Use of Remote Sensing, Geophysical Techniques and Archaeological Excavations to Define the Roman Amphitheater of Torreparedones (Córdoba, Spain)
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Monterroso Checa, Antonio; Teixidó Ullod, Teresa; Gasparini, Massimo; Peña Ruano, José Antonio; Rodero, Santiago; Moreno, Juan Carlos; Morena, José AntonioEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Roman amphitheater Remote sensing methods Aerial imagery Geophysical survey Archaeological excavations Torreparedones
Date
2019-12-07Referencia bibliográfica
Monterroso-Checa, A., Teixidó, T., Gasparini, M., Peña, J. A., Rodero, S., Moreno, J. C., & Morena, J. A. (2019). Use of Remote Sensing, Geophysical Techniques and Archaeological Excavations to Define the Roman Amphitheater of Torreparedones (Córdoba, Spain). Remote Sensing, 11(24), 2937.
Sponsorship
This research was funded by HUM 882, Research Group-University of Córdoba, the Municipality of Baena, and the Municipality of Castro del Río. Funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is also acknowledgedAbstract
Non-destructive techniques are widely used to explore and detect burial remains in
archaeological sites. In this study, we present two sets of sensors, aerial and geophysics, that we have
combined to analyze a 2 ha sector of ground in the Torreparedones Archaeological Park located in
Cordoba, Spain. Aerial platforms were used in a first step to identify a Roman amphitheater located
near the Roman city. To ensure greater reliability and to rule out geological causes, a geophysical
survey was subsequently carried out. Magnetic gradiometer, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT),
and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods were also used to confirm the existence of this structure,
define the geometry and, to the greatest possible extent, determine the degree of preservation of
this construction. The adverse conditions for data acquisition was one of the main constraints, since
the area of interest was an almond plantation which conditioned geophysical profiles. In addition,
due to the low dielectric and magnetic contrast between the structures and the embedding material,
meticulous data processing was required. In order to obtain further evidence of this amphitheater
and to corroborate the aerial images and the geophysical models, an archaeological excavation was
carried out. The results confirmed the cross-validation with the predicted non-destructive models.
Therefore, this work can serve as an example to be used prior to conservation actions to investigate
the suburbs and landscapes near similar roman cities in Spain.