Holocene Heritage Quest: Possibilities for Citizen Science Research of Archaeological Heritage in the Dutch Province of Zeeland

For over a century aerial photography has been used in archaeology to detect traces of the past in the landscape. With the emergence of citizen science projects and vast amounts of remotely sensed data, Leiden University has developed a successful citizen science project in the Veluwe and Utrechtse Heuvelrug called ‘Heritage Quest’. Because of its success in both identifying hitherto unknown archaeological heritage and in engaging participants with their local heritage, other actors such as the province of Zeeland have shown interest in adapting the Heritage Quest formula or developing their own citizen science project. However, due to the different nature of the Holocene, agricultural landscape of Zeeland compared to the Pleistocene, forested landscape of the Veluwe and Utrechtse Heuvelrug and differences in the archaeological heritage which can be found in both regions, a different approach to citizen science than the approach of the original Heritage Quest was needed. This thesis...Show moreFor over a century aerial photography has been used in archaeology to detect traces of the past in the landscape. With the emergence of citizen science projects and vast amounts of remotely sensed data, Leiden University has developed a successful citizen science project in the Veluwe and Utrechtse Heuvelrug called ‘Heritage Quest’. Because of its success in both identifying hitherto unknown archaeological heritage and in engaging participants with their local heritage, other actors such as the province of Zeeland have shown interest in adapting the Heritage Quest formula or developing their own citizen science project. However, due to the different nature of the Holocene, agricultural landscape of Zeeland compared to the Pleistocene, forested landscape of the Veluwe and Utrechtse Heuvelrug and differences in the archaeological heritage which can be found in both regions, a different approach to citizen science than the approach of the original Heritage Quest was needed. This thesis research focusses on the possibilities of a ‘Heritage Quest’ type citizen science project for the province of Zeeland. Instead of using LiDAR data, which is useful in mapping archaeological objects through the canopy of trees and bushes, orthomosaic satellite imagery disclosed through PDOK has been used to assess the potential viability of a citizen science project in Zeeland. Because of the agricultural nature of most of the province, satellite imagery could potentially be a powerful tool in identifying archaeological heritage. The imagery used in this research was remotely sensed during the summer months of 2016 up to 2022 and has a ground resolution of 25 centimeters. For the year 2021 satellite imagery was only available from the spring months, with a ground resolution of 8 centimeters. For the year 2022 both the summer imagery with a ground resolution of 25 centimeters and spring imagery with a ground resolution of 8 centimeters was used. To assess the viability of using satellite imagery, three different object classes have been chosen to explore further, resulting in a total of 24 different archaeological features which can be seen in the imagery and have been described in this research. Furthermore, to assess which aspects of the original Heritage Quest project could be adapted or needed to be changed, the original Heritage Quest project and three other international citizen science projects have been described after which they were critically reviewed in the discussion chapter. This thesis research has resulted in the discovery of multiple hitherto-unknown archaeological features, including potential Zeeuwse mounds, dykes, fortifications from the Dutch revolt and traces of the former cultural landscape of Zeeland. Using satellite imagery to identify archaeological heritage in the Province of Zeeland by means of a citizen science project can not only provide a lot of new archaeological data, but also increase historical awareness and create a sense of stewardship in its participants. This would not only lead to the identification of more archaeological sites, but also further protection efforts of archaeological heritage in Zeeland. Although there will be some 73 differences from the original Heritage Quest project, a very similar citizen science project for the province of Zeeland which would include some prior training could yield valuable results.Show less

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Holocene Heritage Quest: Possibilities for Citizen Science Research of Archaeological Heritage in the Dutch Province of Zeeland