The emphasis will be on the use of modern geospatial technology to advance and develop new methods for analyzing and detecting archaeological sites and artefacts. The use of high-resolution digital elevation models produced through LiDAR technology and aerial photogrammetry provide the prerequisites for improving non-destructive research methods in archaeology.
CASE STUDY
Contemporary archaeological landscape research has become dependent on LiDAR for discovering human traces within the landscape as well as for understanding landscape history. Within the GAL project, LiDAR will be used for discovering cultural landscape features in the area of the Northern and Central Velebit Mountain. Since the study area is partially covered in vegetation, airborne laser scanning will enable identification and documentation of landscape features. This will also enhance better understanding and interpretation of long term settlement patterns in karstic landscapes of the Velebit mountain in macro and micro scales. The macro scale will encompass the transect of the mountain from the sea to the peak mountain zone in order to understand permanent and seasonal settlement patterns through the history. Micro scale research will be conducted in the area of one prehistoric hillfort located near the sea and mountain pastures in the higher zones.
In the area of mountain pastures located above 1300 m a.s.l. the multispectral camera will be used in order to locate possibly buried features. Locating older historic and prehistoric features in the higher mountain zone has always been problem due to vegetation and land use practice. Therefore, LiDAR and multispectral technology could solve this problem.
All structural elements of the landscape detected by the use of LiDAR and multispectral cameras will be mapped within GIS through which various spatial analysis will be conducted. These analyses should answer questions about long term landscape change, land use strategy and corridors of movement across the mountain. Locating site positions will also enable creating predictive models of searching for other sites in this mountainous region which is still unexplored. This will enable protecting them, but also provide new research data.
3D scanner will be used in the same research area with the purpose of scanning Roman boundary inscriptions, which were discovered in this area. However, since some parts of both inscriptions are not readily enough, 3D scanning could enable rereading the text. Both inscriptions are related to Roman boundaries, and understanding them will be crucially important for reconstructing landscape and defining land use patterns in this area.
