Abstract
A multi-parametric approach that involves the use of different geophysical methods coupled with geochemical data allowed us to identify undiscovered archeological burials in a funerary area of the Grotte di Castro Etruscan settlement. In particular, we tested the suitability of the capacitive resistivity method and the presence of Radon in soil for the identification of burials calibrating their outcomes over coincident survey profiles with standard geophysical techniques routinely applied for archaeological prospections. Soil Radon data were acquired both in a grid and along a profile to highlight anomalous gas concentrations, whereas electrical resistivity and ground-penetrating radar measurements were conducted on overlapping profiles to depict the electrical and electromagnetic subsurface distribution. Data integration showed a series of anomalies, suggesting the presence of multiple burials starting from a depth of approximately 1.5 m below the terrain surface. Slight anomalies of Radon in the soil were found to correspond to most of the recovered geophysical ones. Our results pointed out the effectiveness of geophysical method integration in archeological prospecting with the novelty of the joint use of Radon in soil measurements and capacitive resistivity tomography. The latter provided reliable results and can be considered as a standalone technique in archaeological surveys.
Highlights
Grotte di Castro is a medieval (IX-X c.) village within the Viterbo province, approximately 100 km north-northwest of Rome, close to the border between Lazio, Toscana, and Umbria
We tested the suitability of the capacitive resistivity method and the presence of Radon in soil for the identification of burials calibrating their outcomes over coincident survey profiles with standard geophysical techniques routinely applied for archaeological prospections
We found a good correlation between the high values measured in samples GC9 (A1), GC11 (A2), and GC13 (A3) and the three resistivity anomalies recovered by the CCR2 and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles (e7, e6, and e5, Figure 8) and confirmed by ERT and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) datasets
Summary
Grotte di Castro is a medieval (IX-X c.) village within the Viterbo province, approximately 100 km north-northwest of Rome, close to the border between Lazio, Toscana, and Umbria. The study area is a portion of the Vigna la Piazza necropolis, one of the several funerary areas (Figure 1) pertaining to the Etruscan settlement of Civita, the remains of which occupy a wide tuff plateau rising 0.5 km southeast of the modern village [1]. We present the results from a multi-parametric research approach, which involves the use of geophysical and geochemical data with the aim of mapping new archeological features over a portion of the Vigna la Piazza necropolis that is located amongst a volcanic environment (Figure 1). The geophysical and geochemical study of buried structures in Vigna la Piazza relies on the possible presence of empty, partially empty, or recently filled voids excavated inside the tuff ridge. The contrast between soil/air/soil interfaces makes electromagnetic (EM) and electric methods suitable for their detection
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