International Conference on GPR in Archaeology (Nara, February 2001)

A Geophysical Survey to Locate the Roman Station Clunia, Austria. An Example for a Combination of Geomagnetic-, Resistivity- and GPR-Prospection.

Sirri S. Seren, Alois Eder-Hinterleitner, Peter Melichar

Wolfgang Neubauer

In 1883/84 two large Roman buildings were excavated near the town Feldkirch, Austria. The buildings were interpreted as the Roman station Clunia situated on the Roman road crossing the Alpes from Mediolanum (Milano) to Brigantium (Bregenz) as known from the Tabula Peutingeriana. As the excavation map has no coordinates the ecavation area could not be located any more. Due to the planning of industrial buildings an area of 15 ha should be surveyed to locate the former excavation area.

A large scale magnetic survey using high resolution caesium-gradiometers (0.005 nT / 0.5 x 0.125 m raster) and a subsequent detailed resistivity survey using multiplexed RM15 resistivity meters (0.5 x 0.5 m grid, a=0.5; 0.1 m) was able to locate the excavated buildings but showed further archaeological structures not known so far. To get more detailed 3D information on the monuments an additional large scale GPR survey covering 50.000 m2 was carried out using a PulseEKKO 1000 ground penetrating radar (0.5 x 0.05 m grid). Depth slices of 10 cm of the distribution of the amplitudes were computed completely automated.

The archaeological interpretation of the depth slices visualised as digital images showed eight buildings situated close to a 20 m wide road. Based on the archaeological evidence derived from the combined interpretation of the geophysical results we produce a 3D archaeological reconstruction of the Roman site covering 30.000 m2 presenting a comprehensive archaeological interpretation model.

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