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...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
Remote sensing is widely applied within archaeological prospection. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the potential of remote sensing techniques in discovering archaeological remains....Show moreRemote sensing is widely applied within archaeological prospection. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the potential of remote sensing techniques in discovering archaeological remains. However, remote sensing data is influenced by external factors, such as climate, vegetation and moisture content. Not every remote sensing application is sensitive to each variable and detected anomalies can vary significantly between datasets. The latest trend involves the integration of remote sensing data to limit the possibility that archaeological features remain uncovered. An assessment of these external factors can be used to apply more targeted research at potential archaeological sites. Current prospection methods occasionally deliver poor results and a better understanding of external factors could lead to a significant decrease in time and money. This research aims at constructing a consolidated overview of two aerial imagery and four geophysical prospection techniques, their applicability in archaeological prospection and the ideal conditions to collect their respective datasets. The different techniques, namely thermography, multi-spectral imagery, ground-penetrating radar, geomagnetic survey, electromagnetic induction survey and earth resistance survey, are subjected to a comparative approach executed in the opensource application QGIS. A large number of anomalies were discovered and the best results were obtained with groundpenetrating radar, geomagnetic survey and earth resistance survey. The aerial imagery did not produce many results, which can be attributed to environmental and vegetation circumstances. The results essentially correspond with the findings of previous fieldwalking surveys. Nevertheless, the remote sensing techniques provided interesting insights into feature distribution patterns and the location of structural remains. This thesis provides a framework to assess the possibilities and limitations of remote sensing within archaeological prospection and shows the potential of using an integrative approach. However, this assessment also illustrates the research gap between the theoretical and practical application of remote sensing techniques within the archaeological field.Show less
Technical advances in the field of remote sensing have made it possible to create a large number of datasets with very high spectral, temporal or spatial resolution, however, in the field of...Show moreTechnical advances in the field of remote sensing have made it possible to create a large number of datasets with very high spectral, temporal or spatial resolution, however, in the field of archaeology, the evaluation of this data is still largely a manual undertaking. The issue with manual interpretation is that human interpreters are increasingly having difficulty coping with the sheer amount of data while in some cases, the human eye is not capable of processing the full range of information contained in these datasets. It is for this reason that (semi-)automatic classification workflows need to be developed in order to aid human interpreters in their image classification tasks. This thesis is concerned with the development of a Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GeOBIA) workflow for classifying LiDAR visualisations containing heterogeneous and linear objects. The study area that this workflow is applied to is the terraced landscape of the Lower Engadine, Switzerland, where the complex and steep terrain contains multiple agricultural terraces, irrigation/drainage ditches, roads and more. The workflow makes use of only FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications in order to ensure full transparency, accessibility and reproducibility of the classification results. For this purpose, a number of FOSS and proprietary software was tested in order to determine the user friendliness, suitability and effectiveness of each of the options. In order to develop the final workflow, a number of studies regarding the suitability of different LiDAR visualisations as well as training data input options and smoothing filters were carried out. The final workflow makes use of an unfiltered slope visualisation, consists of six steps with an optional seventh step, and is capable of producing classification results that hold up against manual mapping results of the terrace edges that were used as a benchmark. Finally, in order to assess whether the classification results generated by the workflow are useful to a human interpreter, a user study was carried out. 13 out of the 14 users stated that the classification results were helpful to them and because the workflow takes no longer than 5-10 minutes to carry out, it can be said that this workflow is capable of producing a useful classification of the study area with minimal time and effort.Show less
The use of computer applications has irrevocably changed the way archaeology is done, as well as redefined what it means to do “good” archaeology. This has brought about numerous methodological...Show moreThe use of computer applications has irrevocably changed the way archaeology is done, as well as redefined what it means to do “good” archaeology. This has brought about numerous methodological questions concerning the use of data, data sources, and the software used in analyses. This thesis seeks to explore some of these issues, including the re-use or borrowing of data, open source data, and the use of FOSS programs within archaeology. In order to answer these questions, the spatial relationship between the terraces in the Swiss Alps was investigated. The study area is located in the area surrounding (and including) Ramosch in the Lower Engadine, Switzerland. These terraces have been in use since at least the Middle Ages, and could potentially date to the Bronze Age. The terraces were documented based on remote sensing data and digitized in QGIS 1.8. The spatial relationship of the terraces is primarily determined by the viability of the land for agriculture (soil composition and sunlight), followed by the distance from modern settlements, modern features in the landscape (i.e. buildings, roads, and waterways), and access to water. This research shows that it is possible to do archaeological research by recycling data from third-party sources. All of the data used in this project was obtained for no cost. The spatial resolution of the general-purpose data and recycled data was more than adequate and the lack of metadata was not a major obstacle. The largest hindrance with using data collected by others for an alternative purpose is finding the right data and gaining access to this data. The processes of understanding the data without metadata can be completed by comparing the unknown datasets to those that are known. The use of FOSS programs is extremely beneficial. The low cost, easy accessibility and large online communities have helped the FOSS movement to thrive. The ability to share information unhindered by licensing and terms and conditions promotes the continuation of accessible research. However, FOSS is not inherently better than proprietary software. The primary requirement for the use of a program should be its ability to perform all the required functions necessary for good research. Show less
