Geophysical Methods at the Hollister Site: Summary of Finds

Summary

Geophysical methods in archaeology are increasingly integrated into traditional archaeological surveys. Remote sensing is valuable because it allows for large areas to be surveyed relatively quickly and noninvasively. At the Hollister site in South Glastonbury, Connecticut, magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar, were implemented over a 140x140 meter area. Magnetometry measures alterations to earth’s magnetic field. This method is helpful for identifying a number of artifacts and features, such as metal, overturned soil, or burned materials. Ground-penetrating radar data are collected when electromagnetic waves travel through the ground and reflect off of buried discontinuities. This method allows features in the ground to be mapped three-dimensionally. Images produced from these data guided excavations at the site during the summer of 2016. Also, by integrating these data, we were able to reconstruct the colonial landscape in order to truly understand the environment in which the seventeenth-century occupants were living.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The John Hollister Site: A 17th Century Fortified Farm Complex in Glastonbury, Connecticut   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 398