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Beyond the Bend: Remotely Sensed Data and Archaeological Site Prospection in the Boyne Valley, Ireland

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Mapping Archaeological Landscapes from Space

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Archaeology ((BRIEFSARCHHERIT,volume 5))

Abstract

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend in the Boyne (‘Brú na Bóinne’) is one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Europe. This paper reviews results from an ongoing project which is using high-resolution elevation (LiDAR) data and Worldview2 multispectral imagery to identify and catalogue new sites in and around the World Heritage Site. It stresses the importance of using a range of methodologies when remotely exploring landscapes, and illustrates how even within one of the most studied landscapes in Europe remote sensing technologies can identify new and exciting information.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank and acknowledge the Heritage Council of Ireland for its generous support under the INSTAR scheme. During this project, valuable insight was also provided by Dr. Conor Brady (DKIT), Dr. Helen Lewis (UCD) and Dr. Jonathan Turner (UCD). Kevin Barton undertook the geophysical survey. The authors would also like to acknowledge Digital Globe who provided the Worldview2 data at part of their 8 Band Challenge.

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Megarry, W., Davis, S. (2013). Beyond the Bend: Remotely Sensed Data and Archaeological Site Prospection in the Boyne Valley, Ireland. In: Mapping Archaeological Landscapes from Space. SpringerBriefs in Archaeology(), vol 5. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6074-9_8

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