TECHNIQUES OF DETECTING AND DELINEATING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE DESTRUCTION USING HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY: AN IRAQ CASE STUDY

摘要

Archaeological sites around the world have always been subjected to degradation and destruction as the result of looting. Nowhere is this more evident than on the Central Mesopotamian Plain of Iraq; particularly during the last decade. Because of the nature of the political and social conditions in the country, ground-based observations are extremely difficult and dangerous. For this reason researchers have had to increasingly rely on remote sensing imagery to document this damage. Until recently such studies have been challenging because of the lack of adequate area coverage and the need to depend on medium resolution sensors to detect relatively small looting pits. With the development and deployment of high resolution satellite systems the ability to identify site damage has greatly increased. This presentation will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various techniques used to recognize and define the presence and extent of looting pits. As will be noted, such techniques rely heavily on the standard visual interpretation of shape, size, and shadow characteristics on high resolution Worldview 1 satellite imagery. In addition, it will be shown how embossing and contouring procedures can be employed for the digital enhancement of these features. Finally, the incorporation of these interpreted data into GIS databases for analysis will be discussed.