Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2010, Page 121

ON the precipice: aerial archaeology in iceland
dry spells or immediately after the cutting
of grass, suclr archaeology would be
visible.
The potential of aerial
archaeology in Iceland
Although the general conditions of the
archaeological landscape in Iceland are
in some ways similar to those in other
parts of Europe, the specific nature of its
archaeology means that the application
of aerial photographs will
correspondingly be somewhat different.
In Iceland the most visually abundant
remains are those of positive features,
such as earthworks, which tend to
literally overshadow the apparent paucity
of negative features (e.g. ditches and
pits). Indeed the predominance of
earthwork features is one of its special
characteristics. This however, does not
mean that the usage of aerial photographs
is more limited than elsewhere, just that
it is different. Given that only a small
part of the visible archaeology has been
surveyed in the field, a huge task still
awaits archaeologists in mapping the
historic landscape and clearly aerial
archaeology could (and should) play a
more significant role in this task than has
hitherto been the case. For example,
surveying large, abandoned areas (which
sometimes are hard to reach) on foot is
both time-consuming and can be
dangerous. In such cases the use of aerial
photographs can be a more efficient
method, which would inform the basis
for a subsequent, more targeted ground
survey. Abandonment often causes a new
rise in vegetation growth and sometimes
that obscure visibility of features on the
ground, but from the air the patteming of
features is revealed in a clearer way.
Viewing these areas from the air is
therefore a feasible and efficient option
for ascertaining extent and preservation.
The environmental factors effecting
landscapes in Iceland also need to be
considered. For example, the extent of
coastal and inland erosion is quite
dramatic, while increasing re-forestation
of former pasture is threatening many
archaeological sites. Comparing aerial
photographs taken at different times over
the last 60 years can be used to register
and assess the often drastic effects of
these environmental impacts on the
archaeological resource. Aerial
archaeology has the potential of
monitoring changes of landscape and
archaeology with respect to various
issues such as repopulation of
depopulated areas (farm abandonment),
urban expansion and the development of
previously unused land (such as roads,
summer houses and tree planting), as
well as the long-lived environmental
processes of change that have effect on
the preservation of landscape and
archaeological sites.
So far there has been little
experimentation in the use of aerial
photographs in Iceland and how it can best
be deployed and consequently there is
little information on its potential for
buried archaeology. It is important to
initiate systematic projects exploring the
effects of different conditions (e.g. light,
snow, parching) on aerial photographs in
Iceland. Such experiments should shed a
light on the full potential of aerial
archaeology in the country. Moreover it
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