Weblinks

1.0 Desktop study

Archaeological work undertaken in an office, archive or online prior to fieldwork is often referred to as a desktop study.

Useful introduction to maps at:

http://www.maphistory.info/

http://www.maphistory.info/webimages.html

Two useful guides to plants if you are trying out Hooper's theory are:

http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/home.html

http://www.plantpress.com

A site on archaeology for planners is at:

http://www.planarch.org/

Gateway sites provide links and information on large numbers of sites and techniques:

English Heritage

Historic Monuments of Scotland

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

Sources for maps, especially older ones.

Ordinance Survey

http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch-england-and-wales/index.html

http://maps.nls.uk/military/index.html

http://maps.nls.uk/scotland/index.html

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html

Victoria County History: Useful for local history background references for almost any current settlement

http://www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk/

Sources for field names

http://www.wikiarc.org/fnsources

1.1 Surface surveys

Surface surveys can involve recording techniques including photography and accurate measurement of the land surface (micro contour survey) to reveal or illuminate hidden sites. Other strategies include recovering archaeological material from the ploughsoil or topsoil to help determine the whereabouts of archaeological sites.

Surveying equipment can be seen (with some explanations) and bought from:

http://www.yorksurvey.co.uk/

The application of GIS is at:

http://www.esri.com/industries/archaeology/index.html

1.2 Sampling in archaeology

An understanding of sampling is important in many archaeological activities.

It is clearly explained at the following sites:

http://archnet.asu.edu/archives/theory/sampling/sampling.html

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/denbow/labs/survey.htm

1.3 Examples of surveys using a range of different techniques

http://sphakia.classics.ox.ac.uk/ (Crete)

Fieldwalking is known as surface collection in the USA. A particularly good explanation of methodology is at:

http://www.archaeological-surveys.co.uk/fieldwalk.htm

SCAPE Project

Defence of Britain project

Milfield Basin project

1.4 Geochemical prospection

This technique involves taking soil samples and analysing them for particular chemicals such as organic phosphates, lead and cadmium. Concentrations of these elements may indicate areas of past settlement.

1.5 Geophysics

Geophysical surveys work on the principle that past human activity has changed the nature of soil in particular places relative to the surrounding soil. Minute differences in properties such as magnetism, water retention and density can be detected from above ground using sensitive equipment. The most common techniques are magnetometry and resistivity surveys. Geophysics, aerial photography and a number of other techniques are often referred to as remote sensing as they don’t involve physical contact with archaeological remains.

Introductions to geophysics are at:

http://www.pastperfect.org.uk/archaeology/geophys.html

http://www.univie.ac.at/Projekte/Idea/Prosp/ (this site also includes aerial photography)

Magnetometry is explained at:

http://home.btconnect.com/gsb_prospection/tech.htm

Geophysics techniques can also be applied to underwater archaeology. Explanations and examples of marine geophysics are at:

http://www.soes.soton.ac.uk/research/groups/geophysics

Some good examples of geophysics surveys are available at:

http://apollo5.bournemouth.ac.uk/knowlton/ (Knowlton Henge, Dorset)

http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/reports/ (English Heritage)

http://apollo5.bournemouth.ac.uk/proj_cran/ (Cranborne Chase enclosures)

http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archaeometry/StantonDrew/ (Stanton Drew)

One variation in the use of magnetometers is to undertake Magnetic Susceptibility surveys. Details can be found at:

http://www.archaeological-surveys.co.uk/magsus.htm

If you are interested in doing your own survey, a good place to start is:

http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/aspen/sussex/geophysics.html

Dowsing is not strictly speaking geophysics. However, it is sometimes used in similar contexts. It is explained at:

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ianto/Dowsing.htm

The Portable Antiquities Scheme

1.6 Other surveying, recording and remote sensing technologies

An excellent commercial site with images from sonar is Marine Sonics:

http://www.marinesonic.us/

An excellent example of GIS use is at:

http://www.informatics.org/france/france.html

Photogrammetry is explained at:

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/photogram/phtogram.htm

An interactive map which uses GIS to show different types of archaeological site in the UK is at:

http://www.online-archaeology.co.uk/Connect/ArchaeologyMapsandGIS/tabid

remote sensing links

http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/archeology.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ubar/index.html

Aster satellite

Aster satellite

Finnish survey of settlement using satellites

http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/arla/sygis/mountains.html

The Karakoram routes survey

http://miri.ku.dk/projekts/krsp/

http://www.archatlas.org/workshop09/works09-wordsworth.php

The silk road online which combines several methods

http://idp.bl.uk/

The on-line Museum of Underwater Archaeology

http://www.uri.edu/mua/

1.7 Aerial photography

There are a wealth of organisations with good websites which either explain aerial recording techniques or which have useful galleries illustrating them. There is also a growing number of archives accessible online.

These include:

http://aarg/php/cms/ (The Aerial Research Group)

http://www.evidenceincamera.co.uk/ (RAF Reconnaissance Archive)

http://www.univie.ac.at/Luftbildarchiv/ (The Vienna archive includes a useful intro)

http://www.airphotoservices.co.uk/

http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/subject/archpros.htm (AP resources UK)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques (BBC)

http://www.nmia.com/~jaybird/AANewsletter/

NASA also provides some ‘space views’ of archaeological sites: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/radar/sircxsar//archaeology.html

Case studies can be viewed at the following.

Saxon fishing weirs:

http://www.arch.soton.ac.uk/Research/justin/saxon fisheries.html

Lidar use at Loughcrew:

http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/~cfa1001/loughcrew/loughcrew.htm

Essex:

http://aarg.univie.ac.at/worldwide/essex/essex.html

The use of satellites to spot sites is discussed at:

http://antiquity.ac.uk/ProjGall/sherratt/

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