RUI: Acquisition of Geophysical Survey Instruments for Archaeological Research and Training

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation award, Dr. Robert G. McCullough and Andrew A. White of the Indiana University-Purdue University Archaeological Survey (IPFW-AS) will purchase three major pieces of geophysical remote sensing equipment for use in archaeological research and training: a ground penetrating radar (GPR) unit, a gradiometer, and a resistivity meter. These instruments are used to collect data about near-surface archaeological deposits in an efficient and non-invasive manner. GPR uses radio waves to actively probe the earth to depths up to several meters. A gradiometer detects fluctuations in the earth's natural magnetic field caused by the presence of cultural materials such as fired clay or rock that has been heated. A resistivity meter measures how well sediment conducts an electrical current between two points on the surface. All of these instruments have their advantages and shortcomings. They are often most effective when used in combination. Aboriginal house structures, earthen embankments and mounds, ditches, hearths, storage pits, and food processing facilities that are preserved beneath the ground surface are often detectable and identifiable using one or more of these instruments. Information about community layout (e.g., the number and placement of domestic structures, defensive structures and their openings, and communal areas) is essential to the interpretation of large, complex village sites. Detailed information about the locations of such features on a large (site-level) scale is nearly impossible to carefully, cost-effectively collect using traditional excavation and survey techniques alone. In addition to their application in pure research, the state-of-the-art instruments requested by the IPFW-AS will be used as a vehicle to integrate the professional and student archaeological communities at IPFW. The incorporation of the equipment into ongoing archaeological research projects and the existing educational program will enhance infrastructure in both these areas and assist in encouraging a culture of student exploration and research. Collection, use, and analysis of geophysical instruments and data will be taught in the context of both field and laboratory classes. Unlike more traditional archaeological research, the collection of geophysical data does not entail the irreversible alteration of archaeological resources and the attendant permit, laboratory, and curation requirements. Thus geophysical data are ideally suited to use in student research projects. Involvement of undergraduate students in an ongoing atmosphere of exploration and innovation will benefit the scholarly development of the students as well as the research itself. Acquisition of these instruments by the IPFW-AS will have a significant impact on the capacity of both undergraduate student and professional researchers at IPFW to perform sophisticated archaeological research. By integrating training in geophysical methods into laboratory and field courses, as well as encouraging its use in the context of supervised undergraduate research projects, students will be motivated to develop and pursue their own research. Further, acquisition of the requested equipment will increase our research capacity for years to come, thus increasing opportunities for beneficial interactions among researchers, students, and the public. In the context of ongoing research projects, the IPFW-AS has been building strong relationships with the interested public as well as state and local government agencies to develop an archaeological research park, interpretive center, and curation facility in central Indiana. Acquisition of these geophysical survey instruments will allow the IPFW-AS's programs to continue to expand and to involve an ever-broadening audience in an active, sophisticated, and successful program of archaeological research and education.