Forschungszentrum Landschaftsentwicklung und Bergbaulandschaften (FZLB)
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- FG Geopedologie und Landschaftsentwicklung (47) (remove)
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Die hier vorgestellte Forschungsarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Rekonstruktion der Landschafts- und Umweltgeschichte mithilfe Geographischer Informationssysteme (GIS) und historischer Karten. In einem Modell sollen die räumliche Dimension der Köhlerei, der damit verbundene Holzverbrauch, der Zustand der Wälder, die vorhandene Infrastruktur etc. errechnet und dargestellt werden. Zeitlicher Schwerpunkt ist die zweite Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts und die Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts.
The former royal forest districts around Peitz (South Brandenburg, Germany) were used to produce charcoal for
the ironwork Peitz (1554 to 1856). More than 800 archaeologically excavated ground plans of charcoal kilns give evidence of the burning activity in the study area “Jänschwalde Heide” which is only a small part of the whole forest district. The study area in the apron of the active lignite mine Jänschwalde comprises the royal forest “Jänschwalder Heide” and the surrounding community forests. Our study approach combines archaeological research, a GIS-based approach (historical maps, airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, etc.) and archival studies.
Analysing the spatial distribution of anthropogenic relief structures can contribute to the understanding of past landuse systems. With automated mapping routines, small relief forms can be detected efficiently from high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs). In this study, we describe an approach for the automated mapping of charcoal kiln sites from an airborne laser-scanning DTM. The study site is located north of Cottbus, Germany, where an exceptionally large historic charcoal production field has been documented in previous archaeological surveys. The goal of this study was to implement, evaluate and improve an automated GIS-based routine for mapping these features based on the template-matching principle. In addition to the DTM, different morphometric variables were evaluated for their suitability to detect kiln sites. The mapping results were validated against a comprehensive database of kiln sites recorded from archaeological excavations and via manual digitization. The effects of irregular kiln-site geometry and DTM noise were evaluated using synthetic DTMs. The results of the synthetic DTM mapping show that the template-matching results differed depending on the morphometric variable used for the mapping process. In accordance with this observation, a validation of the mapping procedure for the field site suggests that feature mapping can be improved. In particular, the number of false detections can be reduced using a combination of morphometric variables. For the validation area, the kiln sites with diameters of at least 10m were mapped using the automated routine, with detection rates that were close to those of manual digitization. Therefore, the described method can considerably facilitate the mapping and distribution analysis of kiln sites or similar small relief forms that are prominent in a specific landscape.
Automated detection of small-scale anthropogenic relief features from high-resolution ALS-data
(2014)
High-resolution digital elevation data from airborne laser scanning (ALS) allow for identification and mapping of so far unknown small-scale relief features that are hidden by forest cover. Especially as a result of historic land use, small anthropogenic landforms can occur, e.g., remains of charcoal kilns on sites that were used for charcoal
production or ridge and furrow systems in former farmland areas. Mapping such relief features and analyzing their spatial distribution patterns can help to understand past land-use systems and their effects on landscapes. To efficiently detect and quantify small-scale relief features from high-resolution DEMs for larger areas, (semi-)
automated mapping routines are required.
Knowledge of the position of archaeological remains in the surface relief provides important basic information for archaeological survey design and interpretation. Geomorphological processes in (pre)history may have resulted in a modification of the local relief around archaeological sites, especially in areas that are prone to sediment erosion and relocation, such as sheet sand and dune landscapes. In this study, we reconstructed and analysed the palaeorelief of an archaeological excavation site in an inland dune area in southern Brandenburg, Germany. The remains of two Mesolithic sites were documented in the archaeological excavations and found to be associated with a buried soil horizon. To gather information on the relief of the buried soil surface, we used a combination of sedimentological and pedological profile descriptions along archaeological survey trenches and geophysical prospection with ground penetrating radar supplemented with microdrone photography and photogrammetry, global positioning system (GPS) surveys, and analysis of LiDAR-based elevation models. A digital elevation model of the buried surface was generated and analysed using a geographical information system (GIS). A comparison of the palaeosurface model with the recent surface elevation model shows that sand remobilization resulted in a considerable reshaping of the relief. Further, an analysis of the buried surface model shows that the relief position of the two archaeological sites in the study area was considerably more prominent in relation to the corresponding buried soil surface than in relation to the recent surface morphology. The results affirm the significance of Holocene sediment relocation for the local surface morphology and the importance of considering such relief modifications in archaeological surveys.