Dalrymple Lecture Series, November 2014: Flying into the past: the magic of aerial archaeology: Lecture summaries

Abstract

The first lecture set the scene for the series by outlining the early development of aerial archaeology and explaining the principles by which archaeological sites are revealed from the air. Attention was drawn to the contribution of a number of early pioneers of aerial survey in Britain, Europe and around the Mediterranean, which included both familiar names (such as O.G.S. Crawford and J.K.S. St Joseph) and less familiar ones (such as Carl Schuchhardt and George Allan), with various examples to illustrate their work. Particular emphasis was placed on the important role of warfare in the development of aerial photography generally. The two World Wars facilitated more widespread appreciation of the value of the aerial perspective, promoted understanding of how to read aerial photographs, demonstrated the potential of stereoscopy, and brought about quite dramatic improvements in both cameras and aircraft. It was also noted that many eminent archaeologists were involved in aerial photographic interpretation for military intelligence in World War Two precisely because of their familiarity with aerial photographs as a result of their archaeological work. Finally, the three main principles that lie behind the discovery of archaeological sites from the air were explained (Wilson 2000, 38–80):