Geoarchaeology consists in using methods and concepts of the Earth Sciences for archaeological research purposes. Top of pageġGeoarchaeology is a multi-proxy approach where geographical and geoscientific concepts and methods are applied to Prehistory, Archaeology and History (Rapp and Hill, 1998). Given the current threats and uncertainties related to climate change, it is predictable and desirable that many disciplines will adopt similar integrated approach to model their favourite object of research. Over the last 20 000 years, humans had to constantly adapt their lifestyles according to the displacement of the shoreline. These geoarchaeological studies offer now an unprecedented level of integration between disciplines to visualize a shoreline and its displacement. The potential of Geoarchaeology is illustrated by three case-studies in Albania and Greece, where the neighbourhood of ancient settlements from the Holocene (the last 10000 years) have been reconstructed into virtual landscape. This paper describes several powerful methods to infer the evolution of landscapes in the context of such multi-disciplinary/geoarchaeological programmes. GIS is used to manage the important amount of data widely dispatched both in space and in time. Satellite images, high resolution topographic surveys (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data) and palaeo-environmental results are used to establish accurate topographic maps, palaeogeographic reconstructions and three dimensional views of the landscape, contemporaneous to the ancient site of interest. Geoarchaeology is a recent field of research that uses the computer cartography, the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Digital Elevation Models (D.E.M.) in combination with disciplines from Human and Social Sciences and Earth Sciences. Line 1 starts with the contour interval, not the projection point.Over the last decades, archaeologists and historians have faced the necessity to reconstruct ancient settlement history not only through the study of the material excavated, but also with the use of palaeo-environmental parameters. Slope Worksheet - Use the information from the example above and complete the slope worksheet. The run is 1000 feet and the rise in elevation is 120 feet. Step 4. Use the slope percent equation and solve. Set up the cancellation table so all units will cancel, except the desired unit, feet. Step 2. Use the appropriate conversion factor to convert the horizontal map distance to horizontal ground distance. The horizontal map distance measures 0.5 inches. Step 1. Measure the horizontal map distance between points A and B to get the vertical ground distance. The horizontal distance between points A and B can be measured with a scaled ruler and used to determine the slope percent.Įxample 4 - What is the slope percent in Exercise 2 above?įor this computation, the rise, or vertical ground distance, and run, or horizontal ground distance, are needed. Notice the tick marks pointing toward lower elevation. The figure above illustrates a depression and its representation using contour lines. (b) Notice how a mountain saddle, a ridge, a stream, a steep area, and a flat area are shown with contour lines. The figure above illustrates various topographic features. Contour lines that are very close together indicate a steep slope. Widely separated contour lines indicate a gentle slope. The peak is normally considered to be located at half the interval distance. Note: The intervals are increasing, therefore, the contours indicate a hill. From the contour map, a profile can be drawn of the terrain.Įxample 2 - Draw a profile showing the elevations of the contours. The even spacing indicates the hill has a uniform slope. The contour lines in this figure are equally spaced. Pick two contour lines that are next to each other and find the difference in associated numbers. Sharp contour points indicate pointed ridges.Įxample 1 - In the graphic below, what is the vertical distance between the contour lines? Contour lines tend to enclose the smallest areas on ridge tops, which are often narrow or very limited in spatial extent. A rounded contour indicates a flatter or wider drainage or spur. They then cross the stream and turn back along the opposite bank of the stream forming a "v". As a contour approaches a stream, canyon, or drainage area, the contour lines turn upstream. If the numbers associated with the contour lines are decreasing, there is a decrease in elevation. If the numbers associated with specific contour lines are increasing, the elevation of the terrain is also increasing. Index contours are bold or thicker lines that appear at every fifth contour line. A contour interval is the vertical distance or difference in elevation between contour lines. A contour line is a line drawn on a topographic map to indicate ground elevation or depression.
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