AERIAL ARCHAEOLOGY - A BROAD OVERVIEW

DATA COLLECTION - FIELDWORK

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DEFINITION

Aeroarchaeological survey aims to prospect, identify, record and document the buried and visible (i.e. preserved at least partially in relief) relicts of historical landscapes, which are of anthropogenic and natural origin, and which can assist in reconstructing the development of landscape forms and prehistoric or Medieval settlement patterns in a given area.

Fieldwork in aeroarchaeological survey - the wide-area monitoring of landscapes from the air.

TECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION & EQUIPMENT

AIRCRAFTS

helicopters
balloons
aeroplanes	Low-winged - Z 43, Robin 300
aeroplanes	High-winged - Cessna 172 (four-seater), Cessna 150, 152 (two-seater), L 60 S (Brigadýr), TL-232 Condor ultralight aircraft.

NAVIGATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Global Positioning System - GPS	GARMIN 95
	GARMIN 100

NAVIGATIONAL AIDS

maps	1:25 000
	1:50 000 (military, tourist)
	1:100 000

PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT

video cameras	Films
video cameras	Digital video (Sony DCR VX9000 E)
still cameras	Large format (23 cm negative)
	Medium format (6x6cm, 6x7 cm negatives) - Haselblad, Pentax 67
	Small format (24x36mm format - cinematic film) - Nikon F90X, Nikon F801S

PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS

colour inversions	Kodak Ektachrom 100 plus, Fujichrome Sensia II 100
monochrome negatives	Kodak T-max 100 pro, Ilford
colour negatives	Kodak Ektacolor proGold
infrared and spectrozonal materials	effect: increases the tonal contrast of lines and false colours

SURVEY FLIGHT TASKS

MONITORING

Visual evaluation of the actual state of the landscape, i.e. of the conditions that might enable meaningful surveys to be carried out on the basis of one or more marks (depending on the season).

NAVIGATION

1. Running assessment of the aircraft's location in relation to its planned flight path, by map.

2. Assessment of the locations of identified features by map or GPS.

OBSERVATION (PROSPECTION, DETECTION)

Visual prospection of features (structures) that are of interest to landscape or settlement archaeology.

IDENTIFICATION

Observation of features that are believed (interpreted) to be of interest to landscape and settlement archaeology.

RECORDING

Entry of identified features into an accession list with the aid of drawn sketches or descriptive texts, and the marking of their geographic locations onto maps.

DOCUMENTATION

Creation of a pictorial record (pictures, films, video sequences) of features of interest, which must meet certain demands in terms of visual presentation (morphology, relationships to the environs, supplementary/detailed interpretation) and the reasonably precise clarification of its topography (rectification of oblique photographs). At least two cameras are required (for inversions and for negatives).

FLIGHT LOG

Data regarding timings (take-off, landing, total flight time), point of departure, actual weather conditions, personnel (pilot, observer, navigator, and photographer), actual character of the ground cover (vegetation state, snow etc.), photographic methods employed, photographic equipment and materials used etc.

Fig. 1. Measuring in a rectangular enclosure recognised from cropmarks with the aid of a GPS station, shortly after the site's identification by aerial survey. Enlarge.

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