Deep subsurface geophysical prospection at Tell Qarqur, Syria

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents results of recent archaeo‐geophysical investigations utilizing low‐frequency ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) at the site of Tell Qarqur in western Syria. Like many major tell sites in the Near East, Tell Qarqur possesses archaeological strata more than 30 m in depth and was nearly continuously occupied for 10 000 years. The sheer scale and complexity of tell sites has rendered traditional archaeo‐geophysical methods, designed to map cultural features at 1–2 m below the surface and in only two dimensions, relatively ineffective. The instruments, survey strategies, and processing protocols we have utilized at Tell Qarqur have succeeded in documenting architectural features and archaeological stratigraphy in three dimensions and at much greater depths than has been possible previously. Our results offer new perspectives on the organization and development of settlement at Tell Qarqur and highlight the potential of our methods for archaeo‐geophysical investigations at deeply stratified sites more generally. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.