Automated Resistivity Profiling (ARP) to Explore Wide Archaeological Areas: The Prehistoric Site of Mont’e Prama, Sardinia, Italy

Abstract

This paper deals with the resistivity continuous surveys on extensive area carried out at the Mont'e Prama archaeological site, in Sardinia (Italy). From 2013 to 2015, new research was performed using both non-destructive surveys and traditional archaeological excavations. The measurements were done in order to find geophysical anomalies related to unseen buried archaeological remains and to define the spatial extension of the ancient necropolis. The electrical resistivity of soils was measured by means of the Automated Resistivity Profiling (ARP©) system. This multi-pole method provided high-resolution maps of electrical resistivity in the whole investigated area using a computer-assisted acquisition tool, towed by a small vehicle. Through this acquisition layout, a surface of 22,800 m 2 was covered. The electrical resistivity data were derived in real time with centimetric horizontal precision through a differential GPS positioning system. Thanks to the simultaneous acquisition of ARP and GPS data, the rigorous georeferencing of the tridimensional experimental dataset was made possible, as well as the reconstruction of a detailed Digital Terrain Model. Here, the experimental results are analyzed and critically discussed by means of the integration of the results obtained by a high-resolution prospection performed with a multi-channel Ground Penetrating Radar system and taking into account other information derived from previous geological and archaeological studies. Geophysical results, jointly with topographic reconstruction, clearly permitted the identification of more interesting areas where future archaeological investigations could be focused.

The Role of Modern Techniques in Preservation of Archaeological Sites

“…To detect what is hidden inside narrow gaps [21] Soil resistivity Detecting changes in the geological structure of the soil that indicate the presence of archaeological remains [22] Magnetometry Detecting buried archaeological materials with iron properties [23] Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF)…”

Spreading of Localized Information across an Entire 3D Electrical Resistivity Volume via Constrained EMI Inversion Based on a Realistic Prior Distribution

“…Due to the need for physical coupling between the electrodes and the ground, ERT surveys are more troublesome than their electromagnetic counterpart. Hence, for example, in the attempt to speed up the acquisition time of typical ERT surveys and be able to cover larger areas quickly, mobile (pseudo-)ERT systems have been developed and tested [11][12][13]. On the other hand, standard EMI equipment is routinely used to assess (quasi-)3D resistivity distribution of extremely vast areas [14][15][16].…”

Ground truth validated 3D electrical resistivity imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy)

“…It has been used to investigate site stratigraphy (Papadopoulos et al ., 2006) and the sedimentological architecture (Yogeshwar et al ., 2019), to detect changes in lithology and geology (Laigre et al ., 2012; Scapozza and Laigre, 2014), depositional targets and buried structures (Papadopoulos et al ., 2007; Tsokas et al ., 2009; Supriyadi et al ., 2019; Cozzolino et al ., 2020), to map remnants of past human occupation (Thacker et al ., 2002; Matias et al ., 2006; Papadopoulos et al ., 2010; Berge and Drahor, 2011a,b; Tsokas et al ., 2018), to reconstruct palaeolandscapes (Papadopoulos et al ., 2014) as well as to detect offshore archaeological features (Sarris et al ., 2014; Tonkov, 2014; Simyrdanis et al ., 2015). ERT is also widely used to choose the most promising areas to excavate (Piroddi et al ., 2020).…”