They Do, In Fact, Exist. Remote Detection of Archaeological Evidence of Galician Hillforts Using Aerial Imagery and Lidar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/ceg.2021.134.01Keywords:
Aerial archaeology, Aerial photography, Lidar, Hillforts, Iron Age, GaliciaAbstract
Several reasons explain why so-called “aerial archaeology” has rarely been developed in Galicia in the past. Nowadays, the increasing availability of open access datasets (aerial orthoimages, satellite imagery, Lidar data) is beginning to change this outlook. This paper reviews these reasons before presenting various traces of potential archaeological features recently documented around a large group of castros (Iron Age hillforts) in the provinces of A Coruña and Lugo. More than one thousand elements have been identified, including buried features around the sites (ditches, possible pathways, and field boundaries...), traces of levelled defensive elements and even twenty-five previously unknown full sites. These findings are serendipitous in nature and carried out only with the help of public, general-purpose datasets, and they provide a good argument to justify the development of future projects in this direction. The use of bespoke platforms, sensors, and imaging might yield very profitable results in the near future.
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