Geophysical Archaeology Research Agendas for the Future: Some Ground‐penetrating Radar Examples

TLDR

Archaeological geophysics has advanced over recent decades, with routine data acquisition, processing, and interpretation now supported by new tools and software, establishing a foundation for future research directions. The authors aim to chart new research avenues for archaeological geophysics, using ground‑penetrating radar as a model, to investigate cultural and historical questions beyond the reach of traditional methods. They propose employing advanced GPR equipment and three‑dimensional processing to increase precision, simplify data acquisition, and reveal additional buried archaeological features. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Archaeological geophysics research and its applications to archaeology are today positioned to move in a number of directions, building on successes in the past few decades. The basics of data acquisition, processing and interpretation are now commonplace, and along with a variety of new geophysical tools and software, readily available to most dedicated practitioners. It is now time to move beyond the basics to develop new areas of research for the coming decades. Here, we propose some future avenues that can be followed, using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) as an example. One avenue is the application of these techniques to test ideas about culture and history in ways not possible using traditional archaeological methods. Another is the application of sophisticated new equipment and three‐dimensional processing methods that can produce greater precision in the products produced, while simplifying data acquisition and revealing more information about buried archaeological features. While we discuss below our ideas with regard to the future of GPR, these basic concepts and future pathways are potentially applicable to the other commonly used near‐surface geophysical methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.