Matylda GIERSZEWSKA
(Forschungsstelle Kaiserpfalz Ingelheim, Germany)

Outline:

–          application of the GIS in archaeology

–          presentation of selected methods which can be used in this system: georeference, interpolation, map algebra

–          discussion of the advantages and problems of using the GIS in archaeology

Abstract:
The Palatium in Ingelheim (Germany) is located in the eastern part of the current municipal area of this city, in the so-called Saalgebiet.The first excavation in this place was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. After that, archaeological research was resumed twice, in 1960 and 1993.
The presented study area includes, in addition to the Carolingian Palace, the expansion area from the Staufen-period with the surrounding remains of the fortification and the surroundings of the city.The Geographic Information System and its application in archaeology play a crucial role in this paper. This presentation focuses on the georeference and interpolation process, as well as on the use of map algebra. Each of these processes will be discussed with the use of different case studies and variance sources. As an example of the first process, old cadastral maps and georeferenced modern topographical maps will be provided. These sources were applied to reconstruct archaeological objects, i.e. the first fortification in the Palatium area, and to generate a digital elevation model. The DEM was also adapted for further analyses. Subsequently, the interpolation of the historical digital elevation model will be discussed. In this example elevation points from different excavations in the city of Ingelheim were used as data sources. In this context map algebra and its application in the calculation of terrain changes will be presented. Each process was carried out with the use of the ArcGIS 9.2 program.The results of each project will be discussed through the advantages and problems of  GIS applying. This paper intends to demonstrate how the results depend on the analyses when different methods and various sources are used.

Keywords:
GIS, Georeference, Interpolation, DEM, Map Algebra