Remote Sensing in Archaeology: an overview

Recently, the importance of applying satellite remote sensing technology to archaeological research has been paid great attention worldwide, due to the following aspects: (i).The improvement in spectral and spatial resolution reveals increasing detailed information for archaeological purposes, (ii).The synoptic view offered by satellite data helps us to understand the complexity of archaeological investigations at a variety of different scales, (iii).Satellite-based digital elevation models (DEMs) are widely used in archaeology for several purposes to considerably improve data analysis and interpretation, (iv).The availability of long satellite time series allows the monitoring of hazard and risk in archaeological sites, (v).Remotely sensed data enable us to carry out both inter and intra site prospection and data analysis, (vi).Satellite radar systems o ffer very high resolution data, (vii).The quite recent (mid-1990s availability of irborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)) remote sensing technique with the unique capability to penetrate vegetation canopies and identify earthwork features even under dense vegetation cover. Potential and limitation of active and passive satellite and aerial sensors willbe presented along with significant test studies selected from South America (Peru, Bolivia), Europe and Turkey. Nowadays the tremendous amount of data available from diverse remote sensing data sources can efficiently support archaeological surveys providing a scalable and modular approach that can significantly improve our current knowledge on past human activities, enabling us to better understand the past and forecast the future.