Erwin MEYLEMANS / Bart VANMONTFORT

(Flemish Heritage Institute, Brussel, Belgium)

Between 2000 and 2004 the Flemish government ordered the creation of the so called ‘DTM Flanders’, mainly for flood management purposes. The dtm is available for the whole of Flanders, with a resolution of one measure point per 25m².
The importance of the dtm for archaeological heritage management purposes is becoming increasingly clear. Additionally, a number of important ‘derivative’ products of the dtm and other geodata are being created. The most important example of this is an erosion model (RUSLE based) for the whole of Flanders, created by the university of Leuven.
From 2003 onwards a number of projects explored the possibilities of the dtm for archaeology, combined with other geodata. This contribution is focused on 3 projects:

  • An evaluation project of a middle neolithic causewayed enclosure (2003-4) where the dtm and erosion models on different scales were used combined with fieldwalking and augering data, to make a detailed evaluation of the physical state and current erosion threats of the site.
  • The use of the dtm for the mapping of geomorphological features, and combined with the use of historical topographical maps, fieldwalking survey and other data, the evaluation of the preservation potential of archaeological and geomorphological features for a small area in the Campine region.
  • The measurement (volume, height, slope etc.) and the evaluation (erosion modelling, hypothetical reconstruction) of the Roman aqueduct of Tongeren, a large earthwork monument, using a wide variety of analysis based on the dtm. New topographical measurements were taken to evaluate the current speed of erosion of the aqueduct and to test the model.

These projects give first insights in the possibilities of the lidar data in performing powerful analysis, evaluations and monitoring of archaeological sites and landscapes. Other projects using the dtm geomorphological mapping and spatial analysis of archaeological data, are being developed.

Keywords: Lidar, erosion modelling, site evaluation, geomorphological mapping