Science

North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics

Articles by Journal: Science

By Author's Name:

Adams, R. E. W., W. E. Brown, Jr., and T. P. Culbert (1981). Radar Mapping Archaeology and Ancient Maya Land Use. Science 213:1457-1463.
Gibbons, A. (1991). A "New Look" for Archaeology. Science 252:918-920.
Morrison, H. F., J. Benavente, C. W. Clewlow, Jr., and R. F. Heizer (1970). Magnetometer Evidence of a Structure within the La Venta Pyramid. Science 67:1488-1490.

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By Date:

Gibbons, A. (1991). A "New Look" for Archaeology. Science 252:918-920.
Adams, R. E. W., W. E. Brown, Jr., and T. P. Culbert (1981). Radar Mapping Archaeology and Ancient Maya Land Use. Science 213:1457-1463.
Morrison, H. F., J. Benavente, C. W. Clewlow, Jr., and R. F. Heizer (1970). Magnetometer Evidence of a Structure within the La Venta Pyramid. Science 67:1488-1490.

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Abstracts/Summaries:

Adams, R. E. W., W. E. Brown, Jr., and T. P. Culbert (1981). Radar Mapping Archaeology and Ancient Maya Land Use. Science 213:1457-1463.

A severe inconguity has long exsisted between the well-known complexity of ancient Maya civilization and the relatively feeble economic base that could be reconstructed for it. Recent fieldwork has indicated that much more intensive cultivation patterns were used than was previously thought. Data from the use of synthetic aperture radar in aerial surveys of the southern Maya lowlands suggest that large areas were drained by ancient canals that may have been used for intensive cultivation. Ground checks in several limited areas have confirmed the existence of canals, and excavations and ground surveys have provided valuable comparative information. Taken together, the new data suggest that Late Classic period Maya civilization was firmly grounded in large-scale and intensive cultivation of swampy zones. Used with permission.

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Gibbons, A. (1991). A "New Look" for Archaeology. Science 252:918-920.

Aerial remote sensing has had many advances in recent years.. NASA's work with Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanners is one such promising area. Improvements in satellites such as land Landsat, aircraft mounted cameras and scanners, and stationary blimps have improved the usefullness of this data source for archaeologists and paleontologists. Examples are given from the Rift Valley of Africa to Greece. Examples of successful endeavors in North America include locating foot paths through forest canopy of Costa Rica. Summary by NADAG staff

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Morrison, H. F., J. Benavente, C. W. Clewlow, Jr., and R. F. Heizer (1970). Magnetometer Evidence of a Structure within the La Venta Pyramid. Science 67:1488-1490.

The pyramid at La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico, was surveyed in May 1969 with a high-sensitivity difference magnetometer. The general pattern of the magnetic map is one of low (10-gamma) radial anomalies, which reflect the ridge and gully topography of the pyramid, with a larger magnetic high area (+30 gammas) centered 25 meters south and 10 meters east of the center of the pyramid. The anomalous region near the top has been interpreted with the aid of computer-calculated anomalies from three-dimensional rectangular blocks. The major high is probably associated with a basalt structure that rises to within 1 to 2 meters of the surface. A possible form for this structure was found to be a 10-meter-square horizontal platform with walls along its northern and eastern margin. Used with permission.