Ager Tarraconensis field survey project
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?tarra_var_2003
The Ager Tarraconensis archive represents data from a survey conducted between 1985 and 1990 in the territory of Tarragona in Spain. The survey used field-walking techniques to investigate the development of the classical landscape in the hinterland of Tarraco, the Roman provincial capital of Hispania Citerior (Tarraconensis). The survey demonstrated that the analysis of pottery scatters can make a positive contribution to a study of the relationship between Tarragona and its hinterland in antiquity. The evidence showed that the Roman landscape was heavily populated and densely exploited. The project was published in 1995 as a Journal of Roman Archaeology supplement. The archive makes data from the survey available including transect plans, field plans and density plots. Field survey data and pottery data is available to download as either Excel files or comma delimited text files (for use in a spreadsheet or database). All files are under 250kb in size and can therefore be downloaded quickly. The website is easily navigable through the standard ADS interface and users are required to accept the ADS terms and conditions prior to accessing the resource.
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AHRC Research Centre for Environmental History
http://www.cehp.stir.ac.uk/
This is the website of the multi-disciplinary, Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project focusing on the varied relationship between human society and environmental history, led by the Department of History at Stirling University and the School of History at St Andrews University. In line with recent trends in the social and natural sciences, the AHRC Research Centre in Environmental History is pursuing interdisciplinary historical research in collaboration with disciplines already engaged in analysing past environmental change and human development to inform our current understanding of environmental issues. The resource provides a list of research projects and details of the staff, researchers and associate members of the centre together with information on seminars, conferences and workshops organised by the research group. A useful page of links provides a guide to other institutions concerned with the history of environmental change, including the journal 'Environment and History'. Also included is information on the Scottish Woodland History Discussion Group. Further resources will be added as new research is completed. This website will be a major resource for a wide range of undergraduate students and researchers in a variety of environment and landscape related subjects, including history, archaeology and environmental science.
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Amuq Valley regional projects (AVRP)
http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/amu/
This site describes the archaeological activities of the Oriental Institute of Chicago in the Amuq Valley in The Hatay province of south-eastern Turkey (formerly northern Syria). The highly fertile and strategically located Amuq Valley or Plain of Antioch was one of the great crossroads of the ancient Near East and was densely occupied since the 6th Millennium B.C. The area was home to major urban centres such as Tell Atchana, Tell Ta'yinat and Antioch itself and played a major role in the development of bronze metallurgy and urbanization in the 4th-3rd Millennia B.C. The website is based on the series of annual reports published by the Oriental Institute between 1996 and 2001 which describe the multi-disciplinary work undertaken by the project. This includes settlement survey and geomorphology, archaeological excavation at the tell sites of Atchana, Kurdu and Judaidah, and a project of metallurgical analysis and exploration of possible ore-producing sites. The layout of the site allows you to link directly with the relevant sections of each annual report from the home page as well as to other University of Chicago projects in the Near East. The reports are provided with numerous high quality maps, figures and photographs which can be viewed at a number of scales. Among the photographs are useful archive material from the earlier excavations in the area in the 1920s-30s.This is a detailed and attractively presented resource which will benefit undergraduates as well as archaeological researchers who wish to work in an inter-regional and inter-disciplinary context.
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Ancient moundbuilders of Arkansas
http://cast.uark.edu/home/research/archaeology-and-historic-preservation/ar
"Ancient Moundbuilders of Arkansas", hosted by the University of Arkansas' Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, is a website discussing the native American cultures that emerged and developed along the Mississippi river from roughly the 13th to 16th centuries AD.These prehistoric native Americans, known to archaeologists simply as Mississippi Indians, built permanent towns to relatively standardised patterns. Particularly indicative of these settlements are four-sided, flat-topped mounds facing an open plaza-type area. These are thought to have supported ceremonial buildings or the homes of important members of the particular community, and examples are to be found over the entire Lower Mississippi valley. Although many mounds are located on private land, two of the most notable archaeological sites containing such structures are located in state parks: the Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, and the Parkin Archeological State Park. Toltec, located on the banks of 'Mound Pond', was once surrounded on three sides by an 8-10ft high embankment, and, until 100 years ago, contained 16 mounds. Parkin, believed to be the settlement of Casqui visited by Hernando de Soto in 1541, lies on the banks of the St Francis river and was the site of a village between roughly 1300 and 1550 AD. Descriptions of the backgrounds and archaeological investigations of each site are provided, along with further information about commerce, early European travellers and traders (e.g. De Soto) and the native American communities and settlements. A QuickTime panoramic view from Toltec Mounds is also available.
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Antiquist
http://www.antiquist.org/
Antiquist is an online community of people working with computing in the heritage sector. There is a Wiki with some articles on GIS and other computing techniques applied to archaeology that may be useful to landscape archaeologists; a blog (not very active at the time of review); and a mailing list (user registration required). Antiquist promotes exchanges of ideas and discussion on a variety of topics related to archaeology.
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Appia antica project
http://www.appia.itabc.cnr.it/
This interactive website publishes a GIS research survey of the Roman Appian Way with bibliography; map; and virtual 3D reconstruction. The first section, "About" provides access to the bibliography about this IT project (mostly useful to those interested on computing and archaeology); and section "Data" is not accessible to the public. Section "WebGIS" contains an interactive map with satellite data on which have been plotted all monuments and archaeological features known from surveys. The detail and zoom of the map can be easily selected. Section "3D" publishes an interactive 3D map; it is possible to navigate the scene freely or using pre-defined viewpoints. Readers should know that this application is accessible installing the osg4Web plug-in, and that only the version for Internet Explorer worked at the time of review. The plugin requires a fast Internet connection and readers are warned that it crashed the browser a few times and there are no precise instructions on how to use the mouse for navigation. The actual 3D reconstruction is very sophisticated: it uses photographs as textures for the monuments and provides the position of main modern buildings and trees around the monument. Researchers specialising in the landscape of the Appian Way or 3D reconstructions may find this website useful.
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Archaeoleg Cambria archaeology
http://www.acadat.com/
"Archaeoleg Cambria Archaeology" is the home page for Cambria Archaeology - Cambria being the marketing name for the Dyfed Archaeological Trust. The Trust is one of four trusts in Wales that have responsibility for protecting, recording and interpreting all aspects of the historic landscape. The website provides information detailing the trust's work, including heritage management, past and current projects, and heritage interpretation. A directory of related links is also provided. The Heritage Management Section gives details regarding the region's Sites and Monuments Record, Planning and Development control, the Portable Antiquities Recording scheme, and the Treasure act. Information is also provided about the Trust's heritage management services and their involvement with the Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme, which aims to integrate whole farm environmental and agricultural management. The projects section details past and present projects undertaken by the Trust, and includes a news section relating to recent activities, whilst the heritage interpretation section gives example of design elements from the Trust's interpretive panels.
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ArchAtlas
http://www.archatlas.dept.shef.ac.uk/
This is the website of the ArchAtlas project which aims to provide a visual chronological and spatial atlas of major socio-economic processes in early antiquity such as the origins of farming, trade routes, and the growth of urbanism. The project was founded by Prof. Andrew Sherratt to test World Systems theory models. The website uses GIS techniques to integrate georeferenced information on archaeological sites and exchange routes with environmental data and satellite imagery. The website publishes a series of illustrated case studies; several low resolution 3D (VRML) virtual worlds; a few QuickTime panoramas; and some illustrated articles on the use of GIS in archaeology. It is possible to export to Google Earth and NASA WorldWind some datasets. This website may be useful primarily to researchers interested on world systems theory and can be used by lecturers in teaching.
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Archéologie aérienne
http://www.archaero.com/
Archéologie Aérienne is an attractively illustrated website, in French with some English translations, which provides a useful 'hands-on' guide to many aspects of photographing archaeological sites and ancient landscapes from the air based on a wide variety of examples from France. The resource provides a brief guide to the history and early pioneers of the discipline followed by useful advice on flying techniques and optimal climate conditions; photography, GPS and cartography; legal requirements; interpretation of landscape features captures by aerial photography. The French version includes an important historical, epigraphic and archaeological study of ancient roads ('Metrique des voies antiques'). Other sections include a period-by-period sample of images of ancient, mediaeval and early modern features from the air and a bibliography of the author's many publications. There are also extensive links to academic site of archaeological interest and to tourist pages with a particular emphasis on areas with important prehistoric, Roman and mediaeval remains. The English translation, while useful in places, is not very accurate and omits the technical information included in the French version which should be used for reference purposes. 'Aerial archaeology' is a useful addition to the corpus of websites on archaeological methods and will interest undergraduates and researchers in archaeology and history, particularly those with an emphasis on France.
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Athienou archaeological project (AAP)
http://www.davidson.edu/academic/classics/Toumazou/AAP/index.html
The website of the Athienou Archaeological Project (AAP), a multi-disciplinary excavation and survey project focusing on the sanctuary site of Athienou-Malloura in south-central Cyprus whose aim is to examine the changing settlement patterns and life-ways of an area which been occupied continuously for over 2500 years from the Cypro-Archaic period, circa 700 BC, down to late Ottoman times. Apart from the important Cypro-Archaic to Roman period sanctuary itself, the project has examined a nearby settlement site in addition to tombs, ancient water management systems, and a series of Venetian burials from the 15th-16th centuries AD, while survey and geophysical work has been carried out in the surrounding valley to put the excavated parts of the site into its wider landscape context.The resource consists of a pictorial guide to the main discoveries by the project since 1990, a bibliography of publications from 1991 which includes the online abstracts of annual reports originally appearing in the American Journal of Archaeology, and details of the Davidson College Field School for undergraduates. This wesbite is a modest addition to the growing corpus of online resources focusing on archaeological sites and their hinterlands in the Mediterranean region. It will benefit undergraduates and researchers studying archaeology in this region as well as a wider general audience interested in Mediterranean and Near Eastern archaeology and ancient society.
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Barrow placement in the Stonehenge area
http://intgat.tigress.co.uk/rmy/MapView.html
A set of interactive web pages exploring the spatial relationships between the henges and barrows in the region of Stonehenge. Java applets show intervisibility between the monuments and viewsheds from each monument. An animated applet demonstrates which monuments become visible whilst 'walking' along some of the monuments. Clicking on the applets opens a window with all available options.
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Belle Tout neolithic and beaker enclosures
http://csweb.bournemouth.ac.uk/belletout/
Bournemouth University has, since 1993, conducted a programme of research and fieldwork reassessing the Neolithic and Bronze Age of the Sussex chalklands. Part of this programme involves the carrying out of a number of small, problem orientated ground investigation projects. The purpose of this website is to introduce the first of the field research projects at Belle Tout in East Sussex, and to provide a brief summary of the results obtained so far. This website presents an interim report on the investigation of three cliff-top neolithic and beaker enclosures which are eroding into the sea. Additional pages describe the archaeological history of the site; problems with interpretations; and the current research being carried out by Bournemouth University. Pages are illustrated with line drawings and photographs of excavations. Students in particular may find this website useful.
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Ben Lawers historic landscape project
http://www.benlawers.org.uk/
This website reports on the Ben Lawers Historic Landscape projects, a five-year programme of archaeological and historical research into the past landscapes of the Central Highlands of Scotland. Evidence of the impact of humans within this landscape can be seen from the shores of Loch Tay up to the high peaks of the mountain range. The agricultural landscape was once occupied by thousands of people and is testament to how people lived during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in highland Scotland.The website provides access to project reports and diaries, as well as bibliographic details of the publications associated with the project. Images of the sites and finds are also provided. There are plans to add information and resources tailored for students and teachers.
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Bodrifty
http://www.bodrifty.co.uk/index.html
Bodrifty Iron Age village is on the high ground of the watershed between the Atlantic and the English Channel in the Penwith District of West Cornwall. The ancient trackway, which runs from near Lands End, eastward, crosses through it. Bodrifty is a complete village and fossilised farming system that has survived almost intact as its walls were made of granite. In this area of enclosed moorland are the remains of an Iron Age (600 BC - AD 43) settlement, consisting of the ruins of eight roundhouses within a low enclosing bank. Most British roundhouses had walls of wood and mud of which only obscure traces remain, but at Bodrifty large granite blocks were used for the walls that have survived to the modern period. The website provides information about the village (which is a scheduled ancient monument and open to the public) and the reconstructed roundhouse close to the site built by the owners Fred and Penny Mustill. There is an introduction, several maps and many photographs of the roundhouse during construction together with short captions. There is also a news article written when the site was opened and details for those who wish to visit the site. School parties are encouraged and it is possible to hire the roundhouse for special events.
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BRASS / El Pilar homepage
http://marc.ucsb.edu/elpilar/
This website reports on the research being undertaken by Anabel Ford at El Pilar in Belize, near the border with Guatemala. It encompasses the Belize River Archaeological Settlement Survey and the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna. Ford has been attempting to understand the origins and rise of the Maya civilisation in the tropical forests of Central America through active field research since 1983. The project has involved combining evidence from various disciplines, from archaeology to zoology. Ford's 'vision' is of an 'international friendship park on a troubled border', where cultural heritage may be preserved in its natural environment.The website contains research articles and field reports dating back to 1993. It also contains information about the people and community that have helped Ford with her work. Maps, photographs, and illustrations are all included. An 'active education' section provides multimedia displays of the community and location, and provides an introduction to Maya culture. There is also a page of links and information for anyone wishing to become more involved with the project.
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Clwyd-Powys metal mines survey
http://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/mines/mines.htm
This Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust website contains a description of a rapid survey of all of the non-ferrous metal and phosphate mines and some of the more significant locatable trials in Clwyd and Powys. The aim of the survey was to provide a summary of the surviving physical evidence of mines and to promote better management and conservation of the remains. A brief history of mining in the area is presented along with a map and some photographs of the remains of abandoned mines. There is also a link to the wider Metal Mines survey of the area, and to a summary of the Council for British Archaeology report.
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Cyrenaica archaeological project
http://www.cyrenaica.org/
The Cyrenaica Archaeological Project (CAP) website provides information about an international, collaborative research project on the site of the Greco-Roman city of Cyrene (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in northern Libya. An overview of the project, as well as maps and photographs of the site are included. There is also some material on the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone (Kore) located at the site. A PDF of the 2006 Field Survey, GIS and Assessment report on the sanctuary by the University of Birmingham (UK) and the University of Alberta (Canada) is provided and this includes: photographs and aerial images; a site plan of the sanctuary area; an outline of the topography; an overview of relevant methodologies; and a discussion of the results. This is a high quality academic site survey which would be invaluable to anyone, particularly researchers, who would like to know more about the project. Its open accessibility also makes it useful for higher education students of archaeology who would like to read through an example of a thorough site report. The website is straightforward to navigate, but the link to the project report PDF only appears in the text of the introduction and is not listed in the navigation bar.
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First farmers : regional developments and variations in Eastern Scotland
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/projArch/barclay_na_2003/
The "First Farmers project" website publishes the research work carried out at six locations in eastern Scotland (Ballendrick, Claish Farm, Duncrub, Mountstewart, Nethermuir and Upper Gothenscarried) by the University of Stirling. The website provides an overview of the project. The research team led by Dr Barclay and Dr Wickham-Jones explored the settlements of the first farmers in lowland Scotland, an area which was apparently home to a great concentration of religious sites. The project interpreted how farming began and the challenges facing a Neolithic settlement. All final reports can be accessed through a series of files (mostly PDF) and pages. This project received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Board within the Research Grants scheme.
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Forest of Dean archaeological survey
http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleID=1950/
The Forest of Dean Archaeological Survey has been undertaking research into archaeological sites within the several West Gloucestershire parishes that constitute the forest. The forest contains surprisingly few known sites, which has led the County Council archaeological team to suspect that there is a need for the large-scale and systematic exploration of the area. Techniques such as aerial photography, field walking, and geophysical surveying are being used to uncover more sites of interest.The Survey's website details news and information about the project. More material will appear as the project progresses. Early sections describe traditional charcoal burning and aerial photography, and there is a brief progress report. The website is intended to be of interest to the general public.
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Friends of Thornborough
http://www.friendsofthornborough.org.uk/
Near the village of Thornborough, North Yorkshire, there exists a complex of three bronze-age henges along with post alignments and other evidence of ritual locations. The henges and their surrounding landscape are now at risk from quarrying developments and the encroaches of a nearby landfill site. Should the proposed developments take place, the landscape surrounding the henges would be permanently altered. This web page organises a campaign to prevent such developments and promotes further archaeological enquiry into the site. The significance of the Thornborough henges is discussed, along with the reasons why the site should be spared development. Email addresses are provided for a targeted email and letter-writing campaign. There is also a link to a private web page for signed-up members of the Friends of Thornborough.
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Fyfield and Overton project, 1959-1998
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?fyfod
The Fyfield and Overton Down Project digital archive, hosted by the Archaeology Data Service (ADS), is the result of a study of two contiguous parishes on the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire, England. Conducted between 1959 and 1998, the project examined the landscape of the Upper Kennet Valley, between Avebury and Marlborough, to assess the factors and timescale involved in its formation. The project's primary archive is deposited with the Museum of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Devizes, Wiltshire, whilst the electronic archive is made accessible through the ADS. The digital archive serves to support the monograph 'Landscape Plotted and Pieced: Landscape History and Local Archaeology in Fyfield and Overton, Wiltshire' and the popular publication 'The Land of Lettice Sweetapple. An English Countryside Explored' and to offer an insight into the intellectual processes involved in the execution of a large and complex project.Available within the archive are:a) four volumes of conventional excavation reports detailing three major excavations and several smaller excavations on the Fyfield and Overton Downs;b) 100 'Fyfod Working Papers' (FWPs) containing additional and accompanying information on aspects of the landscape's heritage, character and archaeology.The material available via the digital archive is present in rich text (RTF) and plain text formats, and (varyingly) Microsoft Word 2, 6 and 2000 formats. The FWPs are organised into a subject index for easier browsing.
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Geography of Roman Gaul
http://www.sc.edu/ltantsoc/geogmain.htm
This website presents the current research on the geography of Roman Gaul, in particular on the south-west of the region, by Ralph Mathisen of the University of South Carolina. Locations are listed alphabetically, by ancient Roman province and modern Department, and by site type (such as settlements, sanctuaries, cemeteries, mines and quarries, bridges, aqueducts and roads etc), stages on ancient route maps such as the Antonine Itinerary, the Bordeaux Pilgrim and the Peutinger Table. Full bibliographic citations of the city are also provided. The site is still under construction (though last updated in 2002) and lacks a map of the region which reduces its utility to less experienced learners such as undergraduates, though this resource will benefit more knowledgeable researchers in the field of ancient history and classical archaeology.
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GIS and remote sensing for archaeology : Burgundy, France
http://www.informatics.org/france/france.html
An American interdisciplinary team from the University of North Carolina has been conducting research in the Arroux River Valley region of Burgundy for over twenty years. This website concentrates on the use of remote sensing methods in their study and the use of GIS to analyse and visualise the results. The website gives reasonably detailed descriptions of the various techniques and includes many internal and external links to further information and tutorials. The ultimate aims appear to be the creation of virtual reality models, particularly QTVR panoramas, as aids to understanding the landscape.
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Great gallery of Horseshoe canyon
http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag1-6/mag2-4rh.shtml
The Great Gallery of Horseshoe Canyon, which is part of the Utah Canyonlands National Park, contains the largest and arguably the best panel of pictographs in South-western USA. The pictograph figures date from the Late Archaic period (2000-1000 BC).This web page consists of an article from a photography magazine giving advice on photographing cave paintings. It also provides a brief background to the paintings found at Horseshoe Canyon, and instructions as to how to get there.
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Hampshires historic environment
http://www.hants.gov.uk/environment/historic-environment/
Hampshire's Historic Environment Web pages provide a central hub for access, together with advice and comprehensive information, to the many aspects of Hampshire's historic environment. The website includes the Archaeology and Historic Building Record, a section on buildings at risk (and a link through to the Hampshire Threatened Historic Buildings at Risk Register) as well as sections on archaeology, historic buildings, historic parks and gardens, historic settlement and water meadows. The web pages also contain a section on Hampshire's Historic Landscape Character Assessment project, an element in the national programme of historic landscape characterisation supported by English Heritage. This resource provides easy entry to the whole range of activities and projects carried out by Hampshire County Council's Historic Environment section including definitions of terms and in-text links to associated relevant information. The Web pages are simply formatted and easy to navigate though some links take the user outside of the new web pages and in such cases the side navigation bar is lost. The Web pages include a comprehensive list of contacts together with a useful thematic links page.
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