Preliminary communication

Geophysical research of archaeological sites with presumed ironworking activity on the example of the sites of Bakovčice, Nađbarice, and Ždala

Branko Mušič ; GEARH d.o.o., Maribor, Slovenia
Barbara Horn ; GEARH d.o.o., Maribor, Slovenia
Filip Matijević ; GEARH d.o.o., Maribor, Slovenia
Ivan Valent ; Town Museum Koprivnica, Koprivnica, Croatia
Tajana Sekelj Ivančan orcid.org/0000-0001-5992-8434 ; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The surface finds collected in an extensive field review carried out for the needs of the TransFER project pointed to iron production activities in the locations of Bakovčice – Velike Livade 1, Nađbarice 1, and Ždala – Telek. The surface finds included fragments of smelting slag, undoubtedly associated with iron production, but also numerous potsherds from different historical periods. In order to define more clearly the character of the sites chosen after the analyses of surface finds, it was decided to undertake non-invasive geophysical research using the magnetic method. These are all areas with intensive agricultural activity, so it was expected that there would be poor preservation of archaeological remains and, therefore, weaker magnetic anomalies. This was a rather serious challenge for the archaeologically eloquent processing of magnetograms, but the existence of the remains of ironworks activities in situ below the plough zone was confirmed in several places, while the remains of ironworks activities are largely found in the arable layer. On the basis of all the characteristic magnetic anomalies, they managed to determine the approximate boundaries of the area of iron production activity. This geophysical survey is significant for the theoretical considerations of the correlation between the results of field surveys and geophysical research for improving the methodology of archaeological prospecting and for determining the measures for the protection of archaeological heritage, since it confirms the well-known fact that the archaeological remains on the primary location in agricultural areas with ever more intensive cultivation gradually disappear over time.

Keywords

Bakovčice – Velike livade 1; Nađbarice 1; Ždala – Telek; geophysical research; magnetometry; magnetic susceptibility; Middle Ages

Hrčak ID:

248446

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/248446

Publication date:

22.12.2020.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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