The Black Desert Drone Survey: New Perspectives on an Ancient Landscape

Remote Sensing

Austin Chad Hill¹  Yorke M. Rowan² 

[1] Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, 1155 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;

关键词: drones;    archaeology;    Jordan;    Black Desert;    desert kites;    Neolithic;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rs14030702

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This paper presents the results of a large scale, drone-based aerial survey in northeastern Jordan. Drones have rapidly become one of the most cost-effective and efficient tools for collecting high-resolution landscape data, fitting between larger-scale, lower-resolution satellite data collection and the significantly more limited traditional terrestrial survey approaches. Drones are particularly effective in areas where anthropogenic features are visible on the surface but are too small to identify with commonly and economically available satellite data. Using imagery from fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, along with photogrammetric processing, we surveyed an extensive archaeological landscape spanning 32 km² at the site of Wadi al-Qattafi in the eastern badia region of Jordan, the largest archaeological drone survey, to date, in Jordan. The resulting data allowed us to map a wide range of anthropogenic features, including hunting traps, domestic structures, and tombs, as well as modern alterations to the landscape including road construction and looting pits. We documented thousands of previously unrecorded and largely unknown prehistoric structures, providing an improved understanding of major shifts in the prehistoric use of this landscape.

【 授权许可】

Unknown