Search Results (431)

Chatbots have emerged as a promising interface for facilitating access to complex datasets, allowing users to pose questions in natural language rather than relying on specialized technical workflows. At the same time, remote sensing has transformed archaeological practice by producing vast amounts of imagery from LiDAR, drones, and satellites. While these advances have created unprecedented opportunities for discovery, they also pose significant challenges due to the scale, heterogeneity, and interpretative demands of the data. In related scientific domains, multimodal conversational systems capable of integrating natural language interaction with image-based analysis have advanced rapidly, supported by a growing body of survey and review literature documenting their architectures, datasets, and applications across multiple fields. By contrast, archaeological applications of chatbots remain limited to text-based prototypes, primarily focused on education, cultural heritage mediation or archival search. This review synthesizes the historical development of chatbots, examines their current use in remote sensing, and evaluates the barriers to adapting such systems for archaeology. Four major challenges are identified: data scale and heterogeneity, scarcity of training datasets, computational costs, and uncertainties around usability and adoption. By comparing experiences across domains, this review highlights both the opportunities and the limitations of integrating conversational AI into archaeological workflows. The central conclusion is that domain-specific adaptation is essential if multimodal chatbots are to become effective analytical partners in archaeology. Full article

This study presents the application of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in the investigation of historical metal ore mining sites in the Lower Silesia region of Poland. The paper outlines the principles of the GPR method and details the measurement procedures used during fieldwork. GPR has proven to be an effective, non-invasive tool for identifying inaccessible or previously unknown underground mining structures, such as shafts, tunnels, and remnants of mining infrastructure. This capability is particularly valuable in the context of extensive and complex post-mining landscapes characteristic of Lower Silesia. The research presents findings from selected sites, demonstrating how GPR surveys facilitated the detection and subsequent archaeological exploration of historical workings. In several cases, the method enabled the recovery of access to underground features, which were then subjected to detailed documentation and preservation efforts. Following necessary safety and adaptation measures, some of these sites have been successfully opened to the public as part of regional tourism initiatives. The study confirms the utility of GPR as a key instrument in post-mining archaeology and mining heritage conservation, offering a rapid and reliable means of mapping subsurface structures without disturbing the terrain. Full article

Urban expansion causes increasing risks to archaeological heritage and yet few studies have systematically analyzed multi-site urban change using consistent temporal datasets and standardized methods. In this sense, this study addresses this gap by applying a multi-temporal urban change detection framework to the Memphis region, focusing on the Abu Gurab, Abusir and Saqqara sites. To conduct this research, high-resolution satellite imagery from 2004, 2008 and 2025 was processed using harmonized geospatial classification and overlay techniques to quantify built-up area growth and identify zones where modern development threatens key monuments to include the Sun Temples of Userkaf and Nyuserre, and the pyramids of Sahure, Neferirkare and Neferefre. A GIS- and remote sensing-based workflow, combining supervised classification, post-classification comparison and buffer zone analysis, enabled precise monitoring of urban encroachment. Additionally, high-resolution imagery and in situ inspections supported detailed decay mapping of select monuments, using grayscale normalization and false-color analysis to quantify surface deterioration objectively. This approach highlights the progressive impact of urbanization on archaeological structures and provides actionable data for archaeological sites management. Finally, the results contribute to heritage risk assessment, support evidence-based conservation planning, and inform urban planning strategies in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11.4 and the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape Recommendation (HULR). Full article

This study presents the first systematic investigation into the influence of spectral enhancement techniques on the segmentation accuracy of specific soil and vegetation marks associated with palaeochannels. These marks are often subtle and can be seasonally obscured by vegetation dynamics and soil variability. Spectral enhancement methods, such as spectral indices and statistical aggregations, are routinely applied to improve their visual discriminability and interpretability. Despite recent progress in automated detection workflows, no prior research has rigorously quantified the effects of these enhancement techniques on the performance of deep learning–based segmentation models. This gap at the intersection of remote sensing and AI-driven analysis is critical, as addressing it is essential for improving the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of subsurface feature detection across large and heterogeneous landscapes. In this study, two state-of-the-art deep learning architectures, U-Net and YOLOv8, were trained and tested to assess the influence of these spectral transformations on model performance, using Sentinel-2 imagery acquired across three seasonal windows. Across all experiments, spectral enhancement techniques led to clear improvements in segmentation accuracy compared with raw multispectral inputs. The multi-temporal Median Visualisation (MV) composite provided the most stable performance overall, achieving mean IoU values of 0.22 ± 0.02 in April, 0.07 ± 0.03 in August, and 0.19 ± 0.03 in November for U-Net, outperforming the full 12-band Sentinel-2 stack, which reached only 0.04, 0.02, and 0.03 in the same periods. FCC and VBB also performed competitively, e.g., FCC reached 0.21 ± 0.02 (April) and VBB 0.18 ± 0.03 (April), showing that compact three-band enhancements consistently exceed the segmentation quality obtained from using all spectral bands. Performance varied with environmental conditions, with April yielding the highest accuracy, while August remained challenging across all methods. These results highlight the importance of seasonally informed spectral preprocessing and establish an empirical benchmark for integrating enhancement techniques into AI-based archaeological and geomorphological prospection workflows. Full article

This study presents the preliminary results of the design and implementation of an advanced data management infrastructure developed to enhance the study, interpretation, and preservation of historical and archaeological contexts. Conducted within the framework of the PNRR CHANGES Project, Spoke 6, the initiative promotes the integration of scientific research, digital innovation, and cultural heritage enhancement. One of the principal outcomes of the project is the development and configuration of ARPAS (“Analisi del Rischio nel Paesaggio Stratificato” or “Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscape”), a centralised Geospatial Database capable of ensuring reliable data archiving, real-time analytical processing, and collaborative information sharing among researchers and institutions engaged in cultural heritage management. The paper discusses key methodological challenges related to the heterogeneity of available documentation and the limitations of existing tools currently used for heritage research and protection in the Italian, and particularly Sicilian, context. At the same time, it highlights the potential of the proposed system in terms of data accessibility, verifiability, and query ability, as well as its ability to integrate and interrelate heterogeneous datasets within a multilayered, interdisciplinary framework for cultural landscape research. The pilot deployment focuses on a geographic area in southeastern Sicily, drawing upon documentation of the cultural landscape across four provinces—Agrigento, Catania, Ragusa, and Siracusa—and integrating archaeological, architectural, and environmental data to support risk assessment and heritage conservation strategies. Results appear to demonstrate ARPAS’s potential to improve the completeness of information, manage stratification across temporal layers, and support predictive and preventive analyses for cultural heritage at the landscape level. Full article

Native communities confronted Eurasian colonialism in ways that reflected their own unique histories, social organizations and cultural values. In this paper, we are interested in how such legacies shaped Indigenous survivance, the active presence of Indigenous peoples on the landscape or the refusal to disappear or assimilate into settler society. We seek to understand the climate changes that Native Alaskan Sugpiaq people faced during the Little Ice Age (LIA; ca. CE 1400–1850), how they responded to those changes prior to Russian incursion, and how new or renewed climate adaptations shaped Sugpiaq survivance. Drawing insight from a new multi-proxy analysis of climate change, ecological dynamics, human population history, archaeology, and ethnohistory of the Kodiak Archipelago, we argue that changes in climate variance during the LIA contributed to Sugpiaq cultural elaboration in the centuries prior to Russian colonialism. Persistent cultural values and relationships with marine resources, adaptations of those relationships under expanded levels of harvesting, and responses to evolving opportunities and political realities were key legacies carried into colonial circumstances by Sugpiaq people. In addition, we see the foundational role of Sugpiaq women in procuring and sharing subsistence foods and the development of regional Indigenous identities as important factors in Sugpiaq survivance in the Russian colonial period. While colonialism introduced novel threats, Sugpiaq people confronted those challenges with the tools and values they inherited from their past, and they persisted through the active deployment of creative and culturally appropriate responses to the co-crises of colonialism and climate unpredictability. Full article

Mediterranean coastal cultural heritage sites are increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events, which endanger both their physical integrity and their cultural and economic value. Safeguarding these vulnerable cultural assets requires approaches that integrate technological innovation with effective governance and management strategies. This study presents a systematic review of research published between 2000 and 2024, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor and transparency. Searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, limited to English-language studies explicitly addressing coastal cultural heritage in the Mediterranean. A total of 77 studies were analyzed using bibliometric and spatial techniques to examine thematic trends, methodological orientations, and regional patterns. Results reveal a sharp rise in scholarly output after 2014, with Italy, Greece, and Cyprus emerging as dominant contributors. The literature demonstrates a strong emphasis on tangible cultural heritage, particularly archaeological sites and monuments, while cultural landscapes and nature–culture systems receive comparatively limited attention. Methodologically, the field is dominated by digital and technology-driven tools such as GIS, remote sensing, 3D documentation, and climate modelling, with socially grounded and participatory approaches appearing in less than 5% of studies. More than 70% of the reviewed works adopt case study designs, which constrain comparative and generalizable insights. In contrast, a predominance of future-oriented assessments highlights a persistent lack of present-day monitoring and baseline data. Collectively, these findings clarify the paper’s exclusive focus on coastal cultural heritage, underscore the need to broaden geographical coverage, integrate socio-institutional dimensions with environmental diagnostics, and prioritize empirical, present-focused approaches. In this direction, future research will advance an integrated framework for assessing coastal vulnerability at both site-specific and regional scales, supporting proactive and evidence-based conservation planning. Full article

As traditional culture finds increasingly widespread application in visual communication and public landscapes, the public’s acceptance mechanisms for cultural symbols have emerged as a critical issue affecting cultural sustainability. In the context of globalization and digitalization, balancing cultural authenticity with dissemination efficiency has become a core issue in driving cultural innovation and sustainable utilization. Grounded in the Cognition–Attitude–Behavior model, this study examines how cognition, attitude, and behavior interact in shaping public responses to Han Dynasty cultural symbols in contemporary landscape design. The research adopts a three-stage framework—comprising theoretical construction, data collection, and analytical validation—and uses the Han Yangling National Archaeological Site Park as a representative Han cultural context. A total of 172 valid questionnaires were analyzed to reveal the cognitive and emotional mechanisms through which the public engages with Han cultural symbols in modern landscapes. Results indicate that cognition not only exerts a direct positive influence on behavioral intention but also plays a significant mediating role through affective attitudes, validating the pivotal mediating function of attitudes in the cultural symbol acceptance process. These findings provide empirical evidence and practical strategies for the contemporary dissemination of traditional cultural symbols and the sustainable utilization of cultural heritage. Full article

This study presents a multi-resolution and multi-temporal remote sensing approach to assess human-induced changes in cultural landscapes, with a focus on the archaeological site of Amrit (Syria) within the MapDam project. By integrating satellite archives (KH, Landsat series, NASADEM) with ancillary geospatial data (OpenStreetMap) and advanced analytical methods, four decades (1984–2024) of land-use/land-cover (LULC) change and shoreline dynamics were reconstructed. Machine learning classification (Random Forest) achieved high accuracy (Test Accuracy = 0.94; Kappa = 0.89), enabling robust LULC mapping, while predictive modelling of urban expansion, calibrated through a Gradient Boosting Machine, attained a Figure of Merit of 0.157, confirming strong predictive reliability. The results reveal path-dependent urban growth concentrated on low-slope terrains (≤5°) and consistent with proximity to infrastructure, alongside significant shoreline regression after 1974. A Business-as-Usual projection for 2024–2034 estimates 8.676 ha of new anthropisation, predominantly along accessible plains and peri-urban fringes. Beyond quantitative outcomes, this study demonstrates the replicability and scalability of open-source, data-driven workflows using Google Earth Engine and Python 3.14, making them applicable to other high-risk heritage contexts. This transparent methodology is particularly critical in conflict zones or in regions where cultural assets are neglected due to economic constraints, political agendas, or governance limitations, offering a powerful tool to document and safeguard endangered archaeological landscapes. Full article

This study systematically investigates settlement sites that record living patterns of ancient humans, aiming to reveal the interactive mechanisms of human–environment relationships. The core issues of landscape archeology research are the surface spatial structure, human spatial cognition, and social practice activities. This article takes the Han Dynasty settlement site in Sanyangzhuang, Neihuang County, Anyang City, Henan Province, as a typical case. It comprehensively uses ArcGIS 10.8 spatial analysis and remote sensing image interpretation techniques to construct spatial distribution models of elevation, slope, and aspect in the study area, and analyzes the process of the Yellow River’s ancient course changes. A regional historical geographic information system was constructed by integrating multiple data sources, including archeological excavation reports, excavated artifacts, and historical documents. At the same time, the sequences of temperature and dry–wet index changes in the study area during the Qin and Han dynasties were quantitatively reconstructed, and a climate evolution map for this period was created based on ancient climate proxy indicators. Drawing on three dimensions of settlement morphology, architectural spatial organization, and agricultural technology systems, this paper provides a deep analysis of the site’s spatial cognitive logic and the ecological wisdom it embodies. The results show the following: (1) The Sanyangzhuang Han Dynasty settlement site reflects the efficient utilization strategy and environmental adaptation mechanism of ancient settlements for land resources, presenting typical scattered characteristics. Its formation mechanism is closely related to the evolution of social systems in the Western Han Dynasty. (2) In terms of site selection, settlements consider practicality and ceremony, which can not only meet basic living needs, but also divide internal functional zones based on the meaning implied by the orientation of the constellations. (3) The widespread use of iron farming tools has promoted the innovation of cultivation techniques, and the implementation of the substitution method has formed an ecological regulation system to cope with seasonal climate change while ensuring agricultural yield. The above results comprehensively reflect three types of ecological wisdom: “ecological adaptation wisdom of integrating homestead and farmland”, “spatial cognitive wisdom of analogy, heaven, law, and earth”, and “agricultural technology wisdom adapted to the times”. This study not only deepens our understanding of the cultural value of the Han Dynasty settlement site in Sanyangzhuang, but also provides a new theoretical perspective, an important paradigm reference, and a methodological reference for the study of ancient settlement ecological wisdom. Full article

The marginal arid region encompassing the western Nafud in the east to Wadi Tabuk in the west has only been subject to limited archaeological survey. This paper reports on data from a systematic remote sensing survey of the region as part of the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project, using the results to produce preliminary models of settlement, occupation, and land-use, and contextualising within the broader archaeological landscapes of northern Arabia. It also provides datasets that can be used to outline broad trends in modern disturbances and threats to these sites, in part demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach for producing a cost-effective baseline dataset for the management of heritage sites at a landscape level. While confirming that long-term settlement and agriculture were largely confined to the Wadi Tabuk region from the later prehistoric period onwards, including the identification of a significant new fortified settlement south of Tabuk, it also demonstrates evidence of a broader complex landscape of pastoralism, funerary monuments, and other monumental structures across much of the survey area. Most notably, this area may mark a border zone when geographically distinct distributions of Neolithic-adjacent kites and mustatil meet with minimal overlap. Full article

Recent research has identified a connection between ancient identities and the surrounding landscape during the Roman era in Shropshire, UK. Specifically, archaeological sites associated with distinct identities, characterised by abundant material culture remains, tend to be located in highly visible places. This suggests that their placement was intentional, possibly to signal wealth, status, and territorial control or to oversee slaves and tenants working nearby. This article aims to build on that research by examining the relationship between these identity-linked sites and the broader landscape using ArcGIS techniques. The analysis found no significant correlation between the identities and the wider landscape. Instead, all sites—regardless of identity—are situated near watercourses, Roman roads, and areas that minimise human effort and energy expenditure. These findings imply that ancient groups’ perceptions and management of the landscape varied depending on the spatial scale considered. Full article

80 years of Chilean rock art research, from its early descriptive stages in the 1940s to the present-day integration of relational ontologies, archaeometric techniques, and interdisciplinary perspectives, is reviewed. 562 publications are analysed, covering four major regions: the Arid North, Semi-Arid North, South-Central, and Southernmost Chile. Drawing from a systematically constructed corpus, we trace the evolution of research questions, theoretical orientations, and methodologies over time, with attention to regional trends and institutional dynamics. Results reveal a gradual shift from typological classification toward more complex approaches addressing mobility, landscape, coloniality, visual agency, and human/non-human relationships. The Arid North emerges as the primary centre of innovation, while southern regions remain in exploratory stages despite recent advances. Comparison with global research trajectories shows how Chile’s situated approaches—marked by decentralisation, theoretical pluralism, and critical reflection—contribute to decolonial and southern perspectives in rock art studies. Rather than reproducing hegemonic models, Chilean scholarship offers alternative epistemologies rooted in context-specific materiality and historical processes. The review highlights the potential of Chilean rock art research to expand the theoretical and methodological horizons of the discipline, positioning it as a fertile field for dialogue with contemporary archaeology and global visual studies. Full article

The Mystras UNESCO World Heritage Site (MUWHS) is a medieval historical area located on a small hill facing Sparta in the Mediterranean hotspot of the Peloponnese and receives a high number of visitors annually. The main aim of this study is the inventory and analysis of plant species composition and diversity of the Mystras archaeological area, with emphasis on different aspects of its flora, on the specialist endemic plants, and on the generalist ruderal and alien taxa. A high plant species richness was observed, and 321 vascular plant taxa were registered. Most of the taxa are Mediterranean or have a more widespread distribution, and half of them are ruderals. Concerning endemism, 14 Greek and 7 Balkan endemic taxa were registered. As anticipated, the most species-rich plant families recorded in the study area are Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae. The total flora is predominantly composed of therophytes, reflecting the site’s Mediterranean climate and disturbance-adapted ecological conditions while the endemic flora is mostly composed of hemicryptophytes. Comparisons of MUWHS plant diversity with four other archaeological sites of the same floristic region of Greece, the Peloponnese, highlighted its high α-diversity on all aspects of its flora and its floristic dissimilarity from the other areas and, additionally, the high plant species richness that is comprised in all five of them. Comparisons of the flora of MUWHS with other Greek and Mediterranean archaeological areas showed significant similarities in the floristic elements considered as deteriogenic for the protected walls and monuments. The findings of our study underscore the urgent need to prioritise the sustainable conservation of archaeological sites such as Mystras. These landscapes are not only cultural monuments but also reservoirs of biodiversity and ecological value. Effective management must, therefore, adopt an integrated approach that balances the preservation of historical structures with the protection of native flora and ecological processes. Full article

This contribution investigates the potential and the catalytic role of landscape and its collective values in driving territorial regeneration processes. Specifically, it reflects on how the public dimension of landscape—conceived as a shared space of identity, memory, and future-oriented practices—can serve as a strategic lever for initiating local development pathways. Local communities, as custodians of the knowledge and practices that have historically shaped cultural landscapes, are increasingly recognized by territorial policies for their participatory and generative capacity. Building on these premises, the research explores the case of the disused Noto–Pachino railway line, located in southeastern Sicily (Italy), as a living laboratory for testing collaborative strategies aimed at enhancing landscape value and fostering territorial cohesion. The ongoing investigation has identified several civic and grassroots initiatives seeking to reactivate this dormant infrastructure, repositioning it as a strategic asset for sustainable territorial enjoyment, cultural heritage promotion, and the revitalization of marginalized areas. The main objective of the study is to define an “action lab”—a collaborative framework capable of aligning diverse visions, actors, and resources—through which landscape can be reimagined as both a driver of social innovation and a foundational tool for shaping inclusive and resilient development scenarios. Full article