Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia
The authors of the presented paper tested the possible use of geophysical methods in the field of archaeological and constructional-historical research. It focused on the historical center of Prague, where we took measurements in the built-up areas covered by cobble stones and asphalt. The works wer...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/9/356 |
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| author | Jaroslav Bárta Tomáš Belov Jan Frolík Jaroslav Jirků |
| author_facet | Jaroslav Bárta Tomáš Belov Jan Frolík Jaroslav Jirků |
| author_sort | Jaroslav Bárta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The authors of the presented paper tested the possible use of geophysical methods in the field of archaeological and constructional-historical research. It focused on the historical center of Prague, where we took measurements in the built-up areas covered by cobble stones and asphalt. The works were carried out mainly at the Old Town Square, Hradčany Square, Charles Square and Lesser Town Square. Field conditions were completely different at the Armenia sites (intact agricultural areas). We used the methods of shallow geophysical survey, namely geoelectrical methods, gravimetry, seismics and magnetometry. Measurement results from the built-up areas were affected by presence of engineering networks, transportation and field obstacles. Working in the rural areas is generally less demanding in terms of implementation and evaluation, but our results show that proper selection of geophysical methods brings positive results even in urban areas. The research proved that good results can be expected if one uses multiple geophysical methods measuring various physical properties of an environment. The application of only one, albeit sophisticated method, is usually not enough. There is a necessity to improve interpretational software for the purposes of archaeological object detection. The objects are mainly buried within the first meters and are relatively small. Contrast of physical properties between searched objects and their surrounding environment does exist but typically is small and, therefore, it is necessary to measure multiple physical parameters simultaneously. The presented projects aimed not only to archaeology, but the results also had practical outputs for public administration and development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:33:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de8989d9fa56419e99ffa618344ab067 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:33:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-de8989d9fa56419e99ffa618344ab0672023-11-20T12:43:45ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632020-09-0110935610.3390/geosciences10090356Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and ArmeniaJaroslav Bárta0Tomáš Belov1Jan Frolík2Jaroslav Jirků3G IMPULS Praha Ltd., J. Nerudy 232, 252 61 Jenec, Czech RepublicG IMPULS Praha Ltd., J. Nerudy 232, 252 61 Jenec, Czech RepublicInstitute of Archaeology of the CAS, Prague, Letenska 123/4, 118 01 Praha, Czech RepublicG IMPULS Praha Ltd., J. Nerudy 232, 252 61 Jenec, Czech RepublicThe authors of the presented paper tested the possible use of geophysical methods in the field of archaeological and constructional-historical research. It focused on the historical center of Prague, where we took measurements in the built-up areas covered by cobble stones and asphalt. The works were carried out mainly at the Old Town Square, Hradčany Square, Charles Square and Lesser Town Square. Field conditions were completely different at the Armenia sites (intact agricultural areas). We used the methods of shallow geophysical survey, namely geoelectrical methods, gravimetry, seismics and magnetometry. Measurement results from the built-up areas were affected by presence of engineering networks, transportation and field obstacles. Working in the rural areas is generally less demanding in terms of implementation and evaluation, but our results show that proper selection of geophysical methods brings positive results even in urban areas. The research proved that good results can be expected if one uses multiple geophysical methods measuring various physical properties of an environment. The application of only one, albeit sophisticated method, is usually not enough. There is a necessity to improve interpretational software for the purposes of archaeological object detection. The objects are mainly buried within the first meters and are relatively small. Contrast of physical properties between searched objects and their surrounding environment does exist but typically is small and, therefore, it is necessary to measure multiple physical parameters simultaneously. The presented projects aimed not only to archaeology, but the results also had practical outputs for public administration and development.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/9/356near surface geophysicsshallow geophysical surveyarchaeologyinterpretationurban arearural area |
| spellingShingle | Jaroslav Bárta Tomáš Belov Jan Frolík Jaroslav Jirků Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia Geosciences near surface geophysics shallow geophysical survey archaeology interpretation urban area rural area |
| title | Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia |
| title_full | Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia |
| title_fullStr | Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia |
| title_short | Applications of Geophysical Surveys for Archaeological Studies in Urban and Rural Areas in Czech Republic and Armenia |
| title_sort | applications of geophysical surveys for archaeological studies in urban and rural areas in czech republic and armenia |
| topic | near surface geophysics shallow geophysical survey archaeology interpretation urban area rural area |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/10/9/356 |
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