The Linear Earthworks System in Timis County (S-W Romania, Banat Region). A Synchronic Approach
International Aerial Archaeology Conference – AARG 2010, Bucharest, Romania, 15 – 18 September 2010
Dorel Micle, Liviu Măruia, Marcel Török, Adrian Cîntar, Călin Timoc, and Andrei Stavilă
“Timis County, part of the historic region of Banat, situated in south-western Romania, is traversed from north to south by a system of three linear defense works, constituted by a number of successive ditches and earthworks, known to specialists as „roman earthworks” they have not been dated or ethnically assigned. Having been confronted with this on field, out team has tried during the past two years, through modern techniques and methods, to establish the exact route these defense works follow and to identify their common characteristics, both as far as defense is concerned as well as method of construction and establishing the relationship with the geographic environment. Our research combines methods of geophysical prospecting (magnetic surveying) with topography and archaeological mapping, as well as the processing of satellite imaging, in order to compile an interdisciplinary study of landscape archaeology. Our main objectives were to identify the route of the linear defense works and its features and the relation between the fortifications and landscape.
“The research had two parts: 1. field work (archaeological field research, geo-morphologic analysis, archaeological topography, and geo-physical prospecting – magnetometry; 2. laboratory work (the analysis of: topographical and cadastral maps, satellite images, GIS processing).
“The final results were the creation of maps with the exact path of the linear fortifications, the identification of construction features, the identification of landscape geo-morphological features on the route of the fortifications using satellite images.”
