Abstract
This project aimed to systematically investigate the archaeological remains of the imperial Domitian villa in Sabaudia (Italy), using different three-dimensional survey techniques. Particular attention in the research was paid to the identification and documentation of traces that buried structures left on the surface occupied by the villa, which extended for 46 hectares, an area that was fully covered with structures. Since a dense pine forest was planted during the 1940s and is currently covering the site, this contribution investigates particularly the correlation among the presence of cropmarks, identifiable with the processing of multispectral maps and vegetation indices from RGB images, and earthwork anomalies identified in a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) built, by utilizing a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) flight from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The study demonstrates how the use of vegetation maps—calculated starting from RGB and multispectral aerial photos—can provide a more expeditious preliminary analysis on the position and extension of areas characterized by the presence of buried structures, but also that, in order to investigate in-depth a context in similar conditions, the most effective approach remains the one based on LiDAR technology. The integration between the two techniques may prove fruitful in limiting the extension of the areas to be investigated with terrestrial survey techniques.
Highlights
Applications for accurate documentation of anomalies within the archaeological field are intensely discussed in the scientific community [1,2,3]
Passive techniques are based on the acquisition of images that can be processed in software, exploiting the principles of photogrammetric science and/or Structure from Motion (SfM) [6,7] technology, which allows the generation of dense point clouds, 3D models, Digital Surface Model and orthomosaics with high data density and accuracy [8]
Given the rapid development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveying techniques—equipped both with RGB and multispectral sensors—and the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, this paper aims to compare the identification of archaeological anomalies found by processing a LiDAR point cloud acquired by UAV, with vegetation variations determined by the presence of buried archaeological structures
Summary
Applications for accurate documentation of anomalies within the archaeological field are intensely discussed in the scientific community [1,2,3]. Passive techniques are based on the acquisition of images that can be processed in software, exploiting the principles of photogrammetric science and/or Structure from Motion (SfM) [6,7] technology, which allows the generation of dense point clouds, 3D models, Digital Surface Model and orthomosaics with high data density and accuracy [8]. A multispectral sensor can produce a multi-band image, allowing the analysis of the spectral response in the different acquired bands, and to generate accurate thematic maps, especially when using classifiers for crops and vegetation [9] The accessibility of this type of sensor, both from the size and from the economic point of view, in recent years it has allowed an increase in applications in the archaeological field, especially in the field of surveying archaeological structures buried in cultivated fields [10,11].
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