Abstract
Light detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology is a valuable tool for archaeological prospection in areas covered by dense vegetation. Its capacity to penetrate dense forest environments enables it to detect archaeological remains scattered over orographically complex areas. LiDAR-derived digital terrain models (DTMs) have made an exceptional contribution towards identifying topographic landscapes of archaeological interest. In this study, we focus on an area of intense historic settlement from the Chalcolithic to the Middle Ages, which today is completely covered by Mediterranean forest. Due to the dense canopy, and the fact that it is a protected area on private land, it has never been analyzed. To reveal the settlement, we primarily used a series of LiDAR mapping surveys to gather data and analyzed other open access remote sensing resources from the National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN). The IGN LiDAR data proved to be of particular interest. These resources enabled us to detect an ancient fortress (El Viandar Castle) and its surrounding settlement. LiDAR, in conjunction with other products, was fundamental in identifying the site. Equally, the mapping surveys enabled us to analyze the limits and scope of the IGN airborne LiDAR and other free access remote sensing products. Our background in this research demonstrates that low-cost products applied to LiDAR research in archaeology have major limitations when it is necessary to have a high level of spatial resolution in order to define the layout and the main components of an archaeological site.
Highlights
The Andalusian fortification of El Viandar is located in the village of El Hoyo (Figure 1a,b)
El Viandar Castle is located close to a natural mountain pass that leads to the heart of the Sierra de los Santos, the Sierra Norte area of Seville in the southwest, and Córdoba in the southeast
The absence of large-scale constructions indicates that the anomalies detected do not belong to contemporary constructions and could be archeological remains, which was verified by Results of the site
Summary
The Andalusian fortification (husum) of El Viandar is located in the village of El Hoyo (in the district of Belmez, Córdoba, Spain) (Figure 1a,b). We were interested in the first complete LiDAR mapping survey of Spain, whose results we analyzed and compared to those of our own survey This enabled us to pinpoint the exact location of the El Viandar husum. The mapping surveys made it possible to recover almost the entire dimension of the site as well as its internal organization This provided us with excellent data with which to plan future archaeological excavations that will enable us to discover the site’s specific chronological and cultural sequence. The use of LiDAR is becoming increasingly more frequent in archaeological research, with technical advances in the field [8,9,10,11,12] This non-invasive method facilitates archaeological surveys of sites that would not have been possible by means of a geophysical survey or aerial photography [13] Nuevo [32], the geomorphological analysis of Córdoba capital city [33], and the topographic investigation to eliminate Sancti Petri, in Cádiz, as a Temple of Melqart [34]
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