An Aircraft-Based Colorimetric Application for the Aerial Exploration of Archaeological Contexts

The research conducted during the PhD work in post-classical archaeology on the upper Lazio region, between the municipalities of Tarquinia and Civitavecchia (Italy), has shown different perspectives on the investigation of the area through the use of new aerial remote sensing instruments in archaeologically sensitive contexts. In surface archaeological investigations, attention was drawn to the possibility of exploiting a small aerial instrument capable of reading the spectral signature of each element. By acquiring this data, it is possible to recognize the identity of each over-flown material unambiguously. This capability, which has so far only been applied in archaeology for the analysis of claddings or small artefacts, is now also being tested in the field of spatial investigations carried out in archaeological contexts that are already partially known and which show a recurrence in the building materials used. The development of a remotely piloted aerial system that integrates multi-band cameras is enabling a different aerial observation of the archaeological context of Cencelle (Tarquinia, Italy) through the understanding of its construction materials rather than its forms. In fact, the chronological indication of the life phases of a site cannot only be deduced from the indications provided by the horizontal layers and the ceramic fragments found in them, but also the materials used in the construction of the buildings themselves can be a valid archaeological phase tracer, at least in certain geographical contexts.