UAVs and Archaeology – A Step in a New Direction?
UAVs are the latest addition to the technology market, a must-have piece of kit for the
filming, production and broadcasting industries. However UAVs have also found their
place in a more traditional field, becoming a key addition to the archaeologist’s tool kit.
UAVs offer a number of incredibly beneficial advantages for archaeologists. UAVs can produce a range of data, including everything from simple aerial photography to data rich
3D maps of potential and current dig sites. They also have the ability to cover large areas
and remain time effective. As the quality of data and images captured by UAVs continually advance they are becoming more and more prominent across the industry.
Most importantly, UAVs also provide incredibly beneficial possibilities for aerial thermography. Thermal cameras can detect temperature differences invisible to the human eye.
They are able to detect the difference in heat signatures of buried stone structures which
can in turn identify archaeological settlements hidden beneath the surface. The speed
with which UAVs can cover large areas also adequately fulfils the need to conduct the
entire area of a survey in a short period of time in order to reduce variations in thermal
values.
A recent project undertaken by archaeologist & University of Arkansas professor Jesse
Casana and University of North Florida Professor John Kantner has demonstrated the incredible value of UAVs to archaeology. The duo used a UAV to reveal a buried Puebloan
community in New Mexico. The thousand-year-old community, known as “Blue J”, consists
of approx. 60 homes clustered around what was once a small spring. Footage obtained
from the UAV identified unnatural circular shapes thought to be traditional architectural
forms known as Kivas. From the ground, the structures were completely invisible. Thus
demonstrating the huge advantage that UAVs can provide for archaeology.
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