Search Results (3)

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically through convolutional neural networks (CNNs), is paving the way for significant advancements in archaeological research. This study explores the innovative application of the so-called Mask Region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) algorithm in a GIS environment, utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery from the WorldView-3 system. By combining these state-of-the-art technologies, this study demonstrates the algorithm’s effectiveness at recognizing and segmenting the ancient structures within the archaeological site of Delos, Greece. Despite the computational constraints, the outcomes are promising, with around 25.91% of the initial vector data (434 out of 1675 polygons) successfully identified. The algorithm achieved an impressive F1 Score of 0.93% at a threshold of 0.9, indicating its high precision in differentiating specific features from their environments. This research highlights AI’s crucial role in archaeology, enabling the remote analysis of vast areas through automated or semi-automated techniques. Although these technologies cannot supplant essential on-site investigations, they can significantly enhance traditional methodologies by minimizing costs and fieldwork duration. This study also points out obstacles, such as the complexity of and variability in archaeological remains, which complicate the creation of standardized data libraries. Nevertheless, as AI technologies progress, their applications in archaeology are anticipated to broaden, fostering further innovation within the discipline. Full article

Sea level rise due to global warming is a continuing and, disappointingly, accelerating process which has already affected and will further impact coastal lowlands and the social and economic activities in these areas. Delos Island, situated in the middle of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, was considered the most sacred of all islands in ancient Greek culture and was a trading hub for the entire eastern Mediterranean. Uninhabited since the 7th century AD, and consistently the focus of research and touristic attention, the island is designated as an archaeological site and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Previous studies on the relative sea level (rsl) changes suggest a steadily rising rsl during the last 6300 years, starting from a sea level of −4.80 ± 0.20 m in the Late Neolithic. The seafront of the ancient city of Delos is subject to the effects of rsl rise, which have caused significant coastline retreat and exposure to the northerly winds and waves, whereas parts of the coastal lowland, where the remains of the ancient city lie, are inundated, forming extended wetlands. The future impacts of rsl rise on the seafront of ancient Delos are illustrated on very-high-resolution digital surface models, evaluating both the flooding risk under different climatic projections, as provided by the IPCC AR6 report, and the ongoing land subsidence, as recorded by GNSS data. An rsl rise ranging from 87 cm (SSP1-2.6 scenario) to 148 cm (SSP5-8.5 scenario) is anticipated by 2150, requiring both resilience strategies and adaptation solutions as well as mitigation policies to cope with the effects of climate change. Full article

In 167/6 BCE, the Roman senate granted a request from Athens to control the island of Delos. Subsequently, the Delians inhabiting the island were mandated to leave and an Athenian community was installed. Polybius, who records these events, tells us that the Delians left and resettled in Achaea in the Peloponnese. Scholars have tended to focus on Rome’s motivations for siding with the Athenians rather than on what happened to the Delians. Furthermore, translations have tended to use the broad terminology of ‘migration’ to describe the Delians’ movement. Comparatively, this contribution suggests that modern categories connected to ‘displacement’ can help us recover aspects of the Delians’ experience. Particularly, a shift to the vocabulary of ‘displacement’ highlights the creative agency of the Delians in holding the Athenians accountable for their expulsion and in seeking recognition from Rome of their integration into the Achaean state. The application of these modern categories necessitates reflection on differences in the political, institutional landscapes that have shaped the experience of displacement in the ancient Hellenistic and modern contexts, as well as on variations in experience amongst the Delians. Ultimately, recognizing what these individuals experienced within the evolving third-party arbitration system of the ancient world leads us to think about the indirect violence of expanding political institutions in ‘globalising’ worlds, both ancient and modern. Full article