Archaeological Research Using Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques (CORONA) in the Valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal (Pusht-i Kuh, Luristan), Iran

Mathieu DE MEYER

Today more than ever, archeological research is interdisciplinary: environmental sciences, pollen analysis, botany, soil science, and hydrology. In fact, the impacts of human behaviors on environment and environment on human behaviors can be studied through use of remote sensing technology. The use of this important technique gives archaeologists the opportunity to understand these impacts, which are often invisible to the naked eye. Moreover, remote sensing an emerging field of archaeology that uses high resolution satellites with thermal and infrared capabilities to pinpoint potential sites of interest in the earth around a meter or so in depth. During the first quarter of the second millennium BC and after collapse of Shahr-i-Sokhta, evidence of occupation in the region of Iranian Sistan disappeared until the Achaemenid period in the sixth century BC. During recent decades, archaeological field work, including surveys and excavations, have been conducted to find this gap. However, using remote sensing techniques popular in Europe and America, the present paper aims to propose a new survey method based on remote sensing and GIS techniques in the area in order to interpret the environmental characteristics of the area and to identify gap between the collapse of Shahr-i-Sokhta and emergence of Dahan-e-Ghlaman.

Southeastern Iran is a vast region that, in history, its different parts had various names. And today, the political divisions of the country include a large area in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan, and a small part of Greater Khorasan. This region has an undeniable role in the history and civilization of Southwest Asia, as it has shone for thousands of years as a significant part of international exchanges and cultural relations.

The MULINEM (The Medieval Urban Landscape in Northeastern Mesopotamia) project is aiming to investigate a Late Sasanian and Islamic urban network in the land of Erbil, historic province of Hidyab (Adiabene) that is located in the northern Iraq. The research of the hierarchical urban network in a defined area belongs to approaches rarely used in the study of the Islamic urbanism. The project focuses on the cluster of urban sites of the 6th–17th centuries A.D. This paper focuses on remote sensing analysis of historical sites with special interest of FORMOSAT-2 data that have been gained through a research announcement: Free FORMOSAT-2 satellite Imagery. Documentation of two archaeological sites (Makhmúr al-Qadima and Kushaf) are introduced. FORMOSAT-2 data results have been compared to historic CORONA satellite data of mentioned historical sites purchased earlier by the University of West Bohemia. Remote sensing methods were completed using in-situ measurements.

Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXXIX, 2004 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH USING SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES (CORONA) IN THE VALLEYS OF SHIRWAN AND CHARDAWAL (PUSHT-I KUH, LURISTAN), IRAN BY Mathieu DE MEYER* (Ghent University, Belgium) Introduction For the past few years scientists have been trying to find archaeological remains using Satellite Remote Sensing techniques. Some were lucky enough to find some new sites, others were not so fortunate even though they spent considerable amounts of money and time trying. The goal of our project was to look for a cheaper and more effective way to investigate archaeological remains from space, using the CORONA (keyhole) satellite imagery from the United States Geological Survey. The investigated area was the Shirwan and Chardawal valleys in Luristan, West-Iran. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not the sites which were already known from previous field work were also visible on the CORONA images. In addition, the aim was to locate new, similar sites and other non-natural features of interest. At the time of the study, it was not possible to know for certain which of the new ‘sites’ found, have potential archaeological value. Some clues were found, and this study can be used as a kind of key or guide for new field work, in which it will be possible to confirm or disprove the provisional results of this research, after which it will be possible to improve this technique. * This article is a result of my MA-thesis in Archaeology (Ancient Near East) at Ghent University, 1999. This thesis was written under supervision of Prof. Dr. Ernie Haerinck. Prof. Dr. Rudi Goossens of the Geography Dept., equally at Ghent University was willing to provide his expertise and help. The negatives were acquired by the Dept. of Near Eastern Archaeology, on the budget of the ongoing Luristan project, while the Dept. of Geography provided the logistics to do the research. The revised and abbreviated English version of my thesis was kindly corrected by Lisa Hill (Australia). 44 M. DE MEYER Because the investigation is based on the reflection of light it is important to know what the landscape looks like in the area. Therefore maps were searched. First all known structures were determined on the satellite images and a number was given to them. Then a key was made out of them, and with that key new sites were searched. Other features of interest were also identified and assigned keys. Retrospective effect was used throughout the entire study, changing the methodology to achieve the desired results. 1. Previous use of Remote Sensing for Archaeological purposes Various Remote Sensing systems have already been used for different kinds of archaeological research. Some have been effective, others despite considerable expense were less so. It is not the purpose of this article to criticize specific research, but some examples of previous studies have been analyzed to establish what has already been done and which of the techniques can also be used with the CORONA images. In most research of this kind, satellite information is combined with other resources such as aerial photography and/or field work. Aerial Reconnaissance has been used extensively all over the world to find archaeological sites, and has also been combined with Satellite Remote Sensing (Renfrew, Bahn, 1996, 75-82). Both visual (passive) systems (satellite observation: SPOT, LANDSAT) and non-visual (active) systems (radar observation (SIR: Shuttle Imaging Radar — SAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar…) have been used. Many countries have a scientific space program (the United States: NASA, Europe: ESA, Japan: NASDA, Russia, India, China, Brasilia, Israel, Australia and South Africa are the major ones) and most of them have established Remote Sensing Programs (Sanders, Ouwehand, 1994, 40). Examples of archaeological purposes for which satellites are used include: – Measuring structures which are difficult to measure on the ground or sites which take too much time to measure. An example of this technique is the measurement of the Great Wall of China. – Restoring sites requiring identification of structures needing repair. Satellites have been used to identify parts of sections for restoration, and parts of the Great Wall of China have been repaired using this technique (Arnold, 1989, 248-252). SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 45 – Searching for areas which could contain archaeological sites by locating specific types of landscape, such as ancient rivers which have been buried by sand storms. These sites were often inhabited in former times, an example of which is the old Nile in Sudan (Rehorst, Sanders, 1997, 25). Active systems are used for this because they can penetrate through the ground with the waves they are transmitting to earth and reflected back to the satellite. This technique is particularly useful for flat territories because subterranean water halts the waves, making it very useful in dry areas to find lost rivers. In addition to locating ancient rivers, vegetation and different kinds of land types in one region have also been used as keys to locate possible archaeological sites. An example is the San Juan Basin in New Mexico (Fowler, 1991, 281-282). – Discovering new archaeological sites or structures using satellites. Some examples are the Irrigation Canals in Guatemala (Fowler, 1991, 281-283) and the ruins in Saffara (Van der Laan, 1992, 33). – Discovering old fields and transport networks (Roads, irrigation canals, fields,…) from space. One example is Yucatan in Mexico (Renfrew, Bahn, 1996, 80-81). – Illustrating ancient structures by using satellite images. Examples are the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Hadrian’s Wall in England (Fowler, 1991, 281) and the Great Wall of China (Arnold, 1989, 248). – Rebuilding the past, and research the evolution of an area by combining these techniques, which is of great value in archaeology. Examples are Thebes (Egypt) and the Enipaeus valley (Greece) (Fowler, 1991, 282). Most of this research has been done with satellite images with less detailed resolution compared to the CORONA-images used in this study. Unlike normal aerial photography with a maximum observable detail of 10 centimeters, the maximum with satellites is 10 meters. For huge structures such as the Great Wall of China, the Maya-temples in the jungle or for lost cities in the desert, the low resolution of conventional sensors can be acceptable in some applications. The resolution of the images used in this study is 9 feet (about 3 meters) which is also inexpensive compared to other (commercial) satellite imagery. Unfortunately they are not digital, which has become the standard for modern systems. 46 M. DE MEYER 2. What is CORONA and Keyhole? A. General information The CORONA satellites were part of the first generation of American Intelligence satellites. It was one of their code-names, together with ARGON and LANYARD. The original main purpose of the satellites images gathered was to investigate the military power of the former Soviet Union and Asia, and to monitor agriculture, industry, environment and population issues. The program, which was launched by U.S. President Eisenhower in 1958 in order to replace the flights of U-2’s above Soviet areas, was developed by the CIA and the Air Force. The first successful CORONA mission took place in August 1960, and on the 18th of that month the first goal, a military airport in Russia, was photographed. The images were not very good at the start, but rapidly improved and satellite images grew to have great importance during the Cold War (Campbell, 1996, 196). 860.000 photographs taken between 18/08/1960 and 31/05/1972 were declassified on the 24th of February 1995 by the U.S. Geological Survey (DISP — Declassified Intelligence Satellite Photographs). The CORONA-systems were named KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4, KH4A and KH-4B, ‘KH’ meaning ‘keyhole’. KH-5 was used by ARGON and KH-6 by LANYARD. They were launched in a low polar orbit. The first missions were of only one day’s duration, which grew to sixteen days by the end of the project, requiring two film capsules on board instead of one. (KH-4A was the first system with two capsules on board). At the end of each mission the films were returned to earth, travelling through the atmosphere to a height of 18 km when a parachute opened and the capsules were caught by a specially designed plane. (The capsules were designed to sink to the bottom of the ocean if something went wrong to ensure that they could not be retrieved by other countries) (Campbell, 1996, 191, 196). The best resolution obtained by these satellites was 6 feet (KH-6), while the worst was 460 feet (KH-5). Only very recently has an American commercial satellite system for high resolution images (1 meter) been developed. The older systems had only one panoramic camera on board (KH-1, KH-2, KH-3 and KH-6) or one frame camera (KH-5), while the more recent systems (KH-4, KH-4A and KH-4B) had two on board panoramic cameras with an angle of 30° difference, i.e. a Forward looking (Fore SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 47 Camera) and an Afterward looking (Aft Camera) cameras, which enabled stereoscopic imagery (Pl. 1). Every mission was divided into axes of rotation, and every image taken in such an axis received an image number. The co-ordinates of the boundaries of the photographed area are: Western border: 180W; Eastern border: 180E; Southern border: 90S and Northern border: 90N. Photography was not continuous, sometimes by design when film was reserved for areas of more importance for intelligence purposes, and sometimes because of faults in the camera’s operation. These faults sometimes result in there being only Forward or Afterward images. The GLIS (Global Land Information System) is an interactive system where the images used in this study can easily be found. It contains about 98% of the total collection of declassified images. All images were taken on black and white 70mm Panoramic film. (A very small amount of infrared and colour film was tested on the KH-4B missions, but the results were unsatisfactory). The most commonly used KH-4 systems had two panoramic vertical oriented KH-3 cameras on board which were pointed to the same area. One of them was pointed 15° to the front (for), the other 15° to the back (aft). A small index camera took care of the context and orientation of the images, the astronomical cameras were directed to the stars and the horizon cameras watched the horizon of the earth. Those were necessary to be able to steer the satellite from the control center on earth (Campbell, 1996, 193-194). The CORONA website contains extensive information about the project and images can be ordered on the Internet at edcsns17.cr.usgs.gov/EarthExplorer/. The original films are preserved by NARA (National Archives and Records Administration). Addresses: Customer Services U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Centre 47914 252nd Street Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001 USA Telephone: 605-594-6151 Fax: 605-594-6589 E-mail: custserv@usgs.gov National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 USA Telephone: 866-272-6272 Fax: 301-837-0483 E-mail: Carto@arch2.nara.gov 48 M. DE MEYER Internet addresses: USGS EROS DATA CENTER, SIOUX FALLS, SD http://edc.usgs.gov/ USGS (United States Geological Survey) http://www.usgs.gov/ Bibliography about the satellite and images: CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, Press release, Langley, Virginia, February 24, 1995. DEUTCH, J., CORONA and the revolution in intelligence: [presented at] CORONA Symposium, May 23, 1995, Washington DC, George Washington University, 1995. MCDONALD, R.A., CORONA—success for space reconnaissance, a look into the Cold War, and a revolution for intelligence: Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, v. 61, no. 6, p. 689-720, 1995. RUFFNER, K.C., CORONA—America’s first satellite program, History Staff, Centre for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington D.C.,1995 [Direct requests for copies to National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161 or telephone the order desk at 703-487-4650]. THE WHITE HOUSE, 1995, Release of imagery acquired by space-based national intelligence reconnaissance systems, executive order 12951, Washington DC, February 1995. B. The images selected Eight negatives were selected from 306 covering the area under study on the GLIS website. The criteria for selection were that the images be of good quality and • the area shown was not obscured by cloud cover or snow in the mountains, • the images were stereoscopic, • the negatives were photographed in a single mission. Forward images: DS1030-2103DF080, DS1030-2103DF081, DS1030-2103DF082, DS10302103DF083 Afterward images: DS1030-2103DA086, DS1030-2103DA087, DS1030-2103DA088, DS10302103DA089 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 49 A single negative covers an area of 10.6 to 144 American miles, but unfortunately the valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal were situated on the edge of each negative, causing greater distortion (Pl. 1). Four Forward and four Afterward images were bought, so it was possible to do some stereoscopic tests. All photographs were from KH-4A (Mission 1030-2). Here are some technical details about it: – – – – – – – – – Camera: panoramic Film: 70 mm Estimated Frame Format (in. x in.): 2.18 x 29.8 Focal distance (inches): 24 Enlargement possibility: 16 times Estimated best ground resolution: 9 feet Nominal height System (in sea miles): 100 Nominal photo scale on film: 1:305000 Nominal area on one image (in miles): 10.6 x 144 All cameras worked well during the mission. The price of one negative was US $18. All pictures were taken on the 16th of March 1966. This date could be important for the research, because of the vegetation, which changes every season. The quality of the negatives purchased differed from image to image, which has influenced the investigation, because some of the pictures could not be examined as well as others. There is, for example, a clear difference between the Forward and the Afterward pictures purchased because some of the negatives sent by the United States Geological Survey were under-exposed. For this study, most negatives were developed on a scale of 1/35.000 to provide 82 pictures (41 Forward and 41 Afterward images) covering the area but some were also developed at a scale of 1/19000 to do some further smaller, more specific studies. 3. The investigated area A. Geography The Kabir Kuh mountain range, which is a part of the Zagros range, divides Luristan in two areas, Pish-i Kuh in the east and Pusht-i Kuh in the west, where the areas under study, the valleys Shirwan and Chardawal, are located. The valleys are (at least until 1979) part of the official fifth district 50 M. DE MEYER of the province (= ustan) Pusht-i Kuh Ilam. The northern boundary of the area is the district (= farmandari) of Shahabad Garbi (now Islamabad Garbi), which is part of the province of Kirmanshah (now Bakhtaran). In the east lies the district of Kuh-i Dasht. It is part of the province of LuristanKhurramabad. In the south is the boundary of the district of Badrah. Southwest lies the district of Mehran. The departments (= Bakhsh) of Ilam and Aivan, both part of the district of Ilam, form the Western border (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 1-2, Fig. no 1). The capital of the area is the small town of Wargatch-Lumar. The most important river in Shirwan-Chardawal is the Saimareh which forms the eastern boundary. Two other rivers of significance are the Rudkhaneh-i Chardawal and Ab-i Shirwan, which gave their names to the two rather large fertile plains along both rivers, which cross the area from the north-west to the south-east and discharge in the Saimarreh. The mountain Kuh-i Charmi separates both valleys, and to the north lies Chardawal with Shirwan to the south. In the south-west of the area is the mountain range Kuh-i Shamangar, which runs parallel with Kuh-i Charmi (Vanden Berghe, 1982, 14; Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 1-3) (Pl. 2). The inhabitants of Luristan are nomads or semi-nomads wandering around with their herds of animals in both valleys which are, in contrast to other valleys in the Pusht-i Kuh, well irrigated, quite large and very fertile. Prior to the 1930s there were few houses built of durable materials and people used to live in tents (Vanden Berghe, 1982, 13-14, Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 3). B. History Several periods were distinguished in the area (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 3-4, 9-10, 12): the Paleolithic, the Neolithic/Chalcolithic, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the pre-Sassanian, the Sassanian and Islamic periods. C. Previous Field work and results Many archaeologists and travellers were attracted by the so called Luristan Bronzes. According to M. Godard, many of them were found in the cemeteries in Luristan (Maleki, 1964, 5; Mortensen, 1979, 3; Stein, 1969, 189, 241; Zagarell, 1982, 79). However, few people have visited the valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal. The archaeologist A. Stein travelled through the SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 51 Shirwan valley in 1939 and a few Arabian geographers also visited the area. The Sassanian town Shirwan was probably visited in the 12th century by Benjamin de Tudèle and in the 19th century by H.C. Rawlinson. J. de Morgan investigated the area in 1907 (Gabriel, 1952, 29; Stein, 1969, 223228; Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 12-13). The most important study of the area was done by Belgian archaeologist L. Vanden Berghe of Ghent University (Belgium) between the 10th and 27th of November 1979. His goal was to map all the archaeological sites of the area, especially the cemeteries (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992). 4. The sites in the area The archaeological sites, buildings, villages and towns which will be mentioned here, were known structures. For this purpose two major resources have been used: the results of the expedition of Vanden Berghe (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992) and the detailed maps from the Iranian Oil Operating Companies (Geological and Exploration division Tehran) (1966: Iran 1: 50.000 Series; Sheet No. 20223: KUH-E VARZARIN; based on pictures taken in 1961. Edition September 1966) and 1967 (Iran 1: 50.000 Series; Sheet No. 20217: PALGANEH; based on pictures taken in 1961. Edition November 1967). Most buildings, towns and villages of the area are drawn on those maps and some of them may be old structures. The sites mentioned by Vanden Berghe are the ‘S’-sites in this study. The places mentioned by the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps are the ‘O’-sites. 131 Buildings, villages or towns were found on the maps. Vanden Berghe mentioned 91 sites, making a total of 222 sites. After a first selection this resulted in 206 different structures. Only 16 places were reported by both resources. Sites are named in the study if the name is known, and for some sites, measurements and other structural information are also available. Pictures and extra information from other similar sites in Pusht-i Kuh have also been used as a reference (Pl. 3-7). Modern towns or villages (62) S1 (Chamzuyah (Cham Ritat); S2 (Dar Balut); S3 (Qazi Khan Oliah) = O10 (Qazi Khan) (2 buildings); S4 (Zuhairi) = O17 (Zuheyri) + O18 (1 building); S5 (Sar Khan); S6 (War Gatch) = O28 (Var Gach); S7 (Kurahvand = Kurahvand Lamar) = O32 (Kurehvand) (+2 buildings)); S8 (Imarat) = O26 52 M. DE MEYER (Shurab-e Khan Ali) (5 buildings); S9 (Shahman Suri); S10 (Larini) = O41 (Baraftab-e Larini); S11 (Gurab Sufla) = O35 (Gurab-e Sufla) (1 building); S12 (Sar Kalan (Sarab Kalan)); S13 (Hassan Gavdari) = O42 (Hasan Gudari); S14 (Hillah Waran); S15 (Pananbar) = O45 (3 buildings); S16 (Shahqalandar Oliah) = O50 (Shah Qalandar) (6 buildings); S17 (Baba Shamsh) = O52 (Baba Shamshi); S18 (Sar Kalleh Safid Kani) = O54 (Zangevan) (3 buildings); S19 (Darreh Surkh); S20 (Aliabat Wasat) = O60 (Sar Kalleh-Ye ‘Aliabad); S21 (Kali Kali); S22 (Chasmah Pan (Chasmah Rashid); S23 (Sarab Qarazan Oliah) = O65 (Tarzan-e’ Ulya (Karzan) (2 buildings); S24 (Miviyan Tang-I Hujanan); S76 (Zir Tang) = O122 (Zirtang); S77 (Balavah Sufla) = O99 (Balaveh Khushkek); S78 (Taq — Gaurin) = O83 (Taq-e Gavrin); S79 (Chamshmah Qulah) = O79 (Chashm Quleh); S80 (Cham Chamar Rud); O4 (‘Eyn-e Hareh); O7; O12; O23; O27 (+ 2 buildings); O29 (Qaryeh-ye Darvishan); O33 (Cham-e Chenar (+ 1 building); O34 (Hivand); O40; O47; O48; O49 (Dar Mian); O68 (Khar-e Shir’ Ali); O70 (Mushekan); O71 (Tu Surkh-e Ulya); O72 (Dartut); O75 (Sang-e Safid); O77 (Dar Eshkaft); O81; O82 (Haleh Sam + 2 buildings); O84; O86; O87 (Keleh Qatar); O89 (Cheqa Sabz); O90 (Shurabeh); O92; O97 (Balaveh Tireh); O101 (Kurak) (+ 1 building); O108; O112 (Jub Shaleh); O120 (Darreh Chapi); O121 (Talkhestan (+ 1 building); O126 Some ‘buildings’ on the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps are mentioned as a ‘village’ by Vanden Berghe (example: S18 = O54: 3 buildings). The methodology used here included noting how many buildings were drawn on the maps. Some of the places which are reported as ‘villages’ on the map also contain some ‘buildings’. Buildings (82) O1 (3 buildings); O2 (2 buildings); O3 (1 building); O5 (Kowsheh) (2 buildings); O6 (Cham-e Latur) (1 building); O8 (1 building); O9 (2 buildings); O11 (1 building); O13 (1 building); O14 (2 buildings); O15 (1 building); O16 (1 building); O19 (Siyah) (5 buildings); O20 (2 buildings); O21 (Sarabe Gavar Tuti) (4 buildings); O22 (1 building); O24 (1 building); O25 (1 building); O26 (Shurab-e Khan ‘Ali) (5 buildings); O30 (2 buildings); O31 (2 buildings); O36 (1 building); O37 (1 building); O38 (2 buildings); O39 (3 buildings); O43 (2 buildings); O44 (2 buildings); O45 (3 buildings); O46 (3 buildings); O51 (2 buildings); O53 (1 building); O55 (2 buildings); SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 53 O56 (3 buildings); O57 (4 buildings); O58 (3 buildings); O59 (3 buildings); O61 (1 building); O62 (Tarzan-e Sufla (Karzan)) (1 building); O63 (Tarzan-e Sufla (Karzan) (1 building); O64 (5 buildings); O66 (Shubab-e ‘ulya) (9 buildings); O67 (Shubab-e Sufla) (6 buildings); O69 (1 building); O73 (2 buildings); O74 (1 building); O76 (3 buildings); O78 (2 buildings); O80 (1 building); O85 (1 building); O88 (1 building); O91 (1 building); O93 (1 building); O94 (2 buildings); O95 (1 building); O96 (2 buildings); O98 (5 buildings); O100 (1 building); O102 (Palganeh) (1 building); O103 (2 buildings); O104 (1 building); O105 (Chalab Zarb) (2 buildings); O106 (2 buildings); O107 (2 buildings); O109 (2 buildings); O110 (Zulmat) (4 buildings); O111 (Kulang Bur) (2 buildings); O113 (1 building); O114 (1 building); O115 (1 building); O116 (1 building); O117 (1 building); O118 (1 building); O119 (2 buildings); O123 (1 building); O124 (Mian Qal’eh (Pakeh)) (2 buildings); O125 (1 building); O127 (1 building); O128 (1 building); O129 (1 building); O130 (1 building); O131 (1 building); All buildings were found on the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps. On the satellite images many of them resemble villages. Given that between the two resources there is a difference of 20 years, some scattered buildings may have developed into villages. Pre-Sassanian ruins (4) S44 (Kallegah); S45 (Awareh); S46 (Cham Mayah); S47 (Darreh Sarab) It is possible that S47 has existed since the 2nd millennium (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 11-12). Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins (15) S48 (Zuhairi (Ramilah)); S49 (Kalah); S50 (Ban-i Shan); S51 (Darreh Mar); S52 (Kalah Wah); S53 (War Gar); S54 (Kalleh Seh Pa); S55 (Dar Kalleh); S56 (Qal’Ah Tur Riz); S57 (Shirwan); S58 (Kalleh Wazul); S59 (Aliabat Wasat); S84 (Zir Tang); S85 (Balavah Sufla); S86 (Taq-i Gaurin) The two most significant ruins are Shirwan (with numerous remains, below a modern village built above) and Zuhairi. Most of the other Sassanian (224-642 AD) and Post-Sassanian ruins were built in proximity to these two major towns. Shirwan has been studied by different archaeologists visiting the site. Some major buildings are still recognisable, but many parts have been built over by the modern village of Sar Kalan. It was 54 M. DE MEYER an area of about 100 to 120 ha and contained a palace, bridges, and numerous houses (de Morgan, 1897, 361-365; Gabriel, 1952, 29; Stein, 1969, 224 and Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 12-16). Sassanian Chahar Taqs (3) S60 (Pal Sakinah); S61 (Kalleh She Pa); S62 (Taq-i Bahram) This is a square religious building, constructed of four pillars with a dome above. Only some remains, about 7 to 8 metres long are still present. There are some other ruins, probably a village, near S61 (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz 1992, 16-20). Islamic Imamzadehs (6) S63 (Imamzadeh Abbas); S64 (Imamzadeh Seid Ali); S65 (Imamzadeh Seid Ali (Abbas); S66 (Imamzadeh Hadjdj Hazar); S68 (Imamzadeh Ahmad Bagar Pandjum); S67 (Imamzadeh Shahqalandar) Imamzadeh means ‘born from a (Shi’ite) Imam’. They were the places where the properties of the 12 Shi’ite Imams were kept. Some of their successors who were exceptionally devoted (the Seids) were buried in such buildings. Such funeral places were also used for local saints and pious persons, especially in Luristan. Sometimes they were built because an Imam had been resting or praying at that location. Around the Imamzadeh there was a cemetery. The only exception to the practice of burying Imams at the site is S67, which is the grave of a tribal leader. In the Islamic Period it became normal to put a stone on top of a grave and a stela above the head of the deceased. The Imamzadeh is made out of two well preserved different rooms: the praying area and the sepulchral chamber, topped by a dome (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 20-23). Other Islamic cemeteries (3) S69 (Mullah Taq); S87 (Zir Tang); S88 (Cham Chamar Rud) There were three cemeteries without Imamzadeh. These sites are preserved in reasonable condition (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 20-23). Islamic funeral pillars (3) S70 (Mil Bardjiei (Mil Bardjigi); S71 (Imamzadeh Hadjdj Hazar) (2 pillars) SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 55 Above graves of important deceased persons a tall pillar was constructed in the shape of an obelisk. It was 3 to 4 metres high and well preserved (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 24-33). Sites with dolmens (2) S22a (Kufah); S22b (Shalan Qazi) There were different dolmens in the area, but few have survived. Previous studies show that there used to be a mound above them (diameter: 3 to 4m), but they disappeared because of looting and erosion. Many stones remain scattered about, and it is not possible to establish the number of dolmens. They were probably built in the middle of the 2nd millennium and are comparable with the West-Asian and European dolmens (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 5-7). Bani Surmah cemeteries (6) S26 (Chamshiri B); S37 (Taq-i Bahram); S38 (Millah Mehr); S39 (Kalahnowlah); S40 (Sar Eskaft); S41 (Djana Tamaz Qulli) These Early Bronze Age graves (3rd millennium) are approximately 7 to 10 metres long, and 1.70 to 3 metres wide. They date back to the Early Bronze Age. Characteristic are the very large stones which were laid parallel next to each other. Most of the graves were plundered and left open (Vanden Berghe, 1968, 111-121; Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 9). Dar Tanha cemeteries (2) S25 (Chamshiri A); S28 (Ban Shekar) These date equally back to the Early Bronze Age in Luristan and are approximately 7 to 10 metres long. They are similar to the Bani Surmah type, but have a gabbled roof (Vanden Berghe, 1970, 358; Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 9). Other kinds of 2nd Millennium cemeteries (1) S83 (Sar Tang Ab-i Garm) Little is known about this site (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 9). 56 M. DE MEYER Individual Graves from approximately 1000 BC (9) S27 (Dar Balut); S29 (Qalalan); S30 (Halurah); S31 (Kallasiah); S32 (Chamshah Millah Kavan); S33 (Qalarah); S42 (Chika Saïfur); S43 (Pa Kursiah); S82 (Banwarshan) These are small structures which date back to the Iron Age (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 10-11). Other Unspecified cemeteries (4) S34 (Chasmah Sar Tang); S35 (Pananbar); S36 (Pananbar); S81 (Damanah Kuh-i Tang-i Kurah) Little is known about this site (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, map). Abris-sous-roche (2) S72 (Tang-i Shamshah); S73 (Eskaft Shamshah Dar Nam) There is no evidence of man-made structures at this site, but remains indicate that humans of the Neolithic or Palaeolithic Periods used natural features such as over-hanging rocks for shelter (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 3-4). Pre-Sassanian tells (3) S74 (Qal’Ah Tur Riz); S75 (Chika Saïfur); S89 (Tepe Mehraban) These tepes/tells are high human built hills, developed from layers of habitation. Some details are available for S89, which is described as ‘large’, but little is known about the others, which have suffered from erosion but are still present (Vanden Berghe, Tourovetz, 1992, 11). 5. Identifying the known structures on the satellite images (Pl. 3-7) All known archaeological sites and buildings, villages and towns were located on the Forward and Afterward images and their appearance closely studied. (The satellite pictures were taken on the 16th of March 1966, so there should be good correlation with the maps from 1966 and 1967, which were based on pictures from 1961). 200 of them could be located, but S24, S43, O102, O103, O124 and O125 could not be localized SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 57 on the pictures. Some sites were not immediately visible, but could be located by close scrutiny of possible locations. All the sites mentioned by Vanden Berghe were placed in categories, which form a key to finding new possible archaeological sites. The information from the Iranian Oil Operating Companies was not used, because it is not clear if the buildings, villages and towns they mention are recent or not, and so have been considered to be new sites. Only the sites which were also mentioned by Vanden Berghe have been used to form the key. Old fields and road patterns have not been investigated during this study. The key has been based on the texture of the sites on the Forward images: – Form and color: most structures built by human beings have an artificial shape and clear boundaries, while natural features have less sharp contours and are less regular. Care needs to be taken with this generalization, however, because mistakes have been made in the past. – Composition: Are there several structures in one ‘site’ (e.g. villages, towns)? What’s the form of the area? – Boundaries: Is the boundary of the site clear (sharp) compared to the surrounding landscape? – Shadows: The (shape of the) shadow could be an important key to recognize some structures on the images. An archaeological site may look very different from a similar structure, depending on how the photograph was taken. – Position: Are the sites appearing in the valleys, the mountains, on the mountain-sides or are they elsewhere? – Associated elements: Are there any rivers or roads near the site? Roads could mean the site is still in use. – Other features: Other remarks about the site, and eventually more details about the way they appear on the Afterward-images. – Sites: The structures which belong to the type. The size of the site on the image is noted between brackets. If visible on the image, it is also noted. The normal appearance of the structures on the images (scale: 1/35000) was studied, including some stereoscopic research (see section 7). The sites not detectable on the satellite images are not included in the key as they are of no significance to this study. 58 M. DE MEYER Modern towns or villages (28) S1; S2; S3 = O10; S4 = O17, O18; S5; S6 = O28; S7 = O32; S8 = O26; S9; S10 = O41; S11 = O35; S12; S13 = O42; S14; S15 = O45; S16 = O50; S17 = O52; S18 = O54; S19; S20 = O60; S21; S22; S23 = O65; S76 = O122; S77 = O99; S78 = O83; S79 = O79; S80 TYPE 0: Sites which were not put in a particular type because of the bad quality of the satellite image. Sites: S14; S13=O42 (7 x 6 mm.); S8=O26 (11 x 6 mm.); S6=O28 (15 x 3 mm.) TYPE 1: Only a few roads are clearly visible. They are situated on the mountain-sides. Their appearance is better on the Afterward Images (on which the streets have a white color). Sites: S21 (4 x 2 mm.); S19 (6 x 3 mm.) S19 fore S21 fore TYPE 2: Some lines and structures are visible, but it is not clear if they are buildings. The traces are irregularly scattered and partially obscured by shadows. Most of them are in the valley near a river with roads nearby. There are more structures visible on the Afterward Images. Roads and buildings are clearer and boundaries are sharper. Sites: S18 = O54 (6 x 3 mm.) (7 x 2 mm.); S7 = O32 (6 x 3 mm.); S5 (5 x 2 mm.); S2 (4 x 3 mm.) S18 = O54 aft S7 = O32 fore S5 aft S2 aft SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 59 TYPE 3: The sites look like white stains. No clear buildings can be recognized, but there are some exceptions, which look more like white disturbance. The village or town has a very rectangular shape and all houses are constructed next to each other. Boundaries are not sharp and shadows are visible. The position of the sites is in the valleys and on the mountainsides. Associated elements are roads and a river. On the Afterward Images there is little to see, other than some disturbance. Sites: S17 = O52 (6 x 5 mm.); S15 = O45 (5 x 5 mm.); S78 = O83 (10 x 6 mm.); S77 = O99 (20 x 6 mm.); S10 = O41 (5 x 3 mm.); S9 (6 x 5 mm.); S1 (15 x 6 mm.) S17 = O52 fore S78 = O83 fore S9 fore S77 = O99 fore S15 = O45 fore S10 = O41 fore S1 aft TYPE 4: Grey blocks. The shape is not strictly rectangular but rounded off. The buildings appear to be grouped around a square. There’s an obvious boundary with the surrounding landscape and shadows are present. The site is situated in the valley, with a river and roads near the site. There is little to see on the Afterward images, other than that the villages have flat roofs. Sites: S80 (3 x 2 mm.) S80 fore 60 M. DE MEYER TYPE 5: Square and white structures, which appear to be much larger than the other sites. There is also a black/grey/white disturbed area, which could be the Sassanian ruins. They are triangular, square buildings, lying irregularly next to each other. The structures are clear, but the difference between two buildings next to each other is unclear due to shadows. The site is situated in the valley, with a river and roads nearby. Sites: S4 = O17, O18 + S48 (Sassanian and Pre-Sassanian ruin, O18 is a building) (24 x 9 mm.); S3 = O10 + S45 (Pre-Sassanian ruin) (14 x 10 mm.) S4 = O17, O18 + S48 fore S3 = O10 + S45 aft TYPE 6: Bright white linear structures and black spots with a regular orientation. Everything is orientated to the same direction. All structures are clearly visible and there are no shadows. The site is situated in the valley, with a river and roads nearby. Sites: S23 = O65 (4 x 2 mm.); S20 = O60 (half of it looks more like type 2, the other half has a grey/black disturbance) (6 x 3 mm.) S23 = O65 fore S20 = O60 fore TYPE 7: Clear white buildings, but also less clear areas. The town is rectangular, and very regular with sharp boundaries. There are shadows. The site is situated in the valley, with a river and roads nearby. Sites: S16 = O50 + S67 (an Imamzadeh with cemetery) (7 x 4 mm.) S16 = O50 + S67 fore SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 61 TYPE 8: Square structures which are grey/black on the inside, and bright white on the outside. Some grey/white disturbance is also present, spread irregularly along the road in one group. Some structures are very clear, other less so due to shadows. The sites are situated in the valleys or on the mountain-sides, with a river and roads nearby. Sites: S22 (16 x 3 mm.); S79 = O79 (6 x 5 mm.); S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 (S84 is a Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruin and S87 is an Islamic cemetery) (13 x 3 mm.) S22 fore S79 = O79 fore S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 fore TYPE 9: Square structures and roads are visible, but they are darker than the other types. There is also a more disturbed dark area. The total image is irregular and unclear but with sharp boundaries and shadows. Scattered between Sassanian Ruins, these sites, houses with flat roofs, are situated in the valleys or on the mountain-sides and are near a river. On other examples there are no ruins, but those have a similar appearance on the images. Sites: S12 + S57 (S57 is a Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruin) (20 x 9 mm.); S11 = O35 (7 x 4 mm.) S12 + S57 fore S11 = O35 fore TYPE 1 is not very clear, with no visible structures. On TYPE 2 and TYPE 3 disturbance is clearly visible, but buildings are difficult to distinguish. On TYPE 4 and TYPE 5 different shapes are clearly distinguishable. TYPE 6 and TYPE 7 show the clearest buildings, which are also visible on TYPE 8 and TYPE 9. Both types show square buildings. There are roads near all types, and usually a river or smaller water-courses. This 62 M. DE MEYER could be a criterion to distinguish modern villages and towns from ruins. Several modern structures, however, are built on top of older places. New sites which will look like TYPE 9 will have the greatest potential to contain ruins of an ancient period. Pictures of the area show that most houses have flat (horizontal) rooftops. Most of them are built next to each other, but some of them appear separately. Pre-Sassanian ruins (4) S4; S45; S46; S47 TYPE 0: Sites which were not put in a category because they are too small. Only modern remains are visible. Sites: S47 (15 x 10 mm.); S3 = O10 + S45 (S3 = O10 is a modern town or village) (14 x 4 mm.) TYPE 1: Square structures with a white border. There are also places, colored white, which are disturbed. These are scattered in the area, but clear, with no shadows. They appear on the mountain-sides, with roads nearby. S44 was previously known to be a large area. S46 has a large square building. Sites: S44 (19 x 9 mm.); S46 (1 x 1 mm.) S44 fore S46 fore The Pre-Sassanian ruins are recognizable because they appear as square structures on the images, which look like the villages and towns of TYPE 9. There are roads near the ruins. Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins (15) S48; S49; S50; S51; S52; S53; S54; S55; S56; S57; S58; S59; S84; S85; S86 63 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES TYPE 0: There is no difference between the modern village and the ruins, so they were not categorized as a particular type. Sites: S4 = O17, O18 + S48 (S4 and O17 is a village or town and O18 is a building) TYPE 1: In some places disturbance is present, but clear structures are not visible. They are situated in the valleys, with a river and roads nearby. Sites: S58; S86; S61 + S54 (S61 is a Chahar Taq); S49; S52; S51; S55 S58 fore S61 + S54 aft S52 aft S86 fore S49 fore S51 fore S55 fore TYPE 2: Situated in the valleys, there are one or more small, square structures with a white border. The buildings are standing on their own or are grouped together. The boundaries are not always clear, but there are no shadows. There are no roads near the site. Sites: S85 (0.5 x 0.5 mm.); S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 (S76 and O122 is a modern town or village and S87 is an Islamic cemetery) (3 x 5 mm.); S50 (0.5 x 0.5 mm.); S53 (3 x 2 mm.) S85 fore S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 fore S50 fore S53 aft 64 M. DE MEYER TYPE 3: Square structures and some roads are visible. They are darker than the other types, with some dark disturbance. The structures are lying irregularly next to each other, in a random pattern. The boundaries are sharp and there are shadows. The site is situated in the valley and on the mountain-side, with a river nearby. Additional information about Shirwan from previous fieldwork includes the presence of a palace on a small hill, a large square, bridges (above the Ab-i Shirwan), large buildings, but also a lot of debris. There’s a modern village on top of it, with a surface of 100 to 120 ha. Sites: S12 + S57 (S12 is a modern village or town) (20 x 9 mm.) S12 + S57 fore TYPE 4: The sites are located on a grey/black mound (a tepe/tell). Buildings in the valleys near roads, are isolated. Boundaries are sharp and shadows are clear. Sites: S59 (2 x 2 mm.); S56 + S74 (S74 is a tepe/tell) S59 fore S56 + S74 aft There are no roads near TYPE 2, so this type can be used as a criterion. TYPE 3 of this category has the same texture as TYPE 9 of the modern town or villages. Eight of the fifteen ruins could not be placed in a particular type. All ruins, therefore, cannot be found with the satellite images. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 65 Sassanian Chahar Taqs (3) S60; S61; S62 TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S62; S61 + S54 (S54 is a Sassanian or Post-Sassanian Ruin); S60 No sites are visible because the structures are too small to be seen on the images. Islamic Imamzadehs (6) S63; S64; S65; S66; S67; S68 TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S16 = O50 + S67 (S16 and O50 is a modern town or village); S66 (with cemetery); S64 (with cemetery) TYPE 2: No sites are visible other than a black/white/grey disturbance. It is probably the cemetery which is visible and not the Imamzadeh itself. The sites are situated in the valleys and on the mountain-sides, with roads nearby. A square structure is visible on site S65. Sites: S68 (with cemetery) (7 x 8 mm.); S65 (with cemetery) (2 x 1.5 mm.); S63 (with cemetery) (10 x 4 mm.) S68 fore S65 fore S63 aft It is not possible to see any difference between an ordinary domestic building and an Imamzadeh on the satellite images. This may be because the remains are very few. It is not possible to find the Imamzadeh and their cemeteries from the satellite pictures in any reliable way. 66 M. DE MEYER Other Islamic cemeteries (3) S69; S87; S88 TYPE 1: Some disturbance is visible. There is no difference from other kinds of disturbances, and there are also natural disturbances. The boundaries are not very clear and there are no shadows. There are roads near the sites and they are situated in the valleys. Sites: S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 (S76 and O122 is a modern town or village and S84 is a Sassanian or Post-Sassanian ruin. The disturbance detectable here could also be those ruins) (4 x 2 mm.); S88 (7 x 2 mm.); S69 (11 x 7 mm.) S76 = O122 + S84 + S87 fore S88 fore S69 fore Islamic cemeteries cannot be distinguished from other structures on the Satellite Images. Islamic funeral pillars (2) S70; S71 TYPE 1: No sites are visible, other than some disturbance, of no apparent significance. Sites: S70; S71 The feature is too small to be visible on a satellite image. Sites with dolmens (2) S22a; S22b TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S22a + S22b These features cannot be seen on the images because they are too small, but it is possible that there are other places where the tumuli are SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 67 still preserved. Stereoscopic research could be used for further investigation but it is probable those will also be too small to be distinguished from the landscape. Bani Surmah cemeteries (6) S26; S37; S38; S39; S40; S41 TYPE 1: No features are visible other than natural disturbance. Sites: S41; S40; S39; S38; S37; S25 + S26 (S25 is a Dar Tanha type cemetery) The structures are quite large, but still too small to be seen on the images. Dar Tanha cemeteries (2) S25; S28 TYPE 1: No features are visible, other than some natural disturbance. Sites: S28, S25 + S26 (S26 is a Bani Surmah type cemetery) The structures are quite large, but still too small to be seen on the images. Other kinds of 2nd Millennium cemeteries (1) S83 TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S83 Measurements or details were not available for this site, but it is certainly not visible. Individual graves from approximately 1000 BC (8) S27; S29; S30; S31; S32; S33; S42; S43; S82 TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S27; S29; S30; S31; S32; S33; S42; S43; S82 The sites are too small to be seen on the images. 68 M. DE MEYER Other not-specified cemeteries (4) S34; S35; S36; S81 TYPE 1: No sites are visible. Sites: S34; S35; S36; S81 No information was available for these sites. No features were detectable. Abris-sous-roche (2) S72; S73 TYPE 1: No sites were visible. Sites: S72; S73 These shelters are a natural feature, which means they cannot be detected on the images. Pre-Sassanian Tepe’s/Tells (3) (S74; S75; S89) TYPE 1: No sites were visible. S89 is very large and high, and situated on the confluence of the Chardawal-river and the Girini-River. There should be some Sassanian ruins on the sides or on top of it, but they are not detectable on the photos. Sites: S89 TYPE 2: The photographs show an isolated grey/black mound (tell), with clear boundaries and a clear shadow. There are roads in the area. The sites lies in the valleys. Sites: S75; S56 + S74 (S56 is a Sassanian or Post-Sassanian ruin; it could be S74) S75 aft S56 + S74 aft Although other types are visible, TYPE 1 is unexpectedly not visible in the pictures. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 69 THE PROVISIONAL KEY Types have been classified in new categories. In the next chapter structures of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps and the new sites will be placed in these types and categories. Only the categories and types which are written here in CAPITALS, will be used in the next chapter. CATEGORY 0: NO SITES OR FEATURES VISIBLE Sassanian Chahar Taqs Type 1 Islamic Imamzadehs Type 1 Islamic funeral pillars Type 1 Sites with dolmens Type 1 Other kinds of 2nd Millennium cemeteries Type 1 Individual graves from approximately 1000 BC Type 1 Other Islamic cemeteries Type 1 Abris-sous-roche Type 1 Pre-Sassanian tells Type 1 CATEGORY A: MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 2 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 3 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 4 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 5 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 6 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 7 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 8 CATEGORY B: POSSIBLE RUINS Modern towns or villages Type 9 Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins Type 3 Pre-Sassanian ruins Type 1 Sassanian en Post-Sassanian ruins Type 2 Distinguishing between: SQUARE STRUCTURES WITH ROADS SQUARE STRUCTURES WITHOUT ROADS CATEGORY C: HILLS (TELLS) Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins type 4 Pre-Sassanian tells type 2 70 M. DE MEYER CATEGORY D: PLACES WITH DISTURBANCE Modern towns or villages Type 1 Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins Type 1 Islamic Imamzadehs Type 2 Other Islamic cemeteries Type 1 Bani Surmah cemeteries Type 1 Dar Tanha cemeteries Type I CATEGORY 0 will only be used in the next chapter for sites of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps. CATEGORY A could also contain ruins, because it cannot be determined if some of the structures in CATEGORY B are old or new remains. There is certainly no clear difference between the PreSassanian, Sassanian and Post-Sassanian ruins. CATEGORY C could be tells, but there could also be other kinds of mounds in the area and some of them also contain ruins. CATEGORY D contains sites of uncertain significance because it cannot be determined whether they are interesting archaeological sites, or perhaps just some modern disturbance. 6. The Search for possible New Archaeological Sites (Pl. 3-7) Every image was carefully studied several times in order to discover new sites, but it is, however, still possible that some structures were missed. The same categories and types described previously were used, augmented with some new ones, culminating with ‘The Final Key’ at the end of this chapter. Nevertheless, this final key may not correspond with the actual situation. For example, a modern village may still contain a ruin. CATEGORY 0 is not visible, so it has no use, except for the structures mentioned by the Iranian Oil Operating Companies. We used • CATEGORY A with its eight different types of modern villages and towns, • CATEGORY B in which square structures with roads are distinguished from square structures without roads, • CATEGORY C (tells) (without further distinction), and • CATEGORY D (also without further distinction). SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 71 Structures which did not fit in any of those groups were placed into new categories. Some structures were not put into any category because of the poor quality of some minor parts of the images. The results of this study should be interpreted with caution, because they have not yet been verified with fieldwork. A. Structures of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps 33 towns or villages: O4; O7; O12; O23; O27; O29; O33; O34; O40; O47; O48; O49; O68; O70; O71; O72; O75; O77; O81; O82; O84; O86; O87; O89; O90; O92; O97; O101; O108; O112; O120; O121; O126 72 buildings: O1; O2; O3; O5; O6; O8; O9; O11; O13; O14; O15; O16; O19; O20; O21; O22; O24; O25; O26; O30; O31; O36; O37; O38; O39; O43; O44; O45; O46; O51; O53; O55; O56; O57; O58; O59; O61; O62; O63; O64; O66; O67; O69; O73; O74; O76; O78; O80; O85; O88; O91; O93; O94; O95; O96; O98; O100; O104; O105; O106; O107; O109; O110; O111; O113; O114; O115; O116; O117; O118; O119; O123; O127; O128; O129; O130; O131 These structures were not used to develop the Key model referred to in the previous chapter because it could not be determined whether they were recent or not. They are to be considered as ‘new’ sites. Only the structures of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps which were determined by Vanden Berghe have been used in the previous model. Sites uncategorized because of the poor quality of the image O70 (8 x 3 mm.); O47 (7 x 5 mm.); O57 (4 buildings) (4 x 3 mm.); O89 (9 x 3 mm.); O107 (2 buildings) (1 x 2 mm.); O27 (7 x 4 mm.); O23 (5 x 2 mm.); O29 (6 x 2 mm.); O7 (6 x 4 mm.); O12 (7 x 4 mm.) CATEGORY 0: No sites or features visible O64 (5 buildings); O62 (1 building); O73 (2 buildings); O61 (1 building); O56 (3 buildings); O92; O94 (2 buildings); O93 (1 building); O101; O44 (2 buildings); O100 (1 building); O24 (1 building); O25 (1 building); O22 (1 building); O15 (1 building); O13 (1 building); O8 (1 building) CATEGORY A: Modern towns or villages TYPE 2: O91 (1 building) (6 x 6 mm.); O128 (1 building) (17 x 2 mm.); O38 (2 buildings) (10 x 2.5 mm.); O5 (2 buildings) (2 x 2 mm.) 72 M. DE MEYER O91 aft O128 fore O38 fore O5 aft TYPE 3: O76 (3 buildings) (6 x 3 mm.); O71 (6 x 5 mm.); O67 (6 buildings) (2 x 2 mm.); O59 (3 buildings) (8 x 3 mm.); O48 (7 x 4 mm.); O49 (7 x 4 mm.); O53 (1 building) (3 x 2 mm.); O46 (3 buildings) (6 x 5 mm.); O87 (7 x 3 mm.); O86 (3 x 3 mm.); O90 (11 x 3 mm.); O84 + O85 (O85 is 1 building) (3 x 2 mm.); O97 (7 x 3 mm.); O116 (1 building) (3 x 3 mm.); O108 (7 x 5 mm.); O112 (5 x 3 mm.); O120 (7 x 2 mm.); O118 (1 building) (2 x 1 mm.); O126 (3 x 4 mm.); O31 (2 buildings) (6 x 1 mm.); O20 (2 buildings) (8 x 3 mm.) O76 fore O49 fore O84 + O85 fore O120 fore O71 fore O53 fore O97 aft O118 fore O67 fore O46 fore O116 aft O126 fore O59 fore O87 fore O108 fore O31 fore 73 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES O48 fore O86 fore O112 fore O20 fore O90 fore TYPE 4 O72 (6 x 3 mm.) O72 fore TYPE 5: No examples. TYPE 6: O95 (1 building) (2 x 3 mm.); O111 (2 buildings) (4 x 5 mm.); O33 (6 x 4 mm.) O39 (3 buildings) (7 x 4 mm.) (very regular); O36 (1 building) (2 x 2 mm.) O95 fore O33 fore O111 fore O39 fore O36 fore TYPE 7: O82 (9 x 6 mm.); O77 (6 x 4 mm.); O110 (4 buildings) (6 x 3 mm.); O40 (17 x 4 mm.) O82 fore O77 fore O110 fore O40 fore 74 M. DE MEYER TYPE 8: O88 (1 building) (3 x 4 mm.) (grey outside inside of bright white); O119 (2 buildings) (6 x 5 mm.) (grey outside inside of bright white) O88 fore O119 fore CATEGORY B: Possible ruins For this category we developed two new types: square structures with roads and those without roads. Besides those, sites with a disturbed black/white/grey structure also seem to appear. Since there are no buildings visible but they are identified on the maps as villages, it seems likely that they are ruins, especially those without roads. SQUARE STRUCTURES WITH ROADS: O66 (9 buildings) (25 x 10 mm.) (also a lot of debris and boulder ruins (see further); O74 (1 building) (4 x 4 mm.); O109 (2 buildings) (7 x 3 mm.); O131 (1 building) (3 x 2 mm.); O16 (1 building) (4 x 4 mm.); O9 (2 buildings) (10 x 4 mm.); O2 (2 buildings) (3 x 3 mm.) O4 (6 x 6 mm.); O1 (3 buildings) (7 x 5 mm.); O113 (1 building) (6 x 2 mm.) O66 fore O119 fore O16 aft O4 aft O74 fore O131 fore O9 aft O1 fore O2 aft O113 fore 75 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES SQUARE STRUCTURES WITHOUT ROADS: O68 (3 x 3 mm.) (half square, also debris); O58 (3 buildings) (5 x 3 mm.) O68 aft O58 aft DISTURBED AREAS WITH ROADS: The site has a grey/black/white disturbed texture. There are no clear buildings, or very few. All structures are close to each other. Sometimes the site of the disturbed zone is next to a place where there seems to be some kind of buildings. The boundaries are not clear. They are situated in the valleys, and there are roads near the sites. Sites: O75 (7 x 6 mm.) (irregular) (also square structures); O81 (4 x 2 mm.) (irregular); O78 (2 buildings) (3 x 1 mm.); O51 (2 buildings) (3 x 3 mm.); O55 (2 buildings) (6 x 1 mm.); O98 (5 buildings) (5 x 4 mm.); O106 (2 buildings) (4 x 5 mm.); O105 (2 buildings) (7 x 3 mm.); O34 (14 x 4 mm.); O19 (5 buildings) (4 x 4 mm.); O21 (4 buildings) (2 x 2 mm.) O75 fore O51 fore O106 fore O34 fore O81 fore O55 fore O105 fore O21 aft O78 fore O98 fore O19 fore 76 M. DE MEYER DISTURBED AREAS WITHOUT ROADS: The area looks very disturbed (white/black/grey). There are no clear buildings or very few. All structures are close to each other. The boundaries are not sharp, and they are situated in the valleys. There are no roads near the sites. Sites: O14 (2 buildings) (4 x 3 mm.) (This site also contains a part with modern, white buildings) O14 fore CATEGORY C: Hills (Tells) No examples. CATEGORY D: Places with disturbance O69 (1 building) (2 x 2 mm.); O37 (1 building); O123 (1 building) (2.5 x 3 mm.); O11 (1 building) (3 x 2 mm.) O69 aft O37 fore O123 fore O11 fore CATEGORY E: Buildings We divided the buildings standing on their own into two new types. TYPE 1: One grey or white building is visible. They stand alone or there are a couple adjacent to one another. The boundaries are not always clear, and some shadows are visible. These sites are situated in the valleys near a river and roads. Sites: O80 (1 building) (0.5 x 0.5 mm.); O96 (2 buildings) (2 x 1 mm.); O114 (1 building) + O115 (1 building) (3 x 3 mm.); O121 (5 x 3 mm.); O117 (1 building) (2 x 0.5 mm.); O130 (1 building) (1 x 1.5 mm.); O30 (2 buildings) (2 x 1 mm.); O6 (1 building) (0.5x 0.5mm.); O3 (1 building) (0.5 x 0.5 mm.) 77 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES O80 aft O117 aft O30 fore O3 aft O114 + O115 fore O130 fore O6 aft O96 aft O121 fore TYPE 2: Square structures which are grey/white on the outside and white inside. They are standing alone or with little buildings attached. The boundaries are clear and there are shadows. They are situated on the valley, the mountainside or in the mountains, with roads and a river nearby. These sites are almost not visible on the Afterward images. The structures look modern, but should not be dismissed because square structures like this also appear in archaeological sites, although such sites tend to be a little darker on the image. Sites: O63 (1 building) (2 x 1 mm); O129 (1 building) (2 x 2 mm); O43 (2 buildings) (0.5 x 0.5 mm); O104 (1 building) (3 x 1 mm); O127 (1 building) (1 x1 mm) O129 aft O104 fore O43 fore O63 fore O127 fore 78 M. DE MEYER B. New sites The new sites (‘N’-sites) found were divided into the already known categories. The use of group 0 (No sites or features visible) was discontinued. In this chapter some sites are also placed in new types. CATEGORY A: Modern towns or villages TYPE 2: N1 (6 x 1 mm.) (in 1 line); N2 (5 x 2 mm.); N3 (7 x 4 x 8mm); N4 (4 x 1 mm.); N5 (2 x 2 mm.); N6 (2 x 2 mm.); N7 (1 x 1 mm.); N8 (4 x 3 mm.); N9 (10 x 6 mm.); N10 (5 x 5 mm.); N11 (5 x 3 mm.) N1 fore N4 aft N7 fore N9 fore N2 aft N5 aft N8 fore N10 fore N3 aft N6 fore N11 fore TYPE 3: N12 (30 x 10 mm.); N13 (4 x 5 mm.); N14 (9 x 7mm); N15 (5 x 3 mm.); N16 (7 x 3 mm.); N17 (7 x 4 mm.); N18 (3 x 1 mm.); N19 (7 x 1 mm.); N20 (5 x 3 mm.); N21 (4 x 3 mm.); N22 (2 x 2 mm.); N23 (1 x 1 mm.); N24 (3 x 2 mm.); N25 (5 x 4 mm.); N26 (5 x 6 mm.); N27 (4 x 4 mm.); N28 (7 x 4 mm.); N29 (15 x 5 mm.); N30 (4 x 1,5 mm.); N31 (5 x 5 mm.) 79 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES N12 aft N13 aft N14 for N15 fore N16 fore N20 fore N24 fore N28 fore N17 fore N21 fore N25 fore N29 fore N18 fore N22 fore N26 fore N30 fore N19 fore N23 aft N27 fore N31 fore TYPE 4: No examples. TYPE 5: No examples. TYPE 6: N32 (3 x 3 mm.); N33 (4 x 2 mm.); N34 (3 x 2 mm.) N32 aft N33 fore N34 aft 80 M. DE MEYER TYPE 7: N35 (3 x 3 mm.) N35 fore TYPE 8: No examples. CATEGORY B: Possible ruins SQUARE STRUCTURES WITH ROADS: N36 (10 x 3 mm.); N37 (4 x 3 mm.); N38 (3 x 3 mm.); N39 (6 x 6 mm.); N40 (12 x 6 mm.); N41 (2 x 1 mm.); N42 (5 x 2 mm.); N43 (1 x 1 mm.); N44 (4 x5 mm.); N45 (13 x 7mm); N46 (3 x 2 mm.) N36 fore N39 fore N42 fore N45 fore N37 fore N40 fore N43 fore N46 fore N38 fore N41 fore N44 fore SQUARE STRUCTURES WITHOUT ROADS: N47 (1 x 0.5 mm.); N48 (2 x 2 mm.); N49 (1 x 0.55 mm.); N50 (17 x 10 mm.); N51 (1 x 1 mm.); N52 (1 x 1,5 mm.); N53 (6 x 3 mm.); N54 (1 x 1 mm.); N55 (12 x 7mm); N56 (1 x 1 mm.); N57 (3 x 1 mm.); N58 (3 x 1 mm.); N59 (10 x 20mm); N60 (0.50 x 0.50mm) 81 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES N47 fore N48 fore N49 fore N50 fore N53 fore N57 fore N54 fore N58 aft N55 fore N59 aft N56 fore N60 aft N51 fore N52 aft DISTURBED AREAS WITH ROADS: N61 (14 x 2 mm. en 3 x 4 mm.) (triangles); N62 (3 x 3 mm.); N63 (3 x 3 mm.); N64 (3 x 2 mm.); N65 (3 x 2 mm.); N66 (6 x 3 mm.); N67 (6 x 2 mm.); N68 (2 x 2 mm.); N69 (3 x 4 mm.); N70 (8 x 2 mm.); N71 (12 x 6 x 10 mm.); N72 (12 x 3 mm. en 6 x 2 mm.); N73 (6 x 5 mm.2.5 mm.); N74 (10 x 7mm); N75 (9 x 4 mm.); N76 (3 x 2 mm.); N77 (3 x 2 mm.); N78 (7 x 5 mm.) N61 aft N62 aft N63 aft N64 fore N65 fore N69 fore N72 fore N75 aft 82 M. DE MEYER N66 fore N70 fore N73 fore N76 aft N67 aft N71 aft N74 aft N77 fore N68 fore N78 fore DISTURBED AREAS WITHOUT ROADS: N79 (5 x 2 mm.) (there’s a road on the other side of the river); N80 (3 x 2 mm.); N81 (3 x 2 mm.); N82 (2 x 1 mm.); N83 (4 x 4 mm.); N84 (7 x 3 mm.); N85 (7 x 6 mm.); N86 (3 x 3 mm.); N87 (5 x 5 mm.); N88 (5 x 2 mm.); N89 (2 x 2 mm.); N90 (4 x 3 mm.); N91 (2 x 2 mm.); N92 (4 x 2 mm.); N93 (15 x 7mm); N94 (15 x 10 mm.); N95 (4 x 3 mm.); N96 (18 x 5 mm.); N97 (5 x 3 mm.); N98 (5 x 2 mm.); N99 (7 x 7mm); N100 (6 x 3 mm.); N101 (6 x 4 mm.) N79 fore N84 fore N88 aft N92 fore N80 aft N85 fore N89 fore N93 fore 83 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES N81 fore N86 fore N90 fore N94 fore N82 aft N87 aft N91 fore N95 fore N83 fore N97 fore N99 fore N101 aft N96 aft N98 fore N100 aft BOULDER RUINS: This new type consists of structures which are hollow on the inside. They are difficult to distinguish from the Sassanian and Pre-Sassanian ruins. The best way to distinguish them is by identifying their situation on the mountainside where they are spread out. Some of them are black structures in the fields, and in some cases only a few lines are visible… It is possible that some structures categorised as CATEGORY B or CATEGORY F are also boulder ruins. The boundaries are clear and they are all situated near other large structures. Occasionally there are roads near the sites. It is possible that Sassanian and Pre-Sassanian ruins are between these boulder ruins. There are many boulder ruins in Luristan, but not all of them are old settlements, some of them are modern structures which are used to keep the cattle together, similar to the ancient ones. 84 M. DE MEYER Sites: N102 (35 x 20 mm.) (total area); N103 (3 x 2 mm.); N104 (25 x 15 mm.) (total area); N105 (1 x 1 mm.); N106 (25 x 15 mm.) (total area); N107 (10 x 15 mm.) (total area); N108 (27 x 20 mm.) (total area); N109 (10 x 1 mm.) (total area); N110 (10 x 8 mm.) (total area); N111 (10 x 4 mm.) (total area); N112 (25 x 10 mm.) (total area); N113 (40 x 20 mm.) (total area) (+ big white stain); N 114 (10 x 5 mm.) (total area); N115 (9 x 5 mm.) (total area); N116 (1 x 0.5 mm.); N117 (20x 10 mm.) (total area); N118 (33 x 13 mm.) (total area); N119 (20 x 10 mm.) (total area); N120 (23 x 10 mm.) (total area); N121 (55 x 5 mm.) (total area); N122 (25 x 13 mm.) (total area); N123 (3 x 1 mm.) (total area); N124 (17 x 5 mm.) (total area); N125 (22 x 17 mm.) (total area); N126 (5 x 4 mm.); N127 (5 x 2 mm.); N128 (5 x 2 mm.); N129 (16 x 7 mm.) (total area); N130 (3 x 1 mm.) (total area) N102 aft N104 fore 106 aft N103 fore N105 aft N107 fore N108 aft N115 aft N122 aft 85 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES N109 fore N116 aft N123 fore N110 fore N117 aft N124 aft N111 fore N112 fore N118 aft N125 aft N126 aft N119 aft N127 aft N113 aft 86 M. DE MEYER N114 fore N120 + N138 aft N129 fore N128 aft N130 aft N121 aft OTHER LINEAR STRUCTURES: Besides the linear structures already mentioned, some which don’t seem to fit in any of the other categories can be observed. They are bright white, black or grey, and most of them are larger than those already mentioned. Some of these structures certainly have archaeological importance. They are all standing alone, situated in the mountains and on the mountain-sides. Boundaries are very clear, and there are no roads near them. Sites: N131 (2 x 1.25 mm. en 3 x 1,25 mm.) (white lines in black stains); N132 (2 x 2 mm.) (also earth traces) (white lines with a # — 87 SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES shape); N133 (4 x 2 mm.) (white lines with two C-shapes turned to each other); N134 (2 x 2 mm.) (a vague white square with rounded off corners); N135 (6 x 1 mm.) (two long black lines (possibly the remains of a village); N136 (1.5 x 1 mm.) (bright, white lines against a black background); N137 (long white line in the shape of a corner, contains a rectangular building) (7 x 2 mm.); N138 (four small white lines next to each other) (1.5 x 1 mm.); N139 (3 x 2 mm.) (black rectangular which is bend over hypotenuse in a field; possibly a boulder ruin); N140 (2 x 1.25 mm.) (bright white rectangular in alluvium of the mountain) N131 aft N134 aft N137 fore N120 + N138 aft N132 fore N135 fore N140 aft N136 fore N133 fore N139 fore CATEGORY C: Hills (Tells) N141 (10 x 6 mm.) (not circular, but some kind of artificial hill); N142 (1 x 1 mm.); N143 (13 x 2 mm.) (small hills); N144 (5 x 2 mm.) (+ ground marks) (probably not a tell); N145 (7 x 7 mm.); N146 (1 x 1 mm.); N147 (0.5 x 0.5 5 mm.) (could also be a building TYPE 1); N148 (the hill on the Forward-image is a technical mistake); N149 (6 x 3 mm.) (+ ground marks); N150 (1.5 x 1.5 mm.); N154 (3 x 3 mm.) 88 M. DE MEYER N141 fore N144 fore N147 fore N142 fore O73 + N145 fore N148 fore N143 fore N146 fore N154 aft N149 fore N150 fore CATEGORY D: Places with disturbance N151 (7 x 2 mm.) (disturbed area with a lot of hills) N151 aft CATEGORY E: Buildings Square buildings without roads standing on their own were placed in CATEGORY B within SQUARE STRUCTURES WITH ROADS. It is not clear if these are modern structures or not. TYPE 1: N152 (2 x 1 mm.); N153 (5 x 1 mm.) SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES N152 fore 89 N153 aft TYPE 2: No examples. C. Conclusion All together, the following sites were identified: Sites uncategorized because of the poor quality of the image: 10 (O) Category 0: No sites or features visible: 17 (O) Category A: Eight types of Modern towns or villages: 37 (O) + 35 (N) Category B: Possible ruins: • Square structures with roads: 10 (O) + 11 (N) • Square structures without roads: 2 (O) + 13 (N) • Disturbed areas with roads: 11 (O) +18 (N) • Disturbed areas without roads: 1 (O) + 23 (N) • Boulder ruins: 29 (N) • Other linear structures: 10 (N) Category C: Hills (tells): 11 (N) Category D: Places with disturbance:4 (O) + 1 (N) Category E: Two types of buildings: 14 (O) + 2 (N) Our study located many sites which could perhaps be archaeological sites. Some structures mentioned on the Iranian Oil Operating Companies maps also seem to be possible archaeological sites. All structures from CATEGORY A are certainly modern, but they can of course, also contain old structures and sites. Possible ruins (CATEGORY B) without roads have a slightly larger chance of having archaeological importance than structures with roads leading to them. However some known archaeological sites also contain roads leading to them (maybe old roads?). Boulder ruins of uncertain age are known all over Luristan and are not considered to be of significant archaeological value, although they could contain more interesting structures. The other linear structures certainly have an archaeological value. From CATEGORY C, it is not always clear if they are tells, and this 90 M. DE MEYER needs further stereoscopic investigation. CATEGORY D is worth studying. They contain the structures which do not fit in CATEGORY C. CATEGORY E are almost certainly all recent structures. It would also be interesting to do some fieldwork near the sites which were not placed in a specific category. THE FINAL KEY CATEGORY A: MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 2 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 3 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 4 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 5 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 6 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 7 MODERN TOWNS OR VILLAGES TYPE 8 CATEGORY B: POSSIBLE RUINS SQUARE STRUCTURES WITH ROADS SQUARE STRUCTURES WITHOUT ROADS DISTURBED AREAS WITH ROADS DISTURBED AREAS WITHOUT ROADS BOULDER RUINS OTHER LINEAR STRUCTURES CATEGORY C: HILLS (TELLS) CATEGORY D: PLACES WITH DISTURBANCE CATEGORY E: BUILDINGS BUILDINGS TYPE 1 BUILDINGS TYPE 2 7. Extended investigations Some of the images were examined using the stereoscopic technique, which resulted in some interesting findings concerning the location of the sites in relation to each other. Two overlapping pictures from an aerial series are SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 91 called a stereopair. In our study it is the Forward and Afterward images which form the stereopairs. With them it is possible to get a stereoscopic, threedimensional view. Some structures which are difficult to see while looking at a single image could be discovered in a quick and efficient way using the stereoscopic technique, but it is important to take account of the existence of the stereoscopic exaggeration (A hill, for example, looks stereoscopically much higher than it really is). Textures could also look completely different under a stereoscope (Lillesand, Kiefer, 1994, 126, 159). If the entire area could be searched with this method, more tells and other human built hills (including possibly tumuli from dolmens) would certainly be found. This study, however, only investigated three pairs of Forward and Afterward images. The pictures were developed on a scale of 1/19.000 for this study, as far as possible in a way that both Forward and Afterward pictures would have the same texture. This is essential in order to get a good stereoscopic result, but is never completely possible. After that images were scanned and transferred to computer. One out of each pair had to be rectified. This had to be done because the images are not geometrically correct, because of the corner in which the pictures were taken and because the earth is round. The photographed area of one negative is 200 km. long, so there is considerable deformation on the sides. The investigated area is on the side of the negative strips. Pair 1: Sites on the images: S12/S57 (The Sassanian town Shirwan and the modern town of Sar Kalan); O40 (A modern village or town); S10 = O41 (The modern village Larini); O39 (3 buildings); O38 (2 buildings); S66 (Imamzadeh Hadjdj Hazar with cemetery); S56 + S74 (S56 is Sassanian ruin Qa’lah Tur Riz and S74 is Tepe Qal’Ah Tur Riz); S71 (Islamic funeral pillar Imamzadeh Hadjdj Hazar); S70 (Islamic funeral pillar Mil Bardjiei); N54 (A square structure); N43 (A square structure) This is the first pair investigated. Three-dimensional buildings were identified, and the mountains and terraced country were really clear. The Sassanian town of Shirwan is visible, but not much more could be determined. The most important result was Tepe Qal’Ah Tur Riz, which could be seen in three-dimensions with a clear elevation. A possible new tell in the valley of Shirwan was also discovered with three dimensions visible. The Imamzadeh and the pillars are not visible. 92 M. DE MEYER Pair 2: Sites on the images: S25 + S26 (S25 is a Dar Tanha cemetery and S26 a Bani Surmah Cemetery); S1 (The modern town or village Chamzuyah (Cham Ritat)); N140 (A square linear structure); N58 (A square linear structure); N59 (A square linear structure); N60 (A square linear structure) Some square structures were investigated on this pair, but they did not appear to be visible in three-dimensions, although one new structure was discovered. However, the study did lead to the interesting discovery that with this technique the positions that sites have compared to each other can be seen. Some structures seem to have a function connected to each other, while others seem to be lookouts for another structure. Pair 3: Sites on the images: O82 (The modern village or town Haleh Sam and two buildings); O81 (A modern village or town); O80 (One building); O78 (Two buildings); S79 = O79 (The modern village or town Chamshmah Qulah); O77 (The modern town or village Dar Eshkaft); S89 (Tepe Mehraban); N136 (Black stain with bright white line structure); N83 (A possible hill and a black triangle-shaped stain) The priority in studying pair 3 was to establish whether or not a tell (Tepe Mehraban) which was not visible with the images could be identified using the stereoscopic technique. A clearly visible sharp elevation indicates that this kind of tells (TYPE 1) can also be found on the images. The study suggests that this technique is certainly useful. It can be used to search for human and natural elevations, and can also be used to study the relation of the sites between each other on the pictures. With this spatial aspect, and on this scale it is possible to build up improved interpretations about both old and new structures. Conclusion This research should be followed by new field work to either confirm or disprove its conclusions. This project will not be said to be finalized until the results have been compared with facts, and the method refined. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 93 At this stage, this research can only be said to consist of constructing a potentially successful method for identifying possible new sites, and other adjacent sites of potential interest, including square structures, linear structures and tells. There are of course also the boulder ruins which could be surveyed, and structures identified as modern sites which could also contain old features. Remote Sensing must be used here as a kind of preliminary investigation, before new field work is started for more effective results to be achieved. The stereoscopic investigation should also be extended, because the case studies with the three pairs of photographs appeared quite promising. It is certainly a good way to locate tells. Some of the sites studied here were perhaps seen during the expedition of 1979, but dismissed as of little or no interest. Vanden Berghe had little interest in tells and boulder ruins, and didn’t record them all. It is unfortunate that Vanden Berghe also did not record all modern buildings, because such information would have been valuable for a study like this one. Future field trips to this area should record as much information as possible, and satellite images should be used as maps to refine the method used in this research. The technique can of course also be used outside Iran. The quality of the images also had an influence on the study, in part because of the quality of the negatives purchased. As a result some areas couldn’t be studied as intensely as they should have been, and there was a significant difference between the Forward and Afterward imagery. The Afterward images were a lot sharper than the others, but because of the color contrast sites were easier to see on the Forward images. Just one of the possibilities offered by satellite images was studied, but it is clear there is still much work to be done. The stereoscopic method has been discussed, but filtering systems could also be used to find linear structures. A more integrated use of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) would also be useful. A summary of the archaeological purposes CORONA (keyhole) can be used for includes: – The study of the destruction of the archaeological heritage: The technique facilitates investigation of buildings or sites which were still existing 30 years ago, and which have now disappeared. The study clearly showed the differences between the maps of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies, the information from Vanden Berghe and the 94 M. DE MEYER – – – – images from CORONA. In a period of less than two decades some places which were referred to as buildings became villages, possibly because of the fertility of both valleys. The verification of old archaeological reports: If a site was visited before the 1960s it can be verified or a search conducted for its exact location. The study of the relationship of different sites or buildings with regard to each other and their situation in the landscape: On the maps most structures can be seen in the valleys, or on their edges, while boulder ruins are situated along the mountains. Most possible ruins seem to be situated close to the mountains. All tells are in the valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal and not on the south eastern side of the Saimarreh. Disturbed places are found everywhere. Modern towns, villages and buildings are situated along the heart of the valleys on the banks of rivers. On a smaller scale, one can study the relationship which some buildings have with each other. Stereoscopic research enables differences between older and more recent sites to be identified because their situation in the landscape is more clearly seen. The location of new archaeological sites and interesting archaeological areas (old river-beds, fields, roads, irrigation patterns,…): On the images old river beds can be seen, and these are potential sites for archaeological remains. The measurement and illustration of sites. Using CORONA images is much cheaper than the other Satellite Remote Sensing applications identified in the first chapter, and the results are superior most of the time. While it cannot replace all the other Satellite Remote Sensing techniques, most of research done using expensive commercial systems, can also be done with CORONA. Bibliography Articles ARNOLD, H.J.P., 1989, The Great Wall of China From Space. The Exploration of a Myth, Spaceflight, Vol. 31, No. 7, London, July 1989, p. 248-252. CAMPBELL, J.B., 1996, Introduction to Remote Sensing, London, 1996. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 95 DE MORGAN, J., 1897, Mission Scientifique en Perse, Tome Quatrième (Deuxième partie), Paris, 1897. FOWLER, M.J.F., 1952, Satellite Archaeology, Spaceflight, Vol. 33, No 8, London, August 1991, p. 281-283. GABRIEL, A., 1952, Die Erforschung Persiens, Wien, 1952. LILLESAND, T.M., KIEFER, R.W., 1994, Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, New York, Chichester, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore, 1994. MALEKI, Y., 1964, Une fouille en Luristan, Iranica Antiqua, vol. IV, 1964, p. 1-35. MORTENSEN, P., 1979, The Hulailan Survey: A Note on the Relationship between Aims and Method, Akten des VII. Internationalen Kongresses für Iranische Kunst und Archäologie, München, 7-10. September 1976, Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran, Erganzungsband 6, Berlin, 1979, p. 3-8. RENFREW, C., BAHN, P., 1996, Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice, London,1996. SANDERS, H.M., OUWEHAND, B., 1994, Ruimtevaartjournaal: Spionage opnamen op de commerciële markt, Ruimtevaart, 43e jaargang, nummer 4, Utrecht, August 1994, p. 38-40. STEIN, A., 1969, Old Routes of Western Iran, New York, 1969 (original publication: 1940) VANDEN BERGHE, L., 1969, Belgische opgravingen en navorsingen in de Pusht-i Kuh, Phoenix, vol. 14, 1968, p. 109-127. VANDEN BERGHE, L., 1970, Belgische opgravingen in Luristan. Archeologische navorsingen in de Pusht-i Kuh, Phoenix, vol. 16, 1970, p. 351-366. VANDEN BERGHE, L., 1982, Catalogus Luristan, een verdwenen bronskunst uit West-Iran, Gent, 1982. VANDEN BERGHE, L., TOUROVETZ, A., 1992, Prospections archéologiques dans le district de Shirwan-Chardawal (Pusht-i Kuh, Luristan), Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXVII, 1992, p. 1-74. VAN DER LAAN, F., 1992, ISY; Aardobservatie heeft de toekomst, Ruimtevaart, 41e jaargang, nummer 3, Utrecht, June 1992, p. 33-38. ZAGARELL, A., 1982, The Prehistory of the Northeast Bahtiyari Mountains, Iran. The Rise of a Highland Way of Life, Beihefte zum Tübinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients, Reihe B., n. 42, Wiesbaden, 1982. Maps IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES, Kuh-e Varzarin, in: Iran 1:50.000 series, Tehran, 1966. IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES, Palganeh, in: Iran 1:50.000 series, Tehran, 1967. The map used by Vanden Berghe is a simplified version of the Iranian Oil Operating Companies map. 96 M. DE MEYER Plates CORONA Imagery: Data available from U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD Pl. 1: CORONA-system: CAMPBELL, 1996, 194 / CORONA Negatives: Data available from U.S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD Pl. 2: “Iran; Azië” Microsoft® Encarta® 2001 Encyclopedia. http://encarta. msn.com © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. / “Ilam; Iran” Microsoft® Encarta® 2001 Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Pl. 3: based on the IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES maps. Pl. 4: based on the IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES maps. Pl. 5: based on the IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES maps. Pl. 6: based on the IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES maps. Pl. 7: based on the IRANIAN OIL OPERATING COMPANIES maps. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES Aft image Fore image Pl. 1: The CORONA system (top) together with an example of a Forward and Afterward negative of approximately the same area (bottom). 97 98 M. DE MEYER Pl. 2: General map of the location of Shirwan and Chardawal in Iran (top) and more detailed overview of the region (bottom). SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES Pl. 3: First part (map A) of the studied area with indication of the ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘S’ sites. 99 100 M. DE MEYER Pl. 4: Second part (map B) of the studied area with indication of the ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘S’ sites. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 101 Pl. 5: Third part (map C) of the studied area with indication of the ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘S’ sites. 102 M. DE MEYER Pl. 6: Fourth part (map D) of the studied area with indication of the ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘S’ sites. SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES 103 Pl. 7: Fifth part (map E) of the studied area with indication of the ‘N’, ‘O’ and ‘S’ sites.

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS

Log In

Archaeological Research Using Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques (CORONA) in the Valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal (Pusht-i Kuh, Luristan), Iran

Archaeological Research Using Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques (CORONA) in the Valleys of Shirwan and Chardawal (Pusht-i Kuh, Luristan), Iran

Related Papers

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS