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A Methodology for Imaging Early Bronze Age Structures Buried in Mounds at Al‐Tikha, Oman

Bibliographic Data

ID12429564
AuthorsNikos Economou (0000-0002-2649-119X, Technical University of Crete, corresponding author), Khaled A Douglas (0009-0005-2678-192X, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital), Mohamed Hesein (0000-0002-7407-9087, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital), Khalil Al Hooti (0000-0003-2339-2169, Sultan Qaboos University), Muhammad Younis Khan (0009-0003-7187-6659, Earth Sciences Department, College of Science Sultan Qaboos University Muscat Oman), M Kamran Khan (Sultan Qaboos University), Sara Pizzimenti (0000-0003-1425-854X, University of Pisa), Nasser Al Jahwari (Sultan Qaboos University Hospital), Bader Al Shaqsi (Sultan Qaboos University), Said Al Abri (Earth Sciences Department, College of Science Sultan Qaboos University Muscat Oman), Adnan Al Hinaai (Sultan Qaboos University), Al Anoud Al Kharusi (Sultan Qaboos University), Mohamed Al Alawi (Sultan Qaboos University), Rodaynah Al Rawahi (Sultan Qaboos University), Saad Al Ismaili (Sultan Qaboos University)
Year2026
Volume33
Issue2
Pages455-474
Publication date2026-01-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological Prospection (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1075-2196 • E-ISSN: 1099-0763
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/arp.70031
OpenAlexW7125502551
LanguageEN
References cited23

Since 2022, integrated surveys by researchers from the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, the Technical University of Crete, Greece, and the University of Pisa in Italy combine geophysical and archaeological studies for the revealing and conservation of Early Bronze Age (EBA) human settlements. These settlements have become archaeogeophysical laboratories for the researchers involved, due to the different kinds of architectural features based on the period of their origin. 3D ground penetrating radar (GPR) data and AI techniques have served the scientific community in the latter years due to the increased computational power, which allows extracting 3D information on buried remains. Here, we present the results of the ongoing research at the Al‐Tikha site and describe a specific type of archaeological site–dedicated data processing methodology for the assessment of EBA mounds. We applied multipath summation on the GPR sections combined with topography corrections and enhanced the geophysical interpretation by diffraction velocity models based on the kinematic characteristics of diffractions mapped by a globally trained ML model. A diffraction velocity model can never be accurate as it is based on the number and position of the diffractions over the x‐t plane, making it not suitable for most cases for direct migration. Our methodology suggests the combination of multipath summation and topography corrections as an alternative. The latter proved more efficient than topographical migration in our examples. This methodology is implemented and tested here with the scope to efficiently image the subsurface of the mounds at EBA settlements. Two mounds were prospected, and buried walls and structural layers were mapped to serve as targets for future excavation, while both mounds were found to have different architectural phases of construction

Artifact (error · Bronze Age · Curvelet · Ground-Penetrating Radar · Human settlement · Position (finance · Radar · Scope (computer science · Archaeological Research and Protection · Geophysical and Geoelectrical Methods · Geophysical Methods and Applications

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Highly citedNo

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