Computer Applications of Archaeology

The Archaeological Map of Murghab and Tedjen Deltas (AMMTD), initiated in 1990 on a proposition by G.A. Koshelenko and R.M. Munchaev of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IARAN), as a co-operative effort of Italian, Russian and Turkmen specialists has represented one of the first of these long-delayed regional studies. Between 1990 and 1996 significant resources, mainly provided by the Italian Institute for Africa and Oriental Studies (IsIAO), the National Council for Research (CNR), the Department of Archaeology of University of Bologna (DAUNIBO), the Oriental Institute of Neaple (IUON) and a large spectrum of specialists and technicians of different nationalities and skills, created a vast archive of data by intensive ground reconnaissance, low altitude flights and by adopting state-of-the-art technologies for image processing and field recording. The reference cartography of the AMMTD was established on the 1:100.000 topographic military maps. The choice was agreed upon by the co-ordinating agencies of the project in consideration of the limited access to smaller scale maps for security reasons.
While fieldwork continues in the Murghab delta with more intensive surveys and test excavations for a better chronological definition of the culture period involved, the understanding of the data so far collected has required organisation in a Geographic Information System (GIS) At the beginning, the project was only concerned with the archaeological mapping of the Merv oasis, the eastern section of the Murghab delta. Afterwards the geographic limits of the research project included also the northernmost section of the early delta, some 50 km to the north of the present boundary of the alluvial plan oasis.
In the Tedjen delta the archaeological research mainly concerns the systematic GPS survey of Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements. The most important ones have been planned by ETS, showing the old Russian and Turkmen excavations and the areas of craft activities like metallurgy, pottery, and bead production.

fig. 1
Satellite Imagery of Murghab and Tedjen Deltas.

fig. 2
3D Image of the Murghab Delta, with Main Sequence of Ancient Irrigation Systems.
Palaeochannel System Reconstructed for Merv Delta from Aerial Imagery.
Ancient Site Distribution Middle Bronze Age to Islamic Period.

fig. 3
Topographical Plan of Altyn-depe: Major Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Centre in Tedjen Delta.

fig. 1.

fig. 2.

fig. 3.