Abstract
The complementary use of various archaeological prospection data sets offers a series of new possibilities for the investigation of prehistoric settlements. In addition to the separate interpretations of the single methods, the implementation of image fusion provides an additional tool to obtain an even higher degree of data integration during the interpretation process. To investigate some possibilities and risks of image fusion, a procedure frequently used in the medical field but rarely applied in archaeology, various algorithms inside a dedicated MATLAB toolbox TAIFU (Toolbox for Archaeological Image FUsion) were tested on the geophysical prospection data from an Iron Age settlement near Vesterager in West Jutland, Denmark. The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology had conducted large-scale, high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometry surveys at the site in 2014, based on its discovery by the Ringkøbing Museum through aerial photos and the results of a follow-up excavation in 2009. The aim was to determine if, and to what extent, geophysical prospection together with a novel integrative interpretational approach was able to add more detailed information to an already known prehistoric settlement. Results yielded a variety of deeper insights into the separate farms (dated to around AD 400), including the discovery of several new structures and more information about the construction of the longhouses, as well as a first suggestion on how to implement image fusion into the process of analysis and archaeological interpretation of geophysical data sets.
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Notes
Ringkøbing-Skjern Museum. RSM 10.033. Excavation by Palle Eriksen, Lis Helles Olesen, and Esben Schlosser Mauritsen.
Ringkøbing-Skjern Museum. RSM 10.033. Excavation by Palle Eriksen, Lis Helles Olesen, and Esben Schlosser Mauritsen.
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Acknowledgements
The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (archpro.lbg.ac.at) is based on the cooperation of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (A), the University of Vienna (A), the Vienna University of Technology (A), ZAMG, the Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (A), the Province of Lower Austria (A), Airborne Technologies (A), 7reasons (A), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (A), the Austrian Archaeological Institute (A), RGZM, the Roman-Germanic Central Museum Mainz (D), the National Historical Museums—Arkeologerna (S), the University of Birmingham (GB), Vestfold County Council (N), and NIKU—the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (N).
Holstebro Museum is one of 27 archaeological museums in Denmark and home for the first bigger project on aerial archaeology and non-destructive archaeology in Denmark.
Furthermore, we would like to thank all the farmers and landowners for permitting our work on their fields, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their critical comments and Kelly Gillikin for proofreading.
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Filzwieser, R., Olesen, L.H., Verhoeven, G. et al. Integration of Complementary Archaeological Prospection Data from a Late Iron Age Settlement at Vesterager—Denmark. J Archaeol Method Theory 25, 313–333 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-017-9338-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-017-9338-y