NOVITÀ DALL’AREA URBANA DI VEIO. TELERILEVAMENTO MULT ISPETTRALE DA DRONE E INDICI DI VEGETAZ IONE: NUOVI STRUMENTI PER L’IDENTIFICAZIONE DEI CROP-MARK DALL’AREA DI CAMPETTI

Abstract

This paper aims to present the application of a new tool for the identification and analysis of crop-marks in
archaeological contexts. Multispectral drone remote sensing, which is currently mainly used in agronomic
contexts, has been shown to guarantee great advantages and opportunities in the archaeological field, both
from an economic and scientific point of view, in identifying the presence of archaeological evidence not
visible to the human eye.
The use of multispectral cameras makes it possible to record the electromagnetic response of plants in the
field of near infrared waves, allowing for the detection of particular anomalies in the subsoil that prevent the
homogeneous growth of vegetation. By processing the data recorded through the use of different vegetation
indices, it is possible to distinguish any anomalies related to anthropogenic buried remains.
Drones offers enormous advantages to archaeological practitioners, significantly reducing flight costs, allowing
repeated applications of techniques and also the possibility of flying at significantly lower altitudes
than aircrafts in order to obtain higher detail images.
The experimental application of this technique on a portion of the Campetti area at the site of the ancient
Etruscan center of Veii has shown how, even with a single flight performed slightly later than the ideal time
frame for application, it was possible to detect a considerable amount of particularly significant traces from
the point of view of the archaeological analysis of the site.
The possibility of integrating this new methodology with different techniques (survey with surface collection
of materials, targeted excavation tests, analysis of the subsoil with geophysical investigation methods,
use of thermal sensors), alongside precise planning, clearly represents a significant advance in the cognitive
potential for archaeological research.