Integration and Analysis of Multi-Modal Geospatial Secondary Data to Inform Management of at-Risk Archaeological Sites

Abstract

Climate change poses an imminent physical risk to cultural heritage sites and their surrounding landscape through intensifying environmental processes such as damaging wetting and drying cycles that disrupt archaeological preservation conditions, and soil erosion which threatens to expose deposits and alter the archaeological context of sites. In the face of such threats, geospatial techniques such as GIS, remote sensing, and spatial modelling have proved invaluable tools for archaeological research and cultural heritage monitoring. This paper presents the application of secondary multi-source and multi-temporal geospatial data within a processing framework to provide a comprehensive assessment of geophysical risk to the Roman fort of Magna, Carvoran, UK. An investigation into the ancient hydraulic system at Magna was carried out with analysis of vegetation change over time, and spatio-temporal analysis of soil erosion risk at the site. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time of this study, these analyses were conducted using only secondary data with the aim to guide further archaeological research, and management and monitoring strategies for the stakeholders involved. Results guided inferences about the ancient hydraulic system, providing insights regarding how to better manage the site at Magna in the future. Analysis of soil erosion allowed the identification of hot spot areas, indicating a future increase in rates of erosion at Magna and suggesting a seasonal period of higher risk of degradation to the site. Results have proven that freely available multi-purpose national-scale datasets are sufficient to create meaningful insights into archaeological sites where physical access to the site is inhibited. This infers the potential to carry out preliminary risk assessment to inform future site management practices.

Geomorphological assessment of the preservation of archaeological tell sites

“…The same model can be applied to archaeological soils and human-made landforms 10,12 , particularly in examining the impact of past land use practices on soil erosion rates 13 . Additionally, the RUSLE model can be employed to evaluate the effects of modern land use practices on archaeological landscapes [14][15][16] . Archaeologists can apply this method in different environmental settings the latter enabling them to predict the potential damage caused by erosion triggered by such activities and planning mitigation strategies for preserving the cultural heritage 72 .…”

Effects of the Architectural Layout of the Sanctuary of Pachacamac (2nd–16th Century CE, Peru) on the Exposure to Rain, Wind, and Solar Radiation from the Morphometric Analysis of Digital Surface Models

“…Remote sensing data from satellite platforms, aerophotogrammetric surveys, and terrestrial and airborne laser scanners provide high-resolution measurements which may be used to reconstruct archaeological structures and quantify their degree of preservation [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. These data, when combined with information from geomorphological and climate/meteorological data, can be used to determine archaeological sites' degree of exposure to hazards [19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”