On-Site VIS-NIR Spectral Reflectance and Colour Measurements—A Fast and Inexpensive Alternative for Delineating Sediment Layers Quantitatively? A Case Study from a Monumental Bronze Age Burial Mound (Seddin, Germany)

Bibliographic Data

ID13126145
AuthorsVincent Haburaj (0000-0002-2393-2762, Freie Universität Berlin, corresponding author), Moritz Nykamp (0000-0003-2074-1511, Freie Universität Berlin), Jens May (Brandenburgisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologisches Landesmuseum), Philipp Hoelzmann (0000-0001-8709-8474, Freie Universität Berlin), Brigitta Schütt (0000-0001-5644-9104, Freie Universität Berlin)
Year2020
Volume3
Issue2
Pages528-548
Publication date2020-06-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHeritage (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2571-9408 • E-ISSN: 2571-9408
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/heritage3020031
OpenAlexW3037203152
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited53

Quantitative sediment analyses performed in the laboratory are often used throughout archaeological excavations to critically reflect on-site stratigraphic delineation. Established methods are, however, often time-consuming and expensive. Recent studies suggest that systematic image analysis can objectivise the delineation of stratigraphic layers based on fast quantitative spectral measurements. The presented study examines how these assumptions prevail when compared to modern techniques of sediment analysis. We examine an archaeological cross-section at a Bronze Age burial mound near Seddin (administrative district Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany), consisting of several layers of construction-related material. Using detailed on-site descriptions supported by quantitatively measured sediment properties as a measure of quality, we compare clustering results of (i) extensive colour measurements conducted with an RGB and a multispectral camera during fieldwork, as well as (ii) selectively sampled sedimentological data and (iii) visible and near infrared (VIS-NIR) hyperspectral data, both acquired in the laboratory. Furthermore, the influence of colour transformation to the CIELAB colour space (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage) and the possibilities of predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) based on image data are examined. Our results indicate that quantitative spectral measurements, while still experimental, can be used to delineate stratigraphic layers in a similar manner to traditional sedimentological data. The proposed processing steps further improved our results. Quantitative colour measurements should therefore be included in the current workflow of archaeological excavations

Archaeology · Bronze Age · Excavation · Geography · Hyperspectral imaging · Mineralogy · Multispectral image · Remote sensing · RGB color model · Sediment · Computer Science · Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping · Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications · Soil Geostatistics and Mapping · Geology · Paleontology