Geographical Information Systems has moved from the domain of the computer specialist into the wider archaeological community, providing it with an exciting new research method. This clearly written but rigorous book provides a comprehensive guide to that use. Topics covered include: the theoretical context and the basics of GIS; data acquisition including database design; interpolation of elevation models; exploratory data analysis including spatial queries; statistical spatial analysis; map algebra; spatial operations including the calculation of slope and aspect, filtering and erosion modeling; methods for analysing regions; visibility analysis; network analysis including hydrological modeling; the production of high quality output for paper and electronic publication; and the use and production of metadata. Offering an extensive range of archaeological examples, it is an invaluable source of practical information for all archaeologists, whether engaged in cultural resource management or academic research. This is essential reading for both the novice and the advanced user.

This monograph focuses on the use of GIS modelling as applied to the collection and interpretation of data relating to the archaeology of the Mediterranean landscape.

Geographic information systems GIS applications are viewed with increasing interest by the archaeology community and this book, with its diversity of topics and authorship, should be a useful resource. Complementing the volume "Interpreting Space" Taylor & Francis, 1990, which focused on North American archaeology, this title further develops themes within a specifically - though not exclusively - European context.; It is apparent that there are fundamental differences between North American and European archaeological uses of GIS. Primarily these differences lie in the types of evidence for past landscapes that are available for study in the two continents, and secondly in the different approaches to archaeology and specifically the theory and practice of landscape archaeology. This title centres on the role of archaeological theory in cultural resource management CRM and in GIS applications generally. It showcases the important debate which takes the emphasis away from the technology of GIS and places it back within the central concerns of archaeology and particularly European archaeology.; "Archaeology and GIS" includes material on such concerns as CRM applications, landscape archaeology, intra-site applications and explicitly theoretical concerns, thus representing the state of GIS applications in European archaeology. Contributions come from countries such as France, Italy, Hungary, UK, USA, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain, Slovenia and Finland.

Applying the analytical tools of GIS to new fields of research

Over 80 archaeologists from four continents create a benchmark volume of the ideas and practices of landscape archaeology, covering the theoretical and the practical, the research and conservation, and encasing the term in a global framework.

Major advances in the use of geographic information systems have been made in both anthropology and archaeology. Yet there are few published discussions of these new applications and their use in solving complex problems. This book explores these techniques, showing how they have been successfully deployed to pursue research previously considered too difficult--or impossible--to undertake. Among the projects described here are studies of land degradation in the Peruvian Amazon, settlement patterns in the Pacific northwest, ethnic distribution within the Los Angeles garment industry, and prehistoric sociopolitical development among the Anasazi. Following an introduction that discusses the theory of geographic information systems in relation to anthropological inquiry, the book is divided into sections demonstrating actual applications in cultural anthropology, archaeology, paleoanthropology, and physical anthropology. The work will be of much interest within all these communities.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Remote Sensing and Geosciences for Archaeology" that was published in Geosciences

The 19th century historic landscape of Devon developed from earlier patterns of landholdings and settlement that are, today, not always easily discernible on the ground. The study of Tithe Survey landholdings, field-names, and associated documentary evidence, together with the physical evidence of change and development through field and settlement pattern can be used to elucidate the relationship between field and settlement morphologies and patterns of 19th-century landholding. The combined evidence for three case-study areas – the Blackdown Hills, Hartland Moors, and the South Hams – is examined in detail though the creation, manipulation, and querying of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) database. Key issues addressed include: how far back patterns of 19th century landholding can be traced, or projected, back into the medieval period; the occurrence and extent of open field farming in Devon; and the spread of nucleated and dispersed settlements. Looking beyond the physical aspects of landscapes, the idea of landscape pays and the identification of regional differences in the study of the historic landscape are investigating revealing how closely entwined are the physical and social landscapes of this historic county.

The basic problem is to what extent we can know past and mainly invisible landscapes, and how we can use this still hidden knowledge for actual sustainable management of landscape's cultural and historical values. It has also been acknowledged that heritage management is increasingly about 'the management of future change rather than simply protection'. This presents us with a paradox: to preserve our historic environment, we have to collaborate with those who wish to transform it and, in order to apply our expert knowledge, we have to make it suitable for policy and society. The answer presented by the Protection and Development of the Dutch Archaeological-Historical Landscape programme (pdl/bbo) is an integrative landscape approach which applies inter- and transdisciplinarity, establishing links between archaeological-historical heritage and planning, and between research and policy.

This collection of twenty-eight essays presents an up-to-date survey of pre-Islamic Iran, from the earliest dynasty of Illam to the end of Sasanian empire, encompassing a rich diversity of peoples and cultures. Historically, Iran served as a bridge between the earlier Near Eastern cultures and the later classical world of the Mediterranean, and had a profound influence on political, military, economic, and cultural aspects of the ancient world. Written by international scholars and drawing mainly on the field of practical archaeology, which traditionally has shared little in the way of theories and methods, the book provides crucial pieces to the puzzle of the national identity of Iranian cultures from a historical perspective. Revealing the wealth and splendor of ancient Iranian society – its rich archaeological data and sophisticated artistic craftsmanship – most of which has never before been presented outside of Iran, this beautifully illustrated book presents a range of studies addressing specific aspects of Iranian archaeology to show why the artistic masterpieces of ancient Iranians rank among the finest ever produced. Together, the authors analyze how archaeology can inform us about our cultural past, and what remains to still be discovered in this important region.