GPR, ERT and magnetic investigations inside the Martyrium of St Philip, Hierapolis, Turkey

Abstract

Hierapolis, Denizli, Turkey, was one of the most important Hellenistic-Roman cities in Asia Minor.Located about 250 km east of Izmir, the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its magnificent archaeologicalremainsandthewhitetravertine poolformationscreated byitspeculiargeothermal setting. The Italian Archaeological Mission in more than 50 years of activity in Hierapolis has brought to light and restored important vestiges of the ancient city, helping to understand the urban layout in the various epochs of its development. In 2001^2003 geophysical surveys were performed by the University of Lecce in several areas inside the archaeological site of Hierapolis to support the archaeological excavations.This paper reports the results of the integrated geophysical surveys performed in 2003 inside the Martyrium of Saint Philip, a mausoleum built on the place where it is believed that the Apostle was martyred. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and magnetic gradient investigations were carried out in the central octagonal room, whereas the accessible lateral rooms were surveyed with GPR and occasionally ERT.The acquisition was performed along a series of closely spaced lines and the processed data were visualized as two-dimensional vertical sections (GPR), map view (magnetic gradiometry), depth slices or threedimensional volumes (GPR and ERT) to allow an integrated interpretation of the geophysical results. The analysis of the geophysical datasets revealed a series of anomaliesin both the central andlateral rooms that could be ascribed to the building foundations and to other possible archaeological structures, probablyrelated to earlier stagesofthe sacredbuildingandto tombs, aswellasotheranomalies (voids, fractures) of presumable natural origin.

The Integration of Geotechnologies in the Evaluation of a Wine Cellar Structure through the Finite Element Method

“…Multidisciplinary approaches have been applied for the documentation of historic structures, as is the case of: [1], who applied GPR and photogrammetric techniques to document megalithic tombs; and [2,3], who applied digital photogrammetry and GPR, to evaluate structural damages and possible failures of a mediaeval bridge. Recently a combination of GPR and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) techniques has been applied to reveal hidden archaeological structures in a mausoleum [4] and in the Acropolis to reveal a bronze foundry complex [5]. On the other hand, in the context of geology and not for archaeological and heritage documentation, [6] used a combination of geomatics and geophysical methodologies for geomorphology characterization of a small mountainous catchment in Scotland.…”

Characterization of Cavities Using the GPR, LIDAR and GNSS Techniques

“…Recently, a combination of GPR techniques and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been applied to reveal archaeological structures in a mausoleum (NUZZO et al 2009) and to detect a bronze foundry complex in the Acropolis (LEOPOLD et al 2011). SCHEIB et al (2008 applied a combination of methodologies to characterize the geomorphology of a small mountain basin in Scotland.…”

Integrated Ground‐penetrating Radar and Archaeological Surveys in the Ancient City of Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey)

“…The final goal of the research of the IBAM-CNR (still in progress) is the reconstruction of the urban layout of Hierapolis and its transformation over the centuries, and will be based on the integration of different study methodologies and technologies: systematic archaeological and topographical surveys, geophysical prospecting, and processing, analysis and interpretation of aerial photographs and high-resolution satellite images (D'Andria et al, 2008). In particular, geophysical surveys were performed in Hierapolis during the campaigns of 2001-2003, 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 in order to recover data concerning the sectors of the urban area covered by calcareous or alluvial and colluvial deposits (Leucci et al, 2002(Leucci et al, , 2012Negri and Leucci, 2006;Nuzzo et al, 2009;Scardozzi, 2010;Scardozzi et al, 2013).…”