An archaeological landscape survey of 6600 km2 of Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine, Using Open-source Satellite Images: First Report
Keywords:
Cherkasy Oblast, prehistoric era, Aerial Archaeology Research Group (AARG), landscape survey, HEXAGON, Google Earth, mounds, habitation sites, hillforts
Abstract
In the article, methods and use of open-source images to undertake an archaeological landscape survey of part of Ukraine are described. A selection of results — feature types and their placement in the landscape — from the first year of our survey is outlined and discussed. Our results can be assessed and manipulated using an interactive ArcGIS web app.
References
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Borysov, A. V. 2020. Vykorystannia danykh aero ta kosmichnoi ziomky u arkheolohii Serednoi Naddniprianshchyny. Arkheolohichna spadshchyna — pohliad zghory: pravovi ta orhanizatsiini zasady vykorystannia danykh aerokosmichnoi ziomky dlia okhorony ta doslidzhennia arkheolohichnoi spadshchyny. Materialy naukovo-praktychnoi konferentsii (Kyiv, 6 lystopada 2020 r.). K. DU “Instytut ekonomiko-pravovykh doslidzhen imeni V.K.Mamutova NAN Ukrainy”, p. 138-145.
Borysov, A. V., Hnera, V. A., Mysak, V. M., Marchenko, O. V. 2022. Sites of Horodyshcha on the Vilshanka river (materials for the archaeological map). Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 3 (44), p. 252-262.
Hnera, V. A. 2014. Analiz vykorystannia dystantsiino pilotovanykh litaiuchykh aparativ u arkheolohichnykh doslidzhenniakh. Pratsi Tsentru pamiatkoznavstva. In: Tytova, O. M. et al. (eds.). Tsentr pamiatkoznavstva NAN Ukrainy i UTOPIK, 26, p. 16-25.
Hnera, V. A. 2014. Dosvid vykorystannia materialiv aero- ta kosmichnoi ziomky v istoryko-memorialnii roboti. Nizhynska starovyna: zbirnyk rehionalnoi istorii ta pamiatkoznavstva. In: Kovalenko, O. B. et al. (eds.). Tsentr pamiatkoznavstva NAN Ukrainy i UTOPIK, 18(21), p. 10-21.
Kariaka, O. V. 2021. Ancient roads near Davydiv Brid at Ingulets river. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 3(40), p. 169-174. https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2021.03.10
Malolitneva, V. K., Borysov, A. V., Hurova, A. M., Malyshev, O. O. 2021. Osnovni rezultaty naukovoho proiektu “Pravovi ta orhanizatsiini aspekty vykorystannia aerokosmichnoi ziomky dlia doslidzhennia y 2021 okhorony arkheolohichnoi spadshchyny Ukrainy.” Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho Natsionalnoho Universytetu. Seriia Pravo, 68, p. 174-179. DOI https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2021.68.29
Priadko, O. O. 2020. “Busurmenske” hill-fort on the Ikva river. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 2(35), p. 137-141.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1964. Pro vykorystannia aerofotoziomky v arkheolohii. Arheologia, 17, p. 199-204.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1973. Z praktyky deshyfruvannia aerofotoznimkiv u arkheolohichnykh tsiliakh. Arheologia, 10, p. 32-41.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1985. Planuvannia trypilskykh poselen za danymy aerofotoziomky. Arheologia, 52, p. 72-77.
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Broch, M. C., 2021. Working with Normalised Difference Vegetation and Moisture Indexes in AARG’s Sentinel 2 Working Group — the Idea, the Method and the Next Step. AARGnews, 63, pp. 9-11.
Chapman, J., Gaydarska, B., Nebbia, M., 2019. The Origins of Trypillia Megasites Project: Early Urbanism in Prehistoric Europe?: the Case of the Trypillia Mega-sites. Frontiers in Digital Humanities, 6, DOI: 10.3389/fdigh.2019.00010
CIA, 2023. Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room [online]. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/
ESDAC 2023. Soil Map of Ukraine (1977) [online]. Available at: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/title-russia-soil-map-ukraine
Gaydarska, B., Chapman, J., 2020. Ancient Ukrainian “Megasites” Might Have Been the World’s First Cities [online]. Available at: https://blog.degruyter.com/ancient-ukrainian-megasites-might-have-been-the-worlds-first-cities/
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Fowler, M. J. F., 2022b. Through the Keyhole: Exploiting HEXAGON Spy Satellite Photographs in AARG’s Ukraine Project. AARGnews, 65, p. 36-45.
Fowler, M. J. F., 2022c. Taming the Unknown: Combining Different Data Sources in AARG’s Ukraine Project. AARGnews, 65, p. 29-35.
Hall, D. N., Palmer, R. 1996. Cambridgeshire Fenland Survey: the Silt Fens. In: Hall D. N. (ed.) Fenland Landscapes, Cambridgeshire, Volume 3. East Anglian Archaeology, 79. Norwich: Centre for East Anglian Studies.
Hammer, E., FitzPatrick, M., Ur, J., 2022. Succeeding CORONA: Declassified HEXAGON. Intelligence Imagery for Archaeological and Historical Research. Antiquity, 96 (397), pp. 679-695. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.22
Historic England 2023. Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer [online]. Available at: https://historicengland.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
Karavaiko, D. V., 2023. Hillforts of the Scythian Period in the Middle Course of the Seim River. Arheologia, 1, pp. 20-39.
Kariaka, A. V., 2008. The Demarcation System of the Agricultural Environment of Olbia Pontike. In: Guldager Bilde P., Petersen J. H. (eds.), Meeting of Cultures in the Black Sea Region between Conflict and Coexistence. Aarhus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag, pp. 181-192.
Kariaka, O. 2023. Kostiantyn Shyshkin in Soviet Archaeology, AARGnews, 66, pp. 10-18.
Mapire 2023. Historical Map Portal [online]. Available at: https://maps.arcanum.com/en/
Nebbia, M., Roe, J., 2020. Chapter 3: Landscape Studies. In: Gaydarska, B. (ed.). Early Urbanism in Europe, The Trypillia Megasites of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe. Warsaw; Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 60-110. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110664959/pdf
Ohlrau, R., 2020. Maidanetske: Development and Decline of a Trypillia Mega-site in Central Ukraine. Leiden: Sidestone.
Palmer, R., 1984. Danebury: an Aerial Photographic Interpretation of Its Environs. RCHM Supplementary Series, 6.
Palmer, R., 2021. AARG’s Sentinel 2 Working Group — Background and First Report. AARGnews, 62, pp. 9-10.
Riley, D. N., 1980. Early Landscape from the Air. Sheffield: Collis.
Rud, V., Ohlrau, R., Fedorov, S., 2016. Satellite Images and Geomagnetic Plans of Several Cucuteni-Trypillia Sites of the Right Bank of Southern Bug River. In: Mischka, D., et al. (eds.). Beyond Excavation: Geophysics, Aerial Photography and the Use of Drones in Eastern and South-East European Archaeology: International Colloquium: Programme and Abstracts. Romania: Piatra-Neamţ, pp. 51-54.
Smithsonian Global 2003. Remotely Monitoring Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage with the Conflict Observatory [online]. Available at: https://global.si.edu/projects/remotely-monitoring-ukraine’s-cultural-heritage-conflict-observatory
Stoertz, C., 1997. Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds. Swindon: RCHME.
Unesco 2023. Damaged Cultural Sites in Ukraine Verified by UNESCO [online]. Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco
USGS, 2023. Earth Explorer [online]. Available at: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
Ward, V., 2023a. Trypillia Sites: a Comparison of Google Earth Satellite Images to Aerial Photograph Analysis by K. V. Shyshkin. AARGnews, 66, pp. 19-26.
Ward, V., 2023b. Trypillia Database for AARG GE Project. Document circulated to working group on 30 January 2023.
Wilson, D.R., 2000. Air Photo Interpretation for Archaeologists. Stroud: Tempus.
Bilynskyi, O. O. 2018. Scythian Time Hillforts in the Dnieper Left-Bank Forest-Steppe: General Characterization, Catalogue, Typology. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine. 1(26), p. 213-234.
Boltryk, Yu. V., Kariaka, O. V. 2021. Traces of the ancient paths in the Steppe Tavria. Arkheolohiia i davnia istoriia Ukrainy, 3(40), р. 199-214. https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2021.03.13
Borysov, A. V. 2020. Vykorystannia danykh aero ta kosmichnoi ziomky u arkheolohii Serednoi Naddniprianshchyny. Arkheolohichna spadshchyna — pohliad zghory: pravovi ta orhanizatsiini zasady vykorystannia danykh aerokosmichnoi ziomky dlia okhorony ta doslidzhennia arkheolohichnoi spadshchyny. Materialy naukovo-praktychnoi konferentsii (Kyiv, 6 lystopada 2020 r.). K. DU “Instytut ekonomiko-pravovykh doslidzhen imeni V.K.Mamutova NAN Ukrainy”, p. 138-145.
Borysov, A. V., Hnera, V. A., Mysak, V. M., Marchenko, O. V. 2022. Sites of Horodyshcha on the Vilshanka river (materials for the archaeological map). Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 3 (44), p. 252-262.
Hnera, V. A. 2014. Analiz vykorystannia dystantsiino pilotovanykh litaiuchykh aparativ u arkheolohichnykh doslidzhenniakh. Pratsi Tsentru pamiatkoznavstva. In: Tytova, O. M. et al. (eds.). Tsentr pamiatkoznavstva NAN Ukrainy i UTOPIK, 26, p. 16-25.
Hnera, V. A. 2014. Dosvid vykorystannia materialiv aero- ta kosmichnoi ziomky v istoryko-memorialnii roboti. Nizhynska starovyna: zbirnyk rehionalnoi istorii ta pamiatkoznavstva. In: Kovalenko, O. B. et al. (eds.). Tsentr pamiatkoznavstva NAN Ukrainy i UTOPIK, 18(21), p. 10-21.
Kariaka, O. V. 2021. Ancient roads near Davydiv Brid at Ingulets river. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 3(40), p. 169-174. https://doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2021.03.10
Malolitneva, V. K., Borysov, A. V., Hurova, A. M., Malyshev, O. O. 2021. Osnovni rezultaty naukovoho proiektu “Pravovi ta orhanizatsiini aspekty vykorystannia aerokosmichnoi ziomky dlia doslidzhennia y 2021 okhorony arkheolohichnoi spadshchyny Ukrainy.” Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho Natsionalnoho Universytetu. Seriia Pravo, 68, p. 174-179. DOI https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2021.68.29
Priadko, O. O. 2020. “Busurmenske” hill-fort on the Ikva river. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 2(35), p. 137-141.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1964. Pro vykorystannia aerofotoziomky v arkheolohii. Arheologia, 17, p. 199-204.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1973. Z praktyky deshyfruvannia aerofotoznimkiv u arkheolohichnykh tsiliakh. Arheologia, 10, p. 32-41.
Shyshkin, K. V. 1985. Planuvannia trypilskykh poselen za danymy aerofotoziomky. Arheologia, 52, p. 72-77.
AARG, 2023. AARG Ukraine WG web app [online]. Available at: https://satarchuk.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/interactivelegend/index.html?appid=e6d6ccf301e7492d8f7cd113c777c264
Ašandulesei, A., 2017. Inside a Cucuteni Settlement: Remote Sensing Techniques for Documenting an Unexplored Eneolithic Site from Northeastern Romania. Remote Sens, 9, 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9010041
Broch, M. C., 2021. Working with Normalised Difference Vegetation and Moisture Indexes in AARG’s Sentinel 2 Working Group — the Idea, the Method and the Next Step. AARGnews, 63, pp. 9-11.
Chapman, J., Gaydarska, B., Nebbia, M., 2019. The Origins of Trypillia Megasites Project: Early Urbanism in Prehistoric Europe?: the Case of the Trypillia Mega-sites. Frontiers in Digital Humanities, 6, DOI: 10.3389/fdigh.2019.00010
CIA, 2023. Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room [online]. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/
ESDAC 2023. Soil Map of Ukraine (1977) [online]. Available at: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/title-russia-soil-map-ukraine
Gaydarska, B., Chapman, J., 2020. Ancient Ukrainian “Megasites” Might Have Been the World’s First Cities [online]. Available at: https://blog.degruyter.com/ancient-ukrainian-megasites-might-have-been-the-worlds-first-cities/
Fowler, M. J. F., 2022a. The Archaeological Potential of KH-9 HEXAGON Satellite Photographs: the Roman Temporary Camps and Siege Works at Machaerus and Masada. AARGnews, 64, p. 37-53.
Fowler, M. J. F., 2022b. Through the Keyhole: Exploiting HEXAGON Spy Satellite Photographs in AARG’s Ukraine Project. AARGnews, 65, p. 36-45.
Fowler, M. J. F., 2022c. Taming the Unknown: Combining Different Data Sources in AARG’s Ukraine Project. AARGnews, 65, p. 29-35.
Hall, D. N., Palmer, R. 1996. Cambridgeshire Fenland Survey: the Silt Fens. In: Hall D. N. (ed.) Fenland Landscapes, Cambridgeshire, Volume 3. East Anglian Archaeology, 79. Norwich: Centre for East Anglian Studies.
Hammer, E., FitzPatrick, M., Ur, J., 2022. Succeeding CORONA: Declassified HEXAGON. Intelligence Imagery for Archaeological and Historical Research. Antiquity, 96 (397), pp. 679-695. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.22
Historic England 2023. Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer [online]. Available at: https://historicengland.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
Karavaiko, D. V., 2023. Hillforts of the Scythian Period in the Middle Course of the Seim River. Arheologia, 1, pp. 20-39.
Kariaka, A. V., 2008. The Demarcation System of the Agricultural Environment of Olbia Pontike. In: Guldager Bilde P., Petersen J. H. (eds.), Meeting of Cultures in the Black Sea Region between Conflict and Coexistence. Aarhus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag, pp. 181-192.
Kariaka, O. 2023. Kostiantyn Shyshkin in Soviet Archaeology, AARGnews, 66, pp. 10-18.
Mapire 2023. Historical Map Portal [online]. Available at: https://maps.arcanum.com/en/
Nebbia, M., Roe, J., 2020. Chapter 3: Landscape Studies. In: Gaydarska, B. (ed.). Early Urbanism in Europe, The Trypillia Megasites of the Ukrainian Forest-Steppe. Warsaw; Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 60-110. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110664959/pdf
Ohlrau, R., 2020. Maidanetske: Development and Decline of a Trypillia Mega-site in Central Ukraine. Leiden: Sidestone.
Palmer, R., 1984. Danebury: an Aerial Photographic Interpretation of Its Environs. RCHM Supplementary Series, 6.
Palmer, R., 2021. AARG’s Sentinel 2 Working Group — Background and First Report. AARGnews, 62, pp. 9-10.
Riley, D. N., 1980. Early Landscape from the Air. Sheffield: Collis.
Rud, V., Ohlrau, R., Fedorov, S., 2016. Satellite Images and Geomagnetic Plans of Several Cucuteni-Trypillia Sites of the Right Bank of Southern Bug River. In: Mischka, D., et al. (eds.). Beyond Excavation: Geophysics, Aerial Photography and the Use of Drones in Eastern and South-East European Archaeology: International Colloquium: Programme and Abstracts. Romania: Piatra-Neamţ, pp. 51-54.
Smithsonian Global 2003. Remotely Monitoring Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage with the Conflict Observatory [online]. Available at: https://global.si.edu/projects/remotely-monitoring-ukraine’s-cultural-heritage-conflict-observatory
Stoertz, C., 1997. Ancient Landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds. Swindon: RCHME.
Unesco 2023. Damaged Cultural Sites in Ukraine Verified by UNESCO [online]. Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco
USGS, 2023. Earth Explorer [online]. Available at: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
Ward, V., 2023a. Trypillia Sites: a Comparison of Google Earth Satellite Images to Aerial Photograph Analysis by K. V. Shyshkin. AARGnews, 66, pp. 19-26.
Ward, V., 2023b. Trypillia Database for AARG GE Project. Document circulated to working group on 30 January 2023.
Wilson, D.R., 2000. Air Photo Interpretation for Archaeologists. Stroud: Tempus.
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2023-09-27
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