Abstract
In this study, we analyse soil system responses—in particular, the colours of soils resulting from different types of land use (arable land and residential areas) caused by the construction of an ancient boundary rampart near a multilayer monument dating from between prehistory and the Middle Ages within the boundaries of the Bosporus Kingdom (Eastern Crimea)—in an area of modern and ancient (4th–2nd centuries BC) land use (Northwestern Crimea). These differences are of interest because they offer the chance to decipher different types of ancient land use and systems of land surveying, incorporating data from colour aerial photographs obtained with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles. Soil samples displaying different types of anthropogenic transformation were taken from the ancient boundary ramparts and adjacent land. The soil colour coordinates in the CIE L*a*b system were measured with the help of an AvaSpec-2048 spectrometer. Differences in colour coordinates were analysed using analysis of variance (NPMANOVA) based on the permutation test, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and the Mann–Whitney test, corrected according to multiple comparisons carried out as per the Bonferroni method. The results of this statistical analysis show that there are statistically significant differences in soil colour coordinates between samples collected on the ramparts and under various other types of land use. These differences are more pronounced in the samples characterised by the agrogenic transformation of soil. This makes it possible to use remote sensing data to detect traces of ancient boundary ramparts, even if the ramparts are partially destroyed by ploughing.
Highlights
Ancient land demarcation systems have been some of the most interesting objects for soil and archaeological research in Crimea
The objective of the present study is to compare the colour coordinates of the soil sampled on ancient ramparts depending on different types of land use
Ploughing up ancient fallow lands formed on the sites of ancient agriculture leads to a change in the soil colour
Summary
Traces of ancient boundary ramparts that divided land plots in ancient times have remained intact on modern arable land. Mapping such objects is the primary stage of the study conducted by [1]. For the Crimean Peninsula, experience was accumulated in the use of remote sensing data to search for and map ancient boundary ramparts in zones of antique agriculture. For this purpose, photographic images from American satellites of the CORONA series were used [2,3,4]. The soil colour is a useful integral indicator, as it is determined by the complex of the results of pedogenesis, such as organic matter, carbonates, clay minerals, quartz oxides of iron, manganese, and water-soluble salts [5,6,7,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
