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Light detection and ranging, or laser imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR), has become a central tool in archaeological work. It has allowed experts to find entire cities lost for centuries in dense forest areas and remote locations.
Bronze age fortress. One example is the remains of a fortress recently found in the Neamt district of Romania. Researchers dated the remains to the early Bronze Age and discovered them using LiDAR measurements.
LiDAR. LiDAR is a technology similar to radar but uses lasers instead of the radio waves employed by the older detection system. This technique has become a valuable tool in archaeology because it allows precise exploration of terrain hidden under vegetation, even if it’s dense.
This means teams don’t have to carry out extensive land clearing, which affects local biodiversity. It’s also possible to gather valuable information before setting foot on the ground: Thanks to drones, researchers can do preliminary work remotely. However, the technology requires additional expertise.
The hidden fortress. The site corresponds to a settlement with several fortified areas. It dates to the early Bronze Age, between the fourth and third millennia B.C., or roughly 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.
According to the team responsible for the study, the spatial layout of the fortifications suggests they were used to protect or control a “clearly defined” geographical area—one rich in resources, such as salt.
Although the study hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal, the authors presented it at the Landscape Archaeology Conference held at the University of Alcalá, Spain, last year. The abstract is available in the ResearchGate repository.
The complexity of the environment. LiDAR gives archaeology a different perspective and a more accurate aerial view than traditional bird’s-eye surveys based on simple optical instruments. But that doesn’t mean the work is done: The ground still holds essential information about who built this fortified environment and why.
“Even if some details linked to the presence of the defensive structures can’t be observed on the ground level, a detailed topographical image is absolutely necessary in order to comprehend the complexity of these fortifications in relation to the surrounding landscape,” the team said when presenting their study.
Image | Sergiu Vălenaș (Unsplash)
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