Aerial Archaeology

Prof. W.S. Hanson and Dr. K. Brophy

Research

The impact of aerial photographic discoveries on British and European archaeology has already been immense, facilitating recognition of the density and complexity of settlement across the fertile lowlands over millennia and greatly extending the distribution of many site types.  It has been calculated that something in excess of 50% of all archaeological sites in the UK have been discovered from the air.  But the level of new discoveries has far outstripped the capacity of the discipline to contextualise them. There is, therefore, a huge backlog of discoveries in national and local sites and monuments records, augmented by historical vertical photography taken during and since WWII, offering substantial research potential. 

We are also moving into a new era of data acquisition linked to new technology, with the recent massive improvements in the resolution and accessibility of satellite imagery and the progress being made on the application of LIDAR and multi-spectral imagery in archaeology.

These developments provide new opportunities for the analysis of ancient landscapes and we seek to promote greater use of aerial photographic and satellite imagery for the understanding of landscape history through a network of scholars and specialists in aerial archaeology.

Teaching

We also provide a focus for postgraduate teaching and research supervision on archaeological aerial photography. It has excellent track record of successful doctoral programmes on aerial photographic topics, including collaborative projects with the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences in Glasgow and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in Edinburgh.