Application of the archaeological prospection in the Czech republic and Slovakia

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Authors

TENCER Tomáš MILO Peter HAVELKA Jan REKEMOVÁ Anna Mária ŠÁLKA Dávid VÁGNER Michal

Year of publication 2023
Type Appeared in Conference without Proceedings
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description In development-led (rescue or preventive) archaeology, the management and conducting of excavation have become increasingly complex due to tight schedules, limited human resources, and budgets. As a result, archaeological prospection methods, such as geophysics, have become necessary in planning large construction projects. While the benefits of archaeogeophysical surveys are well known, their integration into Czech preventive archaeology is still uncommon due to a lack of legislative support and missing standards. However, several cultural heritage management bodies and archaeological authorities have recognized the potential of archaeogeophysical prospection. Traditional non-destructive methods such as archive research, aerial archaeology and artefact survey can improve the accuracy of construction schedules and cost estimates. However, they are time-consuming and limited in scope. Moreover, it is only possible to cover part of the area systematically; thus, we create knowledge gaps. In development-led archaeology, it is crucial to investigate the entire area to prevent destruction, and this is where archaeogeophysical prospection can help fill in the gaps. Motorised magnetometry systems can quickly and effectively cover large open landscape construction sites. Integrating large-scale magnetometry into the planning process leads to cost and time savings for field archaeologists and investors. Last couple of years. The cooperation with archaeological and heritage management bodies and investors clearly demonstrates the advantages of archaeogeophysical prospection. Our paper will present the application of archaeogeophysical prospection in preventive archaeology projects in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, focusing on geomagnetic surveys. The study was supported by the TACR ETA project Optimized archaeological prediction in the process of large-scale construction sites (TL03000537).
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