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Geosciences
Special Issues
Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1
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Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2020) | Viewed by 20934

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carmen Cuenca-Garcia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Kalvskinnet Campus, Gunnerushuset, Office A474, Erling Skakkes gate 47B, 7012 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: near-surface geophysics; archaeology; geoarchaeology; soil characterisation; geochemical prospection; remote sensing; monitoring cultural heritage in risk
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hana Grison

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: environmental magnetism: magnetometry of soils (magnetic mapping); magnetic and geochemical properties of soils; experimental methods of rock magnetism; magnetic properties of minerals (both natural and synthetic samples); atmospheric dust
Dr. Clare Wilson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
Interests: soil legacies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The SAGA Workshop 1 will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 30th September until 1st October 2019. This will be the first scientific event of the ‘Soil science & Archaeo-Geophysics Alliance (SAGA)’, a new interdisciplinary network of scientists funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). The network brings together archaeo-geophysics and soil science with the overall goal of maximising interpretation of proxy data for archaeological purposes. SAGA Workshop 1 aims to establish disciplinary challenges and the interdisciplinary common ground around archaeological geophysics and soil science in order to identify research gaps and develop a research agenda to shape future collaborative work. In doing so, the workshop’s participants will discuss and synthesise the findings of past and current projects and studies exploring, inter alia, how land use practices, high variability in soil properties, soil post-depositional, and other taphonomic processes within archaeological features may have an effect on archaeo-geophysical prospection. Further, the workshop will showcase integrated studies, combining geophysics and soil science, aiming to maximise the interpretation of archaeological sites.

Topics:

  • Developing a common ground;
  • Integrated approaches combining geophysics and soil science at archaeological sites;
  • Challenging survey environments and/or data;
  • Experimental/monitoring projects (conducted at archaeological sites or related to archaeo-geophysics);
  • Multivariate proxy data analysis and/or forward modelling.

Authors of papers presented at the workshop are invited to submit extended versions of their work to this Special Issue for publication. All contributions submitted to SAGA Workshop 1 are subject to a peer review process, and acceptance is based on the evaluation of the quality, originality, and relevance of the manuscript. The accepted articles will be published in the proceedings of the workshop, and the extended versions of the articles will be submitted for publication this Special Issue of Geosciences MDPI.

The Special Issue is also open for contributions from researchers interested in SAGA topics who are not necessarily attending the workshop. The guest editors encourage prospective contributors to send them a short abstract outlining the aim of the research and main results, in order to assess, at an early stage, if the contribution fits the scope of the Special Issue

Authors who need financial support could enjoy a 20% discount on the APCs to publish their articles in this Special Issue of Geosciences MDPI.

Dr. Carmen Cuenca-Garcia
Dr. Hana Grison
Dr. Clare Wilson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geoscience
  • archaeo-geophysics
  • geoarchaeology
  • near-surface geophysics
  • archaeology
  • soil science
  • archaeological prospection
  • geochemical prospection
  • soil magnetism

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 15050 KiB  
Article
Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia
by Jaroslav Bárta, Tomáš Belov, Jan Frolík and Jaroslav Jirků
Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090356 - 5 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4738
Abstract
The authors of the presented paper tested the possible use of geophysical methods in the field of archaeological and constructional-historical research. It focused on the historical center of Prague, where we took measurements in the built-up areas covered by cobble stones and asphalt. [...] Read more.
The authors of the presented paper tested the possible use of geophysical methods in the field of archaeological and constructional-historical research. It focused on the historical center of Prague, where we took measurements in the built-up areas covered by cobble stones and asphalt. The works were carried out mainly at the Old Town Square, Hradčany Square, Charles Square and Lesser Town Square. Field conditions were completely different at the Armenia sites (intact agricultural areas). We used the methods of shallow geophysical survey, namely geoelectrical methods, gravimetry, seismics and magnetometry. Measurement results from the built-up areas were affected by presence of engineering networks, transportation and field obstacles. Working in the rural areas is generally less demanding in terms of implementation and evaluation, but our results show that proper selection of geophysical methods brings positive results even in urban areas. The research proved that good results can be expected if one uses multiple geophysical methods measuring various physical properties of an environment. The application of only one, albeit sophisticated method, is usually not enough. There is a necessity to improve interpretational software for the purposes of archaeological object detection. The objects are mainly buried within the first meters and are relatively small. Contrast of physical properties between searched objects and their surrounding environment does exist but typically is small and, therefore, it is necessary to measure multiple physical parameters simultaneously. The presented projects aimed not only to archaeology, but the results also had practical outputs for public administration and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1)
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26 pages, 6717 KiB  
Article
Integrated Archaeological Research: Archival Resources, Surveys, Geophysical Prospection and Excavation Approach at an Execution and Burial Site: The German Nazi Labour Camp in Treblinka
by Sebastian Różycki, Rafał Zapłata, Jerzy Karczewski, Andrzej Ossowski and Jacek Tomczyk
Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090336 - 24 Aug 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7609
Abstract
This article presents the results of multidisciplinary research undertaken in 2016–2019 at the German Nazi Treblinka I Forced Labour Camp. Housing 20,000 prisoners, Treblinka I was established in 1941 as a part of a network of objects such as forced labour camps, resettlement [...] Read more.
This article presents the results of multidisciplinary research undertaken in 2016–2019 at the German Nazi Treblinka I Forced Labour Camp. Housing 20,000 prisoners, Treblinka I was established in 1941 as a part of a network of objects such as forced labour camps, resettlement camps and prison camps that were established in the territory of occupied Poland from September 1939. This paper describes archaeological research conducted in particular on the execution site and burial site—the area where the “death pits” have been found—in the so-called Las Maliszewski (Maliszewa Forest). In this area (poorly documented) exhumation work was conducted only until 1947, so the location of these graves is only approximately known. The research was resumed at the beginning of the 21st century using, e.g., non-invasive methods and remote-sensing data. The leading aim of this article is to describe the comprehensive research strategy, with a particular stress on non-invasive geophysical surveys. The integrated archaeological research presented in this paper includes an analysis of archive materials (aerial photos, witness accounts, maps, plans, and sketches), contemporary data resources (orthophotomaps, airborne laser scanning-ALS data), field work (verification of potential objects, ground penetrating radar-GPR surveys, excavations), and the integration, analysis and interpretation of all these datasets using a GIS platform. The results of the presented study included the identification of the burial zone within the Maliszewa Forest area, including six previously unknown graves, creation of a new database, and expansion of the Historical-GIS-Treblinka. Obtained results indicate that the integration and analyses within the GIS environment of various types of remote-sensing data and geophysical measurements significantly contribute to archaeological research and increase the chances to discover previously unknown “graves” from the time when the labour camp Treblinka I functioned. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1)
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20 pages, 1852 KiB  
Article
Detecting Associations between Archaeological Site Distributions and Landscape Features: A Monte Carlo Simulation Approach for the R Environment
by Richard J. Hewitt, Francis F. Wenban-Smith and Martin R. Bates
Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090326 - 19 Aug 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2953
Abstract
Detecting association between archaeological sites and physical landscape elements like geological deposits, vegetation, drainage networks, or areas of modern disturbance like mines or quarries is a key goal of archaeological projects. This goal is complicated by the incomplete nature of the archaeological record, [...] Read more.
Detecting association between archaeological sites and physical landscape elements like geological deposits, vegetation, drainage networks, or areas of modern disturbance like mines or quarries is a key goal of archaeological projects. This goal is complicated by the incomplete nature of the archaeological record, the high degree of uncertainty of typical point distribution patterns, and, in the case of deeply buried archaeological sites, the absence of reliable information about the ancient landscape itself. Standard statistical approaches may not be applicable (e.g., X2 test) or are difficult to apply correctly (regression analysis). Monte Carlo simulation, devised in the late 1940s by mathematical physicists, offers a way to approach this problem. In this paper, we apply a Monte Carlo approach to test for association between Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites in Hampshire and Sussex, UK, and quarries recorded on historical maps. We code our approach in the popular ‘R’ software environment, describing our methods step-by-step and providing complete scripts so others can apply our method to their own cases. Association between sites and quarries is clearly shown. We suggest ways to develop the approach further, e.g., for detecting associations between sites or artefacts and remotely-sensed deposits or features, e.g., from aerial photographs or geophysical survey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1)
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Review

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34 pages, 8256 KiB  
Review
Dreaming of Perfect Data: Characterizing Noise in Archaeo-Geophysical Measurements
by Armin Schmidt, Michel Dabas and Apostolos Sarris
Geosciences 2020, 10(10), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10100382 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4767
Abstract
For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded [...] Read more.
For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded by unwanted components, or noise. This review clarifies the terminology, discusses the four major sources of noise (instrument, use of instrument, external, soil), and demonstrates how it can be characterized using geostatistical and wavenumber methods. It is important to recognize that even with improved instruments, some noise sources, like soil noise, may persist and that degraded data may be the result of unexpected sources, for example, global positioning system synchronization problems. Suggestions for the evaluation and recording of noise levels are provided to allow estimation of the limit of detection for archaeological geophysical anomalies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected papers from the SAGA Workshop 1)
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