An Archaeological Landscape Survey of 6600 km2 of Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine, Using Open-Source Satellite Images: Second Report

Keywords: landscape archaeology, survey, satellite images, remote sensing (RS), HEXAGON, Google Earth, interpretation and mapping, artificial intelligence.

Abstract

This article presents the result of some three years survey and analysis of archaeological landscapes in part of Ukraine using open-source satellite images. More than 7500 archaeological features were identified and geolocated and can be assessed by others using our web application. Principal contents of this report are discussion about habitation sites and mounds. Case studies resulted in a series of maps that may indicate some archaeological potential of interpretation from satellite images.

References

Videiko, M. Yu (ed.) Entsyklopediia Trypilskoi tsyvilizatsii. 2004. T. 1. Kyiv: TOV “Ukrpolihrafmedia”. Available at: https://archive.org/details/tryptsyv01 [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Hershkovych, Ya. P. 2009. Zolnyky Bilohrudivskoho typu — skladni monumentalni struktury epokhy piznoi bronzovoi doby. Arkheolohichnyi almanakh, 20, p. 327-332.
Hnera, V. F. 2024. Do pytannia pro metodyku analizu aerofoto ta kosmoznimkiv na naiavnist pamiatok arkheolohii. Arheologia, 3, p. 105-120. https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2024.03.105
Ivanova, S. V. 2016. Kurgany vs poseleniia: skotovody vs zemledeltsy. In: Ţerna, S., Govedarica, B. (eds.). Interactions, Changes and Meanings: Essays in Honour of Igor Manzura on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday. Kishinev: Stratum Plus, p. 273-291
Petrenko, V. G. 1989. Lokalnye gruppy skifoobraznoi kultury Vostochnoi Evropy. Arkheologiia SSSR. Stepi evropeiskoi chasti SSSR v skifo-sarmatskoe vremia. Moscow: Nauka, p. 67-80.
Pribytkov, A. A., Arifullin, E. Z., Zviagina, L. N., Kalach, E. V., Chekmeneva, T. G. 2024. Razvitie selskogo khoziaistva v SSSR v 1920–1980 gody: istoricheskii ekskurs. Agrarian History, 17, p. 46-53. https://agrarianhistory.com/archive/ru/17/5
Puholovok, Yu. O., Hrechko, D. S., Kariaka, O. V., Rzhevuska, S. S. 2020. Novi dani pro poselenski struktury skifskoho chasu bilia vytokiv r. Poluziria. Arkheolohichni doslidzhennia Bilskoho horodyshcha — 2019: zbirnyk naukovykh prats. Kyiv; Kotelva: TsP NAN Ukrainy; UTOPIK, p. 213-230.
Skyba, A. V., Baranov, V. I. 2019. The Pastyrske Hill-Fort: Ceramic Complex from the Backfill of the Internal Moat (According to Research in 2017). Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 1, p. 67-74. https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2019.01.07
Shyshkin, K. V. 1964. Pro vykorystannia aerofotoziomky v arkheolohii. Arheologia, 17, p. 199-204.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1985. Planuvannia trypilskykh poselen za danymy aerofotoziomky. Arheologia, 52, p. 72-77.
AAME 2025. Historic England: Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/aerial-archaeology-mapping-explorer/ [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Albert, B., Innes, J., Krementskiy, K., Millard, A. R., Gaydarska, B., Nebbia, M., Chapman, J., 2020. What Was the Ecological Impact of a Trypillia Megasite Occupation? Multi-Proxy Palaeo-Environmental Investigations at Nebelivka, Ukraine. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany , 29, p. 15-34.
Aldred, O. 2021. The Archaeology of Movement. Abingdon: Routledge.
Barclay, A., Harding, J. 2017. Pathways and Ceremonies: The Cursus Monuments of Britain and Ireland. Neolithic Studies Group Seminar Papers, 4. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Brasoveanu, C., Asandulesei, A., Brunchi, R.-A., Tencariu, F.-A. 2023. Raking over the Ashes — The Analysis of the LBA Ashmounds from NE Romania. Remote Sensing, 15, 1826, p. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15071826
Campana, S. 2017. Emptyscapes: Filling an ‘Empty’ Mediterranean Landscape at Rusellae, Italy. Antiquity, 91, p. 1223-1240. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2017.139
Carter, J. C., Crawford, M., Lehman, P., Nikolaenko, G., Trelogan, J. 2000. The Chora of Chersonesos in Crimea, Ukraine. American Journal of Archaeology, 104 (4), p. 707-741. https://doi.org/10.2307/507154
Chapman, J., Videiko, M. Yu., Hale, D., Gaydarska, B., Burdo, N., Rassmann, K., Mischka, C., Muller, J., Korvin-Piotrovskiy, A., Kruts, V. 2014. The Second Phase of the Trypillia Mega-Site Methodological Revolution: A New Research Agenda. European Journal of Archaeology, 17 (3), p. 369-406. https://doi.org/10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000062
Chapman, J., Arroyo-Kalin, M., Kaikkonen, T., Ivanova, S. 2020. The Barrow. In: Gaydarska, B. (ed.). Early Urbanism in Europe: the Trypillia Megasites of the Ukrainian Forest Steppe. Warsaw; Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 212-214.
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. 2025. Code, Regulations and Standards & Guidance. Available at: https://www.archaeologists.net/codes/cifa [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. 2025. Habitation Sites. Available at: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199534043.001.0001/acref-9780199534043-e-1721 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Cowley, D. 2020. Scotland in Miniature: Automating Archaeological Survey on Arran. British Archaeology, 170, p. 44-49.
Cowley, D., Palmer, R. 2010. Interpreting Aerial Images — Developing Best Practice. In: Forte, M., Campana, S., Liuzza, C. (eds.). Space, Time, Place: Third International Conference on Remote Sensing in Archaeology. British Archaeological Reports: International Series, 2118, p. 129-135.
Coynash, H. 2024. Russia Totally Destroys Chersonese UNESCO Site in Grotesque Attempt to Justify Crimean Occupation. Human Rights in Ukraine. Available at: https://khpg.org/en/1608813864 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Crutchley, S. 2024. Getting It Out There. AARGnews, 69, с. 20-24.
Danylchenko, S. L. 2022. The Development of Agriculture in the USSR in 1970–1990. Agrarian History, 11, с. 54-61. https://doi.org/10.52270/27132447_2022_11_54
Doneus, M., Briese, C., Fera, M., Janner, M. 2008. Archaeological Prospection of Forested Areas using Full-Waveform Airborne Laser Scanning. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35, p. 882-893.
Earthdata. 2025. Available at: https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/search/concepts/C1220566448-USGS_LTA.html [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Encyclopedia of Ukraine. 2025. Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Pastyrske Fortified Settlement. Available at: https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CP%5CA%5CPastyrskefortifiedsettlement.htm [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Evans, S. 2019. Historic England Aerial Investigation & Mapping Standards Technical Review. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/46-2019 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
FAO. 2001. Proceedings of the Regional Technical Meeting on Seed Policy and Programmes for the Central and Eastern European Countries, Commonwealth of Independent States and other Countries in Transition: Budapest, Hungary, 6–10 March 2001: Ukraine Available at: https://www.fao.org/4/y2722e/y2722e17.htm#bm43 [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Ganz, K., Morales-Molino, C., Gobet, E., Kiosak, D., Kotova, N., van Leeuwen, J., Makhortykh, S., Schwörer, C., Tinner, W. 2024. Holocene Vegetation Dynamics in Southern Ukraine under Changing Land Use and Climate. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 321, 105019, p. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2023.105019
Garmin. 2025. Accuracy of Decimal Places in Latitude and Longitude Degrees. Available at: https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=hRMBoCTy5a7HqVkxukhHd8 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Glavaš, V., Palmer, R. 2013. Aerial and Field Reconnaissance of Velebit Mountain. In: Czajlik, Z., Bödocs, A. (eds.). Aerial Archaeology and Remote Sensing from the Baltic to the Adriatic. Budapest, p. 19-23.
Hall, D. N., Palmer, R. 1996. Cambridgeshire Fenland Survey: The Wisbech Region. In: Hall, D. (ed.). Fenland Landscapes, Cambridgeshire, Vol. 3. East Anglian Archaeology, 79, p. 164-191.
Hammer, E., Ur, J. 2019. Near Eastern Landscapes and Declassified U2 Aerial Imagery. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 7 (2), p. 107-126.
Historic... 2025. Historic England: Research Reports. https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/
Kaiser, E., Sava, E. 2006. The “Ash Hills” of the Late Bronze Age in the North Pontic. Eurasia Antiqua, 12, p. 137-172.
Kariaka, A. V. 2008. The Demarcation System of the Agricultural Environment of Olbia Pontike. In: Bilde, P. G., Petersen, J. H. (eds.). Meeting of Cultures in the Black Sea Region, Aarhus, p. 181-192.
Kirleis, W., Dreibrodt, S. 2016. The Natural Background: Forest, Forest Steppe or Steppe Environment. In: Müller, J., Rassmann, K., Videiko, M. (eds.). Trypillia Mega-Sites and European Prehistory: 4100–3400 BCE. London: Routledge, p. 171-179.
Kramer, I. 2022. Past Meets Future: AI in Archaeology [TED x Southampton University]. Available at: https://youtube/4CV2u4EPkIo [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Lisetskii, F. N., Stolba, V. F. 2022. Archaeological Ash Deposits and Soils Formed on Ash in the South of the East European Plain. Quaternary International, 618, p. 14-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.QUAINT.2020.11.030
Makarewicz, C. A., Hofmann, R., Videiko, M. Yu., Müller, J. 2022. Community Negotiation and Pasture Partitioning at the Trypillia Settlement of Maidanetske. Antiquity, 96 (388), p. 831-847. . https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.32
Mapire. 2025. Historical Map Portal. Available at: https://maps.arcanum.com/en/ [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Nebbia, M. 2017a. Introduction to the Trypillia–Cucuteni Settlement Distribution. ADS Archive. Available at: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/trypillia_ahrc_2018/index.cfm [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Nebbia, M. 2017b. Trypillia Spreadsheet. ADS Archive. Available at: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/trypillia_ahrc_2018/downloads.cfm?group=1244 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Needham, S., Anelay, G. 2021. Barrows at the Core of Bronze Age Communities. Leiden: Sidestone Press. Available at: https://www.sidestone.com/books/barrows-at-the-core-of-bronze-age-communities [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Opitz, R. S., Cowley, D. C. (eds.). 2013. Interpreting Archaeological Topography. Oxford: Oxbow. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvh1dqdz
OSW. 2014. The Transformation of Agriculture in Ukraine. Available at: https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2014-02-07/transformation-agriculture-ukraine-collective-farms-to [Accessed 26 August 2025].
Palmer, R., Fowler, M., Kariaka, O., Ward, V. 2023. An Archaeological Landscape Survey of 6600 km2 of Cherkasy Region, Ukraine. Arheologia, 3, p. 5-20. https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2023.03.005
Pedlow, G. W., Welzenbach, D. E. 2016. The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954–1974. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000192682.pdf [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Powlesland, D. 2025. SPARC_Landscape Research Centre Archive_2020. Available at: https://zenodo.org/records/4382192 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
QGIS. 2025. Spatial without Compromise — QGIS Web Site. Available at: https://qgis.org/ [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Rączkowski, W. 1996. Aerial Reconnaissance and Fieldwalking Survey: British and Polish Reality. AARGnews, 12, p. 16-17.
Rascovan, N., Sjögren, K.-G., Kristiansen, K., Nielsen, R., Willerslev, E., Desnues, C., Rasmussen, S. 2019. Emergence and Spread of Basal Lineages of Yersinia pestis during the Neolithic Decline. Cell, 176, p. 295-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.11.005
Redfern, S. 1997. Computer Assisted Classification from Aerial Photographs. AARGnews, 14, p. 33-38.
Sava, E. 2005. The Late Bronze Age Ash Mounds (“Zol’niki”) — An Explanatory Model. Praehistorische Zeitschrift, 80 (1), p. 65-109. https://doi.org/10.1515/prhz.2005.80.1.65
Sava, E., Kaiser, E. 2011. The Settlement with “Ash Hills” near Odaia-Miciurin. Archaeological and Scientific Investigations, Chişinău.
Stoertz, C. 1997. Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds. Swindon: RCHME.
Tenzer, M., Pistilli, G., Brandsen, A., Shenfield, A. 2024. Debating AI in Archaeology. Internet Archaeology, 67, p. 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.67.8
Trier, O. D., Larsen, S. O., Solberg, A. 2009. Automatic Detection of Circular Structures in High-resolution Satellite Images of Agricultural Land. Archaeological Prospection, 16, p. 1-15.  https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.339
USGS 2025. Available at: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/usgs-eros-archive-digital-elevation-shuttle-radar-topography-mission-srtm-1 [Accessed 20 March 2025].
Wilson, D. 2004. The Cambridge University Campaign in Denmark 1966-70. AARGnews, 28, p. 36-38.

Abstract views: 247
PDF Downloads: 207
Published
2025-12-02
Section
Articles