Integrating Geophysical and Photographic Data to Visualize the Quarried Structures of the Roman Town of Bassianae

Roland Filzwieser,Alois Hinterleitner,Mario Wallner,Ivan Bugarski,Wolfgang Neubauer,Christian Gugl,Tanja Trausmuth,Klaus Löcker,Nemanja Marković,Immo Trinks,Geert J Verhoeven,Roald Docter,Vujadin Ivanišević,Falko Daim,Hannes Schiel

doi:10.3390/rs13122384

Abstract

Large parts of the urban layout of the abandoned Roman town of Bassianae (in present-day Serbia) are still discernible on the surface today due to the deliberate and targeted quarrying of the Roman foundations. In 2014, all of the town’s intramural (and some extramural) areas were surveyed using aerial photography, ground-penetrating radar, and magnetometry to analyze the site’s topography and to map remaining buried structures. The surveys showed a strong agreement between the digital surface model derived from the aerial photographs and the geophysical prospection data. However, many structures could only be detected by one method, underlining the benefits of a complementary archaeological prospection approach using multiple methods. This article presents the results of the extensive surveys and their comprehensive integrative interpretation, discussing Bassianae’s ground plan and urban infrastructure. Starting with an overview of this Roman town’s research history, we present the details of the triple prospection approach, followed by the processing, integrative analysis, and interpretation of the acquired data sets. Finally, this newly gained information is contrasted with a plan of Roman Bassianae compiled in 1935.

Highlights

IntroductionRoman Bassianae or Bassiana (Serbian: Basijana/Бacиjaнa) is located in the Vojvodina province of present-day Serbia, in the eastern part of the Syrmia region near the village of Donji Petrovci, some 15 km east of the modern town of Ruma (Figure 1)
At Bassianae in present-day Serbia, a state-of-the-art approach to archaeological proAt Bassianae in present-day Serbia, a state-of-the-art approach to archaeological spection involving optical remote sensing as well as high-resolution near-surface geoprospection involving optical remote sensing as well as high-resolution near-surface geophysical methods was applied to noninvasively map buried (or physical methods was applied to noninvasively map buried archaeological remains with the goal to further the archaeological status quo removed) archaeological remains with the goal to further the archaeologicalthstatus quo which was based on excavation results and aerial photographs from the late 19 and early which was based on excavation results and aerial photographs from the late 19th and
While the unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based aerial photographs led to the creation of a very inearly 20th century

Summary

Introduction

Roman Bassianae or Bassiana (Serbian: Basijana/Бacиjaнa) is located in the Vojvodina province of present-day Serbia, in the eastern part of the Syrmia region near the village of Donji Petrovci, some 15 km east of the modern town of Ruma (Figure 1). Roman Bassianae or Bassiana (Serbian: Basijana/Басијана) is located in the Vojvodina province of present-day Serbia, in the eastern part of the Syrmia region near the village of. Well-positioned along the doned today but was once atoday flourishing along the road road towns between largerand towns of Sirmium inthe the Danube hinterland between the larger of the Sirmium. Singidunum inand the Singidunum hinterland of li- of the Danube limes. Thanks to this favorable geographic location, the settlement gradually developed mes. Thanks to this favorable geographic location, the settlement gradually developed until

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