Archaeologist from NIKU are using a revolutionary new GPR robot to explore a Viking Age site in Norway’s Sandefjord municipality.

The robot has been developed as part of a collaboration between AutoAgri, Guideline Geo/MÅLÅ, and NIKU, and uses the I-Series autonomous implement carrier model fitted with the latest high-resolution, multi-channel ground-penetrating radar system.

GPR is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It is a non-intrusive method of surveying archaeological features and patterning beneath the subsurface.

Initial testing of the robot was conducted in Trøndelag Vinnan in Stjørdal municipality, which according to the researchers has demonstrated increased efficiency and provides accurate mapping solutions.

Image Credit : Erich Nau, NIKU

The new robot system has an antenna that produces a much higher resolution than traditional georadar systems, which for the first time can be interpreted in real time.

According to Erich Nau from NIKU, previous systems had to be driven around archaeological sites, however, the new GPR robot only needs a short hour to map the driving route, then the robot does the rest on its own.

The robot is being used as part of a new study of a Viking Age trading post at Heimdalsjordet near the Gokstadhaugen ship burial in Sandefjord.

The non-intrusive approach will provide a detailed picture of the subsurface that previous surveys could have missed, such as traces of longhouses, land plots, roads, wharves and burials.

“This collaboration gives us a unique opportunity to explore and understand our historical landscape with new and advanced technology. We look forward to uncovering new discoveries that can give us valuable insight into our rich cultural heritage,” says Petra Schneidhofer, archaeologist in Vestfold county municipality.

Header Image Credit : Jani Causevic, NIKU

Sources : NIKU

This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily

Excavations in preparation for the S1 Expressway have delayed road construction following the discovery of two Bronze Age settlements.

In a press statement announced by the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA), archaeologists uncovered the settlements near the village of Jawiszowice in Poland’s Oświęcim County.

According to the researchers, fragments of clay vessels and flints found in situ suggest that one of the settlements is associated with the Lusatian culture, a Bronze Age/Early Iron Age people from 1100 to 400 BC who inhabited what is now Poland, and parts of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Ukraine.

Jawiszowice 6 stand – Image Credit : GDDKiA

Excavations of the settlement (designated Jawiszowice 5 stand) have revealed traces of post holes and several agricultural structures, including a series of storage pits used as cellars for storing basic crops.

Located only a few hundred metres away is an earlier settlement (designated Jawiszowice 6 stand) that is associated with the Mierzanowice culture, an Early Bronze Age people from 2300 to 1800 BC that inhabited parts of Slovakia and Poland.

Settlements of the Mierzanowice culture are mostly represented by small seasonal camps, however, archaeologists found further traces of permanent structures within the settlement, in addition to storage pits, a ditch, and 34 flint artefacts that include an “intricate arrowhead” made from Jurassic flint.

According to the GDDKiA: “Due to the archaeological discoveries the contractor was obliged to suspend work in this part of the construction site and found it justified to extend the time to complete the investment of the S1 Expressway by 223 calendar days.”
The S1 Expressway expected completion date has now been postponed from July 2024 to June 2025 until excavations have fully documented both sites.

Header Image Credit : GDDKiA

Sources : GDDKiA

This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily