetometry on the Protected Zone of a World Heritage Site at Avebury, UK (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Avebury and Stonehenge, two iconic prehistoric sites in the heart of England, both listed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage have undergone intensive research during the past century. Nevertheless, evolving technologies open access to new data on a landscape scale, thus adding more and surprising information helping to...
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Hopewellian Woodhenges: Recent Research at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Monumental timber post circles or "woodhenges" are ancient and enduring elements in the ritual landscapes of Native North America. Examples are known from as much as 3500 years ago at Poverty Point; from 2400 years ago in Adena ceremonial contexts in the Ohio Valley; from 1000 years ago at Cahokia; and in contemporary use...
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The Magnetic View of a Princely Landscape (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Hallstatt period hilltop settlement at Mont Lassois and its environs have been the focus of archaeological interest ever since the discovery of the famous princely grave of the "Dame de Vix" in 1953. Several excavations as well as aerial and geophysical prospections have since explored the sites on top and around the...
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Magnetometry Survey at the Mann Site: A Rich New Dataset on Hopewell Ceremonialism (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Mann site in southwest Indiana is one of the largest Hopewell ceremonial centers in the Midwest and also one of the least studied. The site, which was occupied between A.D. 200 and 500, consists of flat-topped, conical, and geometric earthworks, similar to those from Hopewell complexes in Ohio and elsewhere. The most...
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Moving up in the World: Comparing Magnetic Gradiometer Survey Results from Monumental Sites Using Small, Medium, and Large Magnetometer Systems (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The problem with monumental earthwork sites in Ohio is that they are, well, monumental in scale! These large sites, many topping 50 ha in area, are a major challenge for geophysical surveys because they simply require too much time to completely survey. However, recent advances in instrumentation and computers is making it...
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Multisensor Geophysical Survey of Monte Albán’s Main Plaza (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. During the summer of 2017, we conducted a landscape-scale geophysical survey of the Main Plaza at Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. We obtained full coverage of the plaza with gradiometry, electrical resistance, and ground-penetrating radar and also generated a centimeter-level accuracy map using a drone and a robotic total...
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Woodhenges in Northwest Europe (2019)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Circles, variously of wood and stone, are a major feature of the ceremonial centres dating to the third and early second millennia BC in northwest Europe. Some, such as Stonehenge, are very well known and complicated in their design and layout. Many others are more modest in scale and form. Geophysical surveys and...