The dominant interpretation of Roman imperialism in the provinces of Arabia and then Palaestina Tertia holds that the Empire was seeking to combat external military threats from nomads. This interpretation is based on archaeological evidence of Roman military sites forming a static defensive system linked by a road network. Recent scholarship in Jordan has questioned this interpretation. Alternative hypotheses have been advanced proposing that these sites acted as points of provincial control or were situated to maintain routes for long distance trade. It is proposed here that these interpretations of imperial control are flawed, either because of poorly realised explanatory models or improperly sampled datasets. In contrast, this study achieves an integration of textual and archaeological data through the conceptual framework of landscape. This approach stresses the spatial correlates of human behaviour and allows an alternative interpretation of imperial control to be validated. This study proposes the hypothesis that the aim of Roman imperialism in this area was to control directly imperial material resources. It does not present a historical reconstruction but demonstrates the power of a landscape approach over other models in the interpretation of Roman imperial control in southern Jordan. A rigorous review of existing textual and archaeological evidence from southern Jordan to establish military spatial and temporal development concludes that the scale of military fluctuations to support the hypothesis of a desert frontier sy~tem has been exaggerated. To test this conclusion primary data from the Dana Archaeological Survey (DAS), a three-year survey project directed by the author, was rigorously correlated with existing datasets. By strictly defining military sites and emphasising these monuments as part of wider settlement pattern, the survey demonstrated that military variability was in fact highly conservative and cannot support the hypothesis of frontier defence or provincial control. The DAS data was then used to test an alternative hypothesis that military variation is linked to the control of trade and wider socio-economic integration. This was achieved by correlating military sites with the wider settlement hierarchy through patterns of ceramic continuity. However, contrary to previous interpretations showing highly variable settlement change, the results proved that the correlation with military sites is not exact. These results were then compared with critically evaluated data from four other surveys (Wadi Hasa Survey, Southern Ghors and North Arabah Survey, Limes Arabicus survey and the Kerak Plateau Survey), which broadly supported the DAS results. This study makes clear that there is a spatial correlation between the existence of imperial estates, industrial centres and military sites. Archaeological evidence of an imperial estate in the DAS project area is presented and is contrasted with the different spatial and temporal features of a civilian estate. This imperial estate can be spatially correlated with several military sites. A review of the historical and textual evidence for imperial estates in Arabia suggests a provincial-wide pattern. This re-interpretation of the imperial landscape in southern Jordan views the location of military sites and the road network as a part of a vast integrated resourcing system of the Eastern Empire.

No description available.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) research conducted in coastal environments is one area that is lacking in archaeology. Surveys conducted in this type of environment afford the opportunity to evaluate the practical use GPR under field conditions. Coastal environments are effective for this evaluation because they offer a host of conditions that GPR surveys do not normally encounter at one time. The relationship of the land to the coast, sub-surface conditions and reliable survey areas create a "perfect storm" to test how practical the use of GPR is in coastal environments. This research is a study of homestead cemeteries situated within the boundaries of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), using GPR. The research has three main goals. The first is to utilize GPR to identify if there are any unknown burials at CCAFS. The second is to test the practical effectiveness of GPR in coastal environments where high water table, geology and saline conditions can limit the capability of the technique to resolve subsurface features. The third is to correlate data from the GPR survey with ethnographic information to enhance the protection and maintenance with what is already available for the cemeteries. Research methods include field-based geophysical data collection in addition to archival and ethnographic historic research. The field component, to which this research pertains, entailed an on-site GPR survey at the nine sites on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This was followed by analysis of the information from the survey using standard processing software. Subsequently, a thorough archival search was completed to link historic and ethnographic information with the archaeological data obtained on the cemeteries. The final result of this research was a report that provides a detailed description of the results of the GPR survey of the cemeteries at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

An archaeological survey was conducted in the Clearwater River Valley, Saskatchewan in the summer of 2008 by University of Saskatchewan Masters student Alan Korejbo and a crew of three. Prior to this project, only three sites had been recorded along this 55 km portion of the river. Researching this remote wilderness heritage river in the boreal ecoregion presented substantial logistical barriers; nonetheless, a total of seventeen sites, mostly precontact in nature, were discovered. The density of sites identified in this survey suggests that this region is archaeologically rich; thus, meriting future research. Information collected from this encourages vigorous archaeological resource management in the Clearwater River Provincial Park. Data from this survey may give future researchers a basis from which to start. Survey results and previous research are combined to hypothesize past land usage in northwestern Saskatchewan. Furthermore, coupled with previous research, the data from this project may allow us to suggest possible cultural influence and interaction and ask pertinent questions that may aid in future research here.

An archaeological survey was conducted in the Clearwater River Valley, Saskatchewan in the summer of 2008 by University of Saskatchewan Masters student Alan Korejbo and a crew of three. Prior to this project, only three sites had been recorded along this 55 km portion of the river. Researching this remote wilderness heritage river in the boreal ecoregion presented substantial logistical barriers; nonetheless, a total of seventeen sites, mostly precontact in nature, were discovered. The density of sites identified in this survey suggests that this region is archaeologically rich; thus, meriting future research. Information collected from this encourages vigorous archaeological resource management in the Clearwater River Provincial Park. Data from this survey may give future researchers a basis from which to start. Survey results and previous research are combined to hypothesize past land usage in northwestern Saskatchewan. Furthermore, coupled with previous research, the data from this project may allow us to suggest possible cultural influence and interaction and ask pertinent questions that may aid in future research here.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-142). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

In this dissertation I use data from 19 archaeological surveys in central Tyrrhenian Italy to understand how craft and commodity production were organized across landscapes, what factors contributed to rural site longevity, and how rural sites interacted with market centers. The surveyed sites spanned the second century BC to fourth century AD. Most survey areas centered on towns or small cities, but several were within Rome's vast suburbium or adjacent to key trade corridors, such as the Tiber River and consular roads. To enable the comparison of more than 3000 rural sites considered in this study, I standardized published survey data into a relational database and analyzed site types, sizes, locations, and finds statistically as well as via Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. Site types included constructions (e.g., aqueducts, roads) and settlements (towns, farms, connected farms). The latter two are the most common; they differ in that connected farms had more resources and better access to road networks. Production evidence for various industries (e.g., ceramic, metal, and textile) appear at both farms and connected farms, contradicting traditional views that such activities were confined to large establishments. Many rural sites were located in areas with workable and nutritious soils, and with maximum annual sun exposure. Nevertheless, advantageous location was no guarantee of longevity. Instead, the most consistent factor in rural site longevity was easy access to trade and transport networks. From the first century AD, inhabitants of sites with market connections within a 20-kilometer radius declined in prosperity or abandoned their homes, while those linked to more distant networks were able to maintain, or even expand, their territories. Wide access for buying and selling goods helped sites endure over time. This investigation demonstrates that market networks trumped site resources as the key factor in site longevity. By incorporating the types and patterns of finds, and mapping sites in relation to resources and roads, archaeological survey can help chart the ebb and flow of rural production and assess the relationship of that production to site durability.

An archaeological survey was conducted of the Silver Springs State Park in Ocala, Florida, between August 2014 and December 2015. The project goals were to relocate and assess the previously recorded archaeological sites in the park and attempt to discover new sites. Background research, archaeological fieldwork including surface collection, shovel testing, and informant interview were conducted with this aim. Each site is described and addressed, and most were relocated; twelve new resources were added to the inventory. The Silver Springs and Silver River watershed have been occupied from the Paleo-Indian period at least 13,000 years ago through the twentieth century. Sites from each time period are discussed to detail how use of the landscape developed through time but still remained a persistently occupied place with important, albeit changing roles. Finally, management and research recommendations are provided to assist the state park staff and future archaeologists working in the area.

No description available.

Neste trabalho apresentamos os resultados obtidos com o levantamento, escavação e análise material arqueológico provenientes de sítios na região do lago do Limão, município de Iranduba - AM. Os dados obtidos após a identificação de 15 sítios arqueológicos são comparados aos trabalhos já executados na região, com vistas a responder algumas hipóteses criadas para interpretar o processo de ocupação da região amazônica antes da chegada dos europeus. Com o trabalho identificamos algumas peculiaridades relacionadas à fase Paredão, tais como construção de montículos artificiais e assentamentos em aldeias circulares. A partir dos dados obtidos apresentamos uma hipótese interpretativa para a chegada da cerâmica policrômica associada à fase Guarita na Amazônia Central, fato que acreditamos estar relacionado também ao surgimento da fase Paredão. / The results obtained from survey, excavation and material analysis of archaeological material found in sites in the lago do Limão region, Amazonas State, Brazil are presented herein. The data gathered after the identification of 15 archaeological sites is compared to work previously done in the region, aiming to determine the occupational process of the pre-colonial Amazonian region. Peculiarities related to the Paredão phase (7th to 12th century AD) are identified herein, such as the construction of artificial mounds and ring village settlements From the data obtained, an interpretative hypothesis is presented for the arrival of the polychrome ceramics associated with the Guarita phase (9th to 15th century AD) in Central Amazon, a fact that we believe to be also related to the upcoming of the Paredão phase.