Use of Satellite Remote Sensing for Detecting Archaeological Features: An Example from Ancient Corinth, Greece

Inglés. During the last few decades, satellite remote sensing has proven to be an important non-invasive method for archaeological research in order to detect ancient sites and manage existing ones. Archaeologists have tried in the recent past to embed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and image processing techniques in their research as non-destructive approaches, which can allow a wider perception of archaeological landscapes and predict past behaviors. Adding to traditional means of visually identifying archaeological features from satellite imagery, multi-spectral satellite images, by offering bands that cover a wide range in the electromagnetic spectrum, can also help archaeologists to identify potential sub-surface features and map exposed archaeological remains. Through the application of vegetation indices, archaeologists are using differentiations in the spectral signatures of vegetation that could indicate potential man-made structures beneath soil while classification techniques have been employed mostly for the study of above ground features. However, their implementation usually takes place in a rural setting while there are often difficulties in validating the results. In this thesis, the site of Ancient Corinth, in Greece and its existing archaeological record gives us the opportunity to apply the aforementioned, established image processing techniques in a semi-rural environment and compare them with known excavated features. This can help us evaluate the application of these techniques for detecting and mapping buried and exposed archaeological remains and potentially add more information to the archaeological background of the region.

Inglés. In the past few decades, archaeologists have found new ways to discover ancient sites and managing the ones we already know about, by exploiting satellite remote sensing. This method can help archaeologists study archaeological sites from a distance, by using images acquired from satellites and without physically disturbing an area. Through the analysis of these images, with the aid of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and image processing techniques, they can potentially discover buried remains and map exposed ones, in order to better understand and manage archaeological landscapes. Traditionally, archaeologists have visually identified archaeological features from satellite imagery, but more advanced techniques are now being employed. Images that capture a wide range of electromagnetic bands, meaning different types of light, can now reveal subtle details on the earth’s surface, which may not be visible to the naked eye. By analyzing different colors and patterns in vegetation and by clustering the image pixels, they can identify ancient structures lying below ground or being hidden by vegetation. The above-mentioned methods have been mostly used in rural areas but in this study, there is an effort to try them in a semi-rural setting as well. Focusing on the village of Ancient Corinth in Greece, we can compare satellite images to what has been already recorded from excavations and previous archaeological research. This will help us figure out how accurate these techniques are and maybe even add some new information to what we know about the archaeology of the area.