Michael DONEUS1 / Christian GUGL2 / Geert VERHOEVEN3
(1University of Vienna, Austria / 2Austrian Academy of SciencesVienna, Austria / 3LBI for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Vienna, Austria)
Outline: Main objective is to interpret airborne remote sensing data (i.e. aerial archaeology and inaging spectroscopy) to create a digital city map of ancient Carnuntum and discuss the function of various city-parts.
Abstract: The area of Carnuntum (Lower Austria) offers outstanding conditions for large-scale use of different archaeological prospection methods, because of its favorable topographic situation. For the first time, the systematic evaluation and analysis of hundreds of air photos makes it possible to provide an insight into the structure and extent of the two Roman settlements in Carnuntum, both the canabae legionis as well as the civil town. The new results of air photo-interpretation and airborne imaging spectroscopy, combined with already carried out excavations, deliver some fundamental information on the structure and planning of the Carnuntum canabae. Along the arterial roads one can observe, for instance, orthogonally structured districts of habitation as well as the main cemetery of the canabae, with dozens of grave stones on both sides of the road leading to Savaria and Aquileia. Also the standardized plan, the topographic situation and the specific functions of a canabae-forum as a marketing place and economic link between the settlement and the hinterland becomes much clearer.
Keywords: aerial archaeology, imaging spectroscopy, Carnuntum