High-resolution, multi-spectral satellite imagery and extensive archaeological prospection: a case study from Apulia, Italy and Kazanlak, Bulgaria

High-resolution, multi-spectral satellite imagery can be deployed in combination with ground control, archaeological surface survey, and environmental research to produce a richer understanding of the archaeological landscape. While intensive surface survey remains the gold standard for site detection, remote sensing allows larger areas to be evaluated quickly and efficiently. During 2007 and 2008, investigators analysed approximately 70 sq km surrounding the site of l'Amastuola, in Apulia, Italy, supplemented in 2009 by another 85 sq km in the environs of the ancient city of Seuthopolis, near Kazanluk, Bulgaria. Previous and concurrent surface survey provided site definitions and a large sample of sites discovered through an independent process. Integration and comparison of remote sensing and surface survey data indicated that although remote sensing dramatically increased the area evaluated in both regions, only certain sites could be detected and patterns of discovery varied by region. In Italy, remote sensing primarily revealed sites associated with geological conditions amenable to past human habitation. In Bulgaria detection depended upon a combination of cultural and environmental factors. Integrating the two methods allows remote sensing to extend the reach of surface survey, while surface survey indicates the detection rates and patterns provided by remote sensing.