Detecting pitfall systems in the Suomenselkä watershed, Finland, with airborne laser scanning and artificial intelligence

Abstract

This article examines the use of airborne laser scanning data and semi-automatic detection algorithms to identify pitfall sites in the northern part of the Suomenselkä watershed in Finland. The results show that new sites can be effectively detected with these methods, even in areas recently surveyed archaeologically. Most of the previously known pitfall sites were also easily distinguishable from the data. The geographic location of the newly discovered sites confirmed previous interpretations of the prehistoric and historic hunting of cervids with pitfalls in the research area. Yet, further research is needed to refine the interpretations concerning the use and temporal sequence of pitfall rows both in Finland and elsewhere in Fennoscandia.