The Solt-Tételhegy site, lying in one of the most remarkable environments of the Great Hungarian ... more The Solt-Tételhegy site, lying in one of the most remarkable environments of the Great Hungarian Plain, has recently come into the focus of research. Situated in an excellent, well defensible strategic location by major routes, the settlement lay in the midst of a former marshland. The finds collected on the monadnock, the series of aerial photographs, and the finds and features brought to light during the excavations suggest that the site had functioned as a major administrative centre in the Carpathian Basin during several periods. Described here will be the construction of the GIS database for the Castrum Tetel Project and the preliminary findings of the first three excavation seasons (2005–2007)
This paper will present the most important GIS-related aspects of a project aimed at the study of... more This paper will present the most important GIS-related aspects of a project aimed at the study of prehistoric iron metallurgy in north-east Hungary, carried out in 2000–2002. The creation of an appropriate topographic and hydrological reconstruction played an important role both in the implementation of the project design and the interpretation of the archaeological data. The high-resolution elevation model of the Szendrő Basin was complemented by a hydrological reconstruction created with a simulation program. We carried out the floodplain analysis of the various rivers in the area and determined the maximum water level through the analysis of the location of the known sites. Through the calculation of the depth of the riverbeds and the velocity of the water-flow, we managed to identify the areas suitable for human occupation and to determine the possible locations of ancient fords and roads. During our survey, we were able to verify prehistoric and early Roman Age occupation in al...
Located on the fringes of the Eastern Hallstatt culture, the tumulus cemetery at Érd/ Százhalomba... more Located on the fringes of the Eastern Hallstatt culture, the tumulus cemetery at Érd/ Százhalombatta is one of the earliest identifi ed archaeological sites in Hungary. The fi rst map of the site was drawn in 1847; the number of mounds registered at the time (122) did not change substantially until the end of the 20th century. The aerial archaeological investigations from 2001 and the magnetometer geophysical survey from 2012 led to the identifi cation of another 103 ring ditches. In the framework of the Iron-Age-Danube project aerial archaeological and geophysical research were continued and complemented with systematical fi eld walkings. Not only the Early Iron Age tumulus fi eld but also the Iron Age settlement area was investigated. The results presented in this paper aim at giving an overview on the land use in the periods of the Bronze, Iron and Roman Ages.
The present article introduces a recently started project which aims at studying the topography o... more The present article introduces a recently started project which aims at studying the topography of the canabae and legionary fortress of Brigetio using non-destructive methods such as aerial photography and different geophysical surveys. After a brief summary of earlier research, the methods and results of the topographical work carried out in 2014 will be discussed below.
Flóris Rómer, one of the most renowned person in Hungarian and international archaeology, was bor... more Flóris Rómer, one of the most renowned person in Hungarian and international archaeology, was born two hundred years ago, in 1815. A number of important studies have been published recently on this occasion (\textsc{Valter} 2015; Archeometriai Műhely 2015/2, 53–162). Besides many other fields, he published remarkable works on topographical research. The present paper is dedicated to the memory of the excellent scholar and organiser – who was also one of the first acknowledged teachers of the Archaeological Department of our University.
This short case study had the aim to show a possible use of 3D visualization of ground penetratin... more This short case study had the aim to show a possible use of 3D visualization of ground penetrating radar (GPR) results. GPR’s main advantage over magnetometry is the presence of data related to the depth of the structures under the soil. This feature could be easily exploited using CAD applications and the results provide a great help for the evaluation of the GPR results.
‘processual analysis of sociopolitical evolution during the Iron Age in southern Scandinavia’ (T.... more ‘processual analysis of sociopolitical evolution during the Iron Age in southern Scandinavia’ (T. Earle, Foreword). Thurston herself declares that today, beyond a processual/postprocessual dichotomy, ‘there are a number of ways to understand more than artifacts and regions’ (2001:x). She provides a fine example of how the social and symbolic can be combined with the scientific. While her work deals mainly with sociopolitical history she pays considerable attention to the physical and cultural geography as well as to concepts of landscape. Her goal, she claims is, ‘to integrate many aspects of culture through the study of the natural and ideational worlds, the empirical and the subjective’ (2001:xi). Regarding and understanding a landscape always means considering both the natural and the ideational. This is a lesson we may be able to learn from Homer. In the Odyssey, he describes Ithaca as a place with: ‘Tracks slanting across the slopes, harbours to suit every mooring, rocks bare of vegetation, flourishing fruit trees’ (Homer, Od. 13:195– 196). In addition to outlining physical landscape features, this description, as Luce points out, contrasts ‘Internal communication by land . . . with sea travel’, and unfavourable ‘barren cliffs alternate with thriving orchards’ (Luce 1998:188). The natural and ideational, the physical and social, the objective and subjective are intertwined. All accurately define landscapes. And all are needed to properly study and understand these unique and historic spaces.
One of the main objectives of the Iron Age Danube project is to learn more about the nine importa... more One of the main objectives of the Iron Age Danube project is to learn more about the nine important sites of Eastern Hallstatt culture with modern topographic methods. The information gathered through aerial archaeological, ALS, geophysical, field survey and test excavation techniques as well as archaeobotanical analyses ultimately aims to reconstruct the former landscape, both in terms of 3D terrain, land cover and vegetation. However, the program is much more than a traditional research program: promotion of archaeology, broad presentation of results, involvement of local governments, public education and tourism institutions, schools in the zone of the concerned sites; moreover, initiation of cultural/tourism developments on the basis of results are all have a prominent role in the project. The leading institution of the program is the Joanneum in Graz, which, alongside the organization, also takes part in the research, public education and communication tasks.
The Solt-Tételhegy site, lying in one of the most remarkable environments of the Great Hungarian ... more The Solt-Tételhegy site, lying in one of the most remarkable environments of the Great Hungarian Plain, has recently come into the focus of research. Situated in an excellent, well defensible strategic location by major routes, the settlement lay in the midst of a former marshland. The finds collected on the monadnock, the series of aerial photographs, and the finds and features brought to light during the excavations suggest that the site had functioned as a major administrative centre in the Carpathian Basin during several periods. Described here will be the construction of the GIS database for the Castrum Tetel Project and the preliminary findings of the first three excavation seasons (2005–2007)
This paper will present the most important GIS-related aspects of a project aimed at the study of... more This paper will present the most important GIS-related aspects of a project aimed at the study of prehistoric iron metallurgy in north-east Hungary, carried out in 2000–2002. The creation of an appropriate topographic and hydrological reconstruction played an important role both in the implementation of the project design and the interpretation of the archaeological data. The high-resolution elevation model of the Szendrő Basin was complemented by a hydrological reconstruction created with a simulation program. We carried out the floodplain analysis of the various rivers in the area and determined the maximum water level through the analysis of the location of the known sites. Through the calculation of the depth of the riverbeds and the velocity of the water-flow, we managed to identify the areas suitable for human occupation and to determine the possible locations of ancient fords and roads. During our survey, we were able to verify prehistoric and early Roman Age occupation in al...
Located on the fringes of the Eastern Hallstatt culture, the tumulus cemetery at Érd/ Százhalomba... more Located on the fringes of the Eastern Hallstatt culture, the tumulus cemetery at Érd/ Százhalombatta is one of the earliest identifi ed archaeological sites in Hungary. The fi rst map of the site was drawn in 1847; the number of mounds registered at the time (122) did not change substantially until the end of the 20th century. The aerial archaeological investigations from 2001 and the magnetometer geophysical survey from 2012 led to the identifi cation of another 103 ring ditches. In the framework of the Iron-Age-Danube project aerial archaeological and geophysical research were continued and complemented with systematical fi eld walkings. Not only the Early Iron Age tumulus fi eld but also the Iron Age settlement area was investigated. The results presented in this paper aim at giving an overview on the land use in the periods of the Bronze, Iron and Roman Ages.
The present article introduces a recently started project which aims at studying the topography o... more The present article introduces a recently started project which aims at studying the topography of the canabae and legionary fortress of Brigetio using non-destructive methods such as aerial photography and different geophysical surveys. After a brief summary of earlier research, the methods and results of the topographical work carried out in 2014 will be discussed below.
Flóris Rómer, one of the most renowned person in Hungarian and international archaeology, was bor... more Flóris Rómer, one of the most renowned person in Hungarian and international archaeology, was born two hundred years ago, in 1815. A number of important studies have been published recently on this occasion (\textsc{Valter} 2015; Archeometriai Műhely 2015/2, 53–162). Besides many other fields, he published remarkable works on topographical research. The present paper is dedicated to the memory of the excellent scholar and organiser – who was also one of the first acknowledged teachers of the Archaeological Department of our University.
This short case study had the aim to show a possible use of 3D visualization of ground penetratin... more This short case study had the aim to show a possible use of 3D visualization of ground penetrating radar (GPR) results. GPR’s main advantage over magnetometry is the presence of data related to the depth of the structures under the soil. This feature could be easily exploited using CAD applications and the results provide a great help for the evaluation of the GPR results.
‘processual analysis of sociopolitical evolution during the Iron Age in southern Scandinavia’ (T.... more ‘processual analysis of sociopolitical evolution during the Iron Age in southern Scandinavia’ (T. Earle, Foreword). Thurston herself declares that today, beyond a processual/postprocessual dichotomy, ‘there are a number of ways to understand more than artifacts and regions’ (2001:x). She provides a fine example of how the social and symbolic can be combined with the scientific. While her work deals mainly with sociopolitical history she pays considerable attention to the physical and cultural geography as well as to concepts of landscape. Her goal, she claims is, ‘to integrate many aspects of culture through the study of the natural and ideational worlds, the empirical and the subjective’ (2001:xi). Regarding and understanding a landscape always means considering both the natural and the ideational. This is a lesson we may be able to learn from Homer. In the Odyssey, he describes Ithaca as a place with: ‘Tracks slanting across the slopes, harbours to suit every mooring, rocks bare of vegetation, flourishing fruit trees’ (Homer, Od. 13:195– 196). In addition to outlining physical landscape features, this description, as Luce points out, contrasts ‘Internal communication by land . . . with sea travel’, and unfavourable ‘barren cliffs alternate with thriving orchards’ (Luce 1998:188). The natural and ideational, the physical and social, the objective and subjective are intertwined. All accurately define landscapes. And all are needed to properly study and understand these unique and historic spaces.
One of the main objectives of the Iron Age Danube project is to learn more about the nine importa... more One of the main objectives of the Iron Age Danube project is to learn more about the nine important sites of Eastern Hallstatt culture with modern topographic methods. The information gathered through aerial archaeological, ALS, geophysical, field survey and test excavation techniques as well as archaeobotanical analyses ultimately aims to reconstruct the former landscape, both in terms of 3D terrain, land cover and vegetation. However, the program is much more than a traditional research program: promotion of archaeology, broad presentation of results, involvement of local governments, public education and tourism institutions, schools in the zone of the concerned sites; moreover, initiation of cultural/tourism developments on the basis of results are all have a prominent role in the project. The leading institution of the program is the Joanneum in Graz, which, alongside the organization, also takes part in the research, public education and communication tasks.
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Papers by Balázs Holl