Exploring Archaeological Landscapes through Advanced Aerial Thermal Imaging

FAIN: HAA-256086-17

Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH 03755-1808)
Jesse J. Casana (Project Director: January 2017 to January 2022)

A series of six case studies in locations in the United States and internationally to further methods in aerial thermography, an imaging process that allows non-destructive photography and data collection for archaeological sites.

Archaeologists have known since the 1970s that aerial thermal images can reveal a wide range of ancient cultural features including buried architecture, artifact concentrations, as well as roads, fields, and earthworks. Until recently, technological hurdles have largely prevented aerial thermography from being deployed in archaeological research, but our work on a Level II Start-Up grant brought together a small drone, a lightweight thermal camera, and photogrammetry software to explore new methods for aerial thermal surveys. The proposed project seeks to build on this success by using a newly developed radiometric thermal camera, improved drone technology and new processing methods to undertake a series of aerial thermal surveys at sites in the US, Mexico, Cyprus and Iraq. Results of the project have the potential to transform understanding of the various sites under investigation, and will develop a new set of protocols for collection and processing of thermal imagery in archaeology.

Media Coverage

Old, meet new: Drones, high-tech camera revamp archaeology (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Casey, Michael
Publication: Associated Press (New York Times, Washington Post, US News & World Report, ABS News, San Francisco Chronicle)
Date: 11/27/2017
URL: https://apnews.com/f5ce02dbf2734ef1ac8da60f5ad7df89/Old,-meet-new:-Drones,-high-tech-camera-revamp-archaeology

Associated Products

A Council Circle at Etzanoa? Multi-sensor Drone Survey at an Ancestral Wichita Settlement in Southeastern Kansas (Article)
Title: A Council Circle at Etzanoa? Multi-sensor Drone Survey at an Ancestral Wichita Settlement in Southeastern Kansas
Author: Donald Blakeslee
Author: Jesse Casana
Author: Elise J. Laugier
Author: Austin Chad Hill
Abstract: This article presents results of a multi-sensor drone survey at an ancestral Wichita archaeological site in southeastern Kansas, originally recorded in the 1930s and believed by some scholars to be the location of historical “Etzanoa,” a major settlement reportedly encountered by Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate in 1601.We used high-resolution, drone-acquired thermal and multispectral (color and near-infrared) imagery, alongside publicly available lidar data and satellite imagery, to prospect for archaeological features across a relatively undisturbed 18 ha area of the site. Results reveal a feature that is best interpreted as the remains of a large, circular earthwork, similar to so-called council circles documented at five other contemporary sites of the Great Bend aspect cultural assemblage. We also located several features that may be remains of house basins, the size and configuration of which conform with historical evidence. These findings point to major investment in the construction of largescale ritual, elite, or defensive structures, lending support to the interpretation of the cluster of Great Bend aspect sites in the lower Walnut River as a single, sprawling population center, as well as demonstrating the potential for thermal and multispectral surveys to reveal archaeological landscape features in the Great Plains and beyond.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.49
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: American Antiquity
Publisher: Society for American Archaeology

Archaeological Remote Sensing Using Multi-Temporal, Drone-Acquired Thermal and Near Infrared (NIR) Imagery: A Case Study at the Enfield Shaker Village, New Hampshire (Article)
Title: Archaeological Remote Sensing Using Multi-Temporal, Drone-Acquired Thermal and Near Infrared (NIR) Imagery: A Case Study at the Enfield Shaker Village, New Hampshire
Author: Elise J. Laugier
Author: Jesse Casana
Author: Austin Chad Hill
Abstract: While archaeologists have long understood that thermal and multi-spectral imagery can potentially reveal a wide range of ancient cultural landscape features, only recently have advances in drone and sensor technology enabled us to collect these data at sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution for archaeological field settings. This paper presents results of a study at the Enfield Shaker Village, New Hampshire (USA), in which we collect a time-series of multi-spectral visible light, near-infrared (NIR), and thermal imagery in order to better understand the optimal contexts and environmental conditions for various sensors. We present new methods to remove noise from imagery and to combine multiple raster datasets in order to improve archaeological feature visibility. Analysis compares results of aerial imaging with ground-penetrating radar and magnetic gradiometry surveys, illustrating the complementary nature of these distinct remote sensing methods. Results demonstrate the value of high-resolution thermal and NIR imagery, as well as of multi-temporal image analysis, for the detection of archaeological features on and below the ground surface, offering an improved set of methods for the integration of these emerging technologies into archaeological field investigations.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12040690
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Remote Sensing
Publisher: MDPI

Detecting Prehistoric Landscape Features Using Thermal, Multispectral, and Historical Imagery Analysis at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois (Article)
Title: Detecting Prehistoric Landscape Features Using Thermal, Multispectral, and Historical Imagery Analysis at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois
Author: Jesse Casana
Author: Madeleine McLeester
Author: Mark Schurr
Author: Austin Chad Hill
Author: J.H. Wheeler III
Abstract: Locating the subtle and uneven deposition of human activities across the landscape continues to challenge archaeologists. Existing tools (e.g. excavation, shovel testing, pedestrian survey, and terrestrial geophysics) have proven effective at locating many types of archaeological features but remain time-consuming and difficult to undertake on densely vegetated or topographically complex terrain. As a result of these limitations, key aspects of past communities remain largely outside of archaeological detection and interpretation. This flattening of past lifeways not only affects broader understandings of these communities, but can also negatively impact the preservation of archaeological sites. This paper presents the detection of archaeological features through an analysis of drone-acquired thermal, multispectral, and visible light imagery, alongside historical aerial photography, in the area surrounding Middle Grant Creek (11WI2739), a late prehistoric village located at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, IL. Our investigations discovered a probable housing area and a ritual enclosure, increasing the area of the site from 3.4 ha to 20 ha. The proposed housing and ritual areas of this village also help contextualize finds from the ongoing archaeological excavations at Middle Grant Creek. More broadly, results demonstrate the valuable contributions that these relatively new archaeological survey methods have in shaping our understandings of the archaeological landscape and highlight the importance of integrating them into the archaeological toolkit.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X18303080
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Archaeological Aerial Thermography in Theory and Practice (Article)
Title: Archaeological Aerial Thermography in Theory and Practice
Author: Jesse Casana
Author: Adam Wiewel
Author: Autumn Cool
Author: Austin Chad Hill
Author: Elise J. Laugier
Author: Kevin D. Fisher
Abstract: While a long history of experimental data shows that aerial thermal images can reveal a wide range of both surface and subsurface archaeological features, technological hurdles have largely prevented more widespread use of this promising prospecting method. However, recent advances in the sophistication of thermal cameras, the reliability of commercial drones, and the growing power of photogrammetric software packages are revolutionizing archaeologists' ability to collect, process, and analyze aerial thermal imagery. This paper provides an overview of the theory behind aerial thermography in archaeology, as well as a discussion of an emerging set of methods developed by the authors for undertaking successful surveys. Summarizing investigations at archaeological sites in North America, the Mediterranean, and the Near East, our results illustrate some contexts in which aerial thermography is very effective, as well as cases in which ground cover, soil composition, or the depth and character of archaeological features present challenges. In addition, we highlight novel approaches for filtering out noise caused by vegetation, as well as methods for improving feature visibility using radiometric thermal imagery.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2017.23
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Advances in Archaeological Practice

Exploring archaeological landscapes using drone-acquired lidar: Case studies from Hawai’i, Colorado, and New Hampshire, USA (Article)
Title: Exploring archaeological landscapes using drone-acquired lidar: Case studies from Hawai’i, Colorado, and New Hampshire, USA
Author: Jesse Casana
Author: Elise J. Laugier
Author: Austin Chad Hill
Author: Kelsey Reese
Author: Carolin Ferwerda
Author: Mark McCoy
Author: Thegn Ladefoged
Abstract: Although aerial lidar has proven to be a powerful tool for mapping archaeological landscapes, particularly in forested regions of the world, the high costs of conventional lidar acquisition from aircraft or professional-grade drones remains a hurdle to many researchers. The recent development of ultra-compact, relatively low cost lidar mapping systems that can be deployed on consumer-grade drones now make it feasible for archaeologists to collect their own high-resolution aerial lidar of sites and landscapes, but the efficacy of these systems remains largely untested. This paper presents results of surveys undertaken using a ultra-compact, drone-deployed lidar at archaeological sites located in three different environments: 1) tropical forests at Kealakekua Bay State Historic Park, Hawai’i, 2) pinon-juniper forest on Mesa Verde’s North Escarpment, Colorado, and 3) mixed deciduous-evergreen forest at Enfield Shaker Village, New Hampshire. Results reveal a wealth of archaeological features at the three study sites and demonstrate the potential of drone-based lidar as a tool in archaeological prospection, but also illustrate some of the significant technical and practical challenges involved in making use of this exciting emerging technology.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103133
Primary URL Description: DOI
Access Model: Subscription
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Publisher: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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