Articles & Book Chapters by Tim Horsley
North Carolina Archaeology , 2019
Today, as in the recent past, earthen mounds are a central feature of Cherokee landscapes in the ... more Today, as in the recent past, earthen mounds are a central feature of Cherokee landscapes in the Appalachian Summit of western North Carolina. The region’s mound building tradition began nearly 2000 years ago during the Connestee phase. Understanding the origins of these monuments and the roles they played in ancestral Cherokee societies requires an investigation of contemporaneous, non-monumental sites and activity areas with the potential to contextualize mound-related practices. This article presents a first step in that effort: the results of a small-scale magnetometer survey from the Biltmore Mound and village site (31BN174) in Asheville, North Carolina. Our survey highlights the utility of geophysical survey for identifying buried archaeological deposits at Connestee sites even as it raises new questions regarding off-mound architecture and occupation areas that can only be clarified with additional remote sensing and excavation.
Archaeological Prospection 21:75-86, 2014
"Geophysical data have the potential to significantly contribute to archaeological research proje... more "Geophysical data have the potential to significantly contribute to archaeological research projects when effectively integrated with more traditional methods. While pre-existing archaeological questions about a site may be answered using geophysical methods, beginning an investigation with an extensive geophysical survey can assist in understanding the function and archaeological potential of a site, and may even transform preconceptions about the type and spatial organisation of features that are present. In this way, these prospection tools not only accurately locate and map features to allow recovery of cultural material for identification and dating, we argue that they can go much further, allowing us to prospect for new and appropriate archaeological and anthropological research questions. Such an approach is best realised when geophysical and traditional archaeologists work together to define new objectives and strategies to address them, and by maintaining this collaboration to allow continual feedback between geophysical and archaeological data. A flexible research design is therefore essential in order to allow the methodologies to adapt to the site, the results, and the questions being posed. This methodology is demonstrated through two case studies from mound sites in the Southeast United States: the transitional Mississippian Washausen site in Illinois; and the Middle Woodland Garden Creek site in North Carolina. In both cases, integrating geophysical methods throughout the archaeological investigations has resulted in multiple phases of generating and addressing new research objectives. While clearly beneficial at these two mound sites in the Southeast U.S., this interdisciplinary approach has obvious implications well beyond these temporal and geographic areas.
Keywords: geophysics, integrated survey, mound, Southeast United States, Middle Woodland, Mississippian"
Papers by Tim Horsley
One world archaeology, 2024
This chapter provides an extensive overview of the use of geophysics in archaeological research a... more This chapter provides an extensive overview of the use of geophysics in archaeological research and cultural heritage management in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It discusses the current status, role and acceptance of geophysical methods in each country, and outlines the state-of-the-art based on a synthesis of existing knowledge and experience. The authors consider the past, present and future of archaeo-geophysics in the individual regions, taking into
Museums and Archaeology, Jun 14, 2022
Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 8341 Date de l'opération : 2007 (PR) Inventeur... more Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 8341 Date de l'opération : 2007 (PR) Inventeur(s) : Armit Ian (SUP) ; Horsley Tim (SUP) ; Marty Frédéric (COL) Une campagne de prospection géophysique a été conduite sur l’habitat gaulois du Castellan à Istres 1 afin de déterminer la validité des méthodes mises en œuvre pour les habitats groupés de l’âge du Fer, dans la région (Fig. n°1 : Plan du site du Castellan avec localisation de la campagne de prospection géophysique). La prospection électriqu..
Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 8341 Date de l'opération : 2007 (PR) Inventeur... more Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 8341 Date de l'opération : 2007 (PR) Inventeur(s) : Armit Ian (SUP) ; Horsley Tim (SUP) ; Marty Frédéric (COL) Une campagne de prospection géophysique a été conduite sur l’habitat gaulois du Castellan à Istres 1 afin de déterminer la validité des méthodes mises en œuvre pour les habitats groupés de l’âge du Fer, dans la région (Fig. n°1 : Plan du site du Castellan avec localisation de la campagne de prospection géophysique). La prospection électriqu..
Geophysical techniques can help to clarify the extent of a site and show spatial relationships be... more Geophysical techniques can help to clarify the extent of a site and show spatial relationships between structures, therefore guiding research and excavation strategies. When monuments and larger structural elements are absent, feature density can be a reliable proxy for occupation areas and village boundaries. Utilizing a combination of magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar survey at the Cane River site in North Carolina, we were able to locate borrow pits, storage pits, structures, and hearth features that are not readily detected using traditional archaeological methods. Subsequent coring and excavations over these geophysical anomalies provided evidence for continuity in village layout and allowed us to sample a variety of feature types, illuminating temporal and spatial patterns in community activities. This research has implications for understanding regional variability in Mississippian community social practices throughout the Appalachian Summit of North Carolina.
Geophysical techniques can help to clarify the extent of a site and show spatial relationships be... more Geophysical techniques can help to clarify the extent of a site and show spatial relationships between structures, therefore guiding research and excavation strategies. When monuments and larger structural elements are absent, feature density can be a reliable proxy for occupation areas and village boundaries. Utilizing a combination of magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar survey at the Cane River site in North Carolina, we were able to locate borrow pits, storage pits, structures, and hearth features that are not readily detected using traditional archaeological methods. Subsequent coring and excavations over these geophysical anomalies provided evidence for continuity in village layout and allowed us to sample a variety of feature types, illuminating temporal and spatial patterns in community activities. This research has implications for understanding regional variability in Mississippian community social practices throughout the Appalachian Summit of North Carolina.
Between 1 October 2012 and 11 November 2012, Archaeological Reconnaissance of Uninvestigated Rema... more Between 1 October 2012 and 11 November 2012, Archaeological Reconnaissance of Uninvestigated Remains of Agriculture (AROURA) carried out its final six-week archaeological field campaign in the ancient polder around the Late Helladic IIIB fortress of Glas (Γλας) in the northeastern Kopaic Basin, Viotía Prefecture, mainland Greece. AROURA involved extensive geophysical prospection and surface survey within the polder and at the adjacent site of Aghía Marína Pýrghos (Αγία Μαρίνα Πύργος) on three campaigns between October 2010 and November 2012 (see http://www.umbc.edu/aroura). It was directed, in official collaboration (συνεργασία), by Dr. M.F. Lane on the part of participating American institutions and, in succession, by Prof. V.L. Aravantinos and Dr. A. Charami on the part of the IX EPCA of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with Dr. A. Papadaki designated the project Collaborator (Συνεργάτιδα). Dr. T.J. Horsley of Brandeis University and Yale University was the Principal ...
Between 1 October 2012 and 11 November 2012, Archaeological Reconnaissance of Uninvestigated Rema... more Between 1 October 2012 and 11 November 2012, Archaeological Reconnaissance of Uninvestigated Remains of Agriculture (AROURA) carried out its final six-week archaeological field campaign in the ancient polder around the Late Helladic IIIB fortress of Glas (Γλας) in the northeastern Kopaic Basin, Viotía Prefecture, mainland Greece. AROURA involved extensive geophysical prospection and surface survey within the polder and at the adjacent site of Aghía Marína Pýrghos (Αγία Μαρίνα Πύργος) on three campaigns between October 2010 and November 2012 (see http://www.umbc.edu/aroura). It was directed, in official collaboration (συνεργασία), by Dr. M.F. Lane on the part of participating American institutions and, in succession, by Prof. V.L. Aravantinos and Dr. A. Charami on the part of the IX EPCA of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with Dr. A. Papadaki designated the project Collaborator (Συνεργάτιδα). Dr. T.J. Horsley of Brandeis University and Yale University was the Principal ...
Society for Historical Archaeology, 2016
The recipients of this year's Awards of Merit, Kathleen Kirk Gilmore Dissertation Award, and Jame... more The recipients of this year's Awards of Merit, Kathleen Kirk Gilmore Dissertation Award, and James Deetz Book Award will receive their awards prior to the Wednesday evening Plenary Session. Immediately after the banquet on Friday evening, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the following awards will be presented in a ceremony that is open to all attending the conference: the John L. Cotter Award, the Daniel G. Roberts Award for Excellence in Public Historical Archaeology, the Carol V. Ruppé Distinguished Service Award, and the J. C. Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology. All other awards and prizes, including the McGimsey/Davis and RPA Special Achievement Awards given by the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), will be presented at the Friday afternoon SHA Business Meeting, except for the RPA Seiberling Awards to be presented at the Tuesday evening reception on the Hill. Established in 1981, the J. C. Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology is named in honor of Jean Carl Harrington (1901-1998), one of the pioneer founders of historical archaeology in North America. The medal is presented for a lifetime of contributions to the discipline centered in scholarship. In January 1982, at the SHA annual conference in Philadelphia, a special silver version of the medal was presented to J. C. Harrington when the award was publicly announced. All other Harrington Medals are struck in antique bronze. The 2016 Harrington Medal will be presented to Mark P. Leone for his lifetime contributions and dedication to historical archaeology.
Members of the 9th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (IX EPCA, Thebes), UMBC, and... more Members of the 9th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities (IX EPCA, Thebes), UMBC, and University of Michigan, in official collaboration (V.L. Aravantinos and M.F. Lane, Co-Directors), carried out geophysical and surface surveys of the plain immediately around the Late Helladic IIIB fortification of Gla (Γλας) in the northeastern Kopaïs, mainland Greece, between 4 October and 14 November 2010. They also undertook subsurface sampling of soils under the terms of permit number 483 from the Institute for Geological and Mineralogical Exploration (ΙΓΜΕ). Fieldwork was funded by a New Research Grant from the Institute for Aegean Prehistory.
The Annual of the British School at Athens, 2020
This article argues that a holistic approach to documenting and understanding the physical eviden... more This article argues that a holistic approach to documenting and understanding the physical evidence for individual cities would enhance our ability to address major questions about urbanisation, urbanism, cultural identities and economic processes. At the same time we suggest that providing more comprehensive data-sets concerning Greek cities would represent an important contribution to cross-cultural studies of urban development and urbanism, which have often overlooked relevant evidence from Classical Greece. As an example of the approach we are advocating, we offer detailed discussion of data from the Archaic and Classical city of Olynthos, in the Halkidiki. Six seasons of fieldwork here by the Olynthos Project, together with legacy data from earlier projects by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and by the Greek Archaeological Service, combine to make this one of the best-documented urban centres surviving from the Greek world. We suggest that the material from t...
Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2020
reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references... more reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2019
Recent magnetometry survey at the late Neolithic site of Dayatou (大崖头) in the Tao River (洮河) Vall... more Recent magnetometry survey at the late Neolithic site of Dayatou (大崖头) in the Tao River (洮河) Valley of Gansu Province, China, has revealed a complex, multiperiod habitation site made up of several discrete occupation clusters. While this site was previously interpreted as a large (~140,000 m 2), primarily Majiayao (马家窑) period site, our geophysical survey, augering, and targeted excavation results point to the site containing several smaller (~8500 m 2) areas of intense occupation separated by magnetically quieter zones in some areas and ditch features in others. The occupations appear to date to varying Majiayao subphases as well as subsequent periods. These results call into question the usefulness of site size rank hierarchies based on surface scatters of pottery alone, which are commonly used in studies of early complexity in China. This study demonstrates the usefulness of geophysical survey combined with targeted excavation for understanding the complex development processes at work in the formation of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age sites in northern China.
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2016
Between 2010 and 2012, the AROURA project conducted magnetometric prospection in the ancient pold... more Between 2010 and 2012, the AROURA project conducted magnetometric prospection in the ancient polder around the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1300–1190 b.c.) fortress of Glas, mainland Greece. As had been hypothesized, the anomalies detected were consistent with a system of agricultural fields. This system appears to have been irrigated and drained through previously identified hydraulic mechanisms in and around the polder. Comparison of soil profiles of anomalies with those of background areas, including their magnetic susceptibilities, corroborated magnetometric data. Anomalies were traced from sampled to unsampled areas through corresponding reclassified satellite bandwidths. Constituent sediments of features discovered were dated to the Late Bronze Age through AMS radiocarbon and OSL analyses. The results validated the use of extensive geophysics to detect and investigate ancient agricultural landscapes.
American Antiquity, 2014
The growth and decline of large village communities is a topic of considerable interest for archa... more The growth and decline of large village communities is a topic of considerable interest for archaeologists studying the development of complex regional polities. In this article, demographic information is presented for the transitional Mississippian period Washausen mound center located in the American Bottom region of west-central Illinois. Population estimates are calculated based on data for residential architecture collected in 2011 during an extensive geophysical survey and excavations at the site. A magnetometer survey was conducted over 8 ha and produced a relatively complete site map revealing numerous household clusters organized around a central, earthen mound-and-plaza complex. Population estimates and site spatial information for Washausen are compared with similar data for earlier village communities located nearby, as well as other global village sequences, producing a demographic profile demonstrating a pattern of village growth and decline in the area after the onse...
Archaeological Prospection, 2014
Geophysical data have the potential to significantly contribute to archaeological research projec... more Geophysical data have the potential to significantly contribute to archaeological research projects when effectively integrated with more traditional methods. Although pre-existing archaeological questions about a site may be answered using geophysical methods, beginning an investigation with an extensive geophysical survey can assist in understanding the function and archaeological potential of a site, and may even transform preconceptions about the type and spatial organisation of features that are present. In this way, these prospection tools not only accurately locate and map features to allow recovery of cultural material for identification and dating, we argue that they can go much further, allowing us to prospect for new and appropriate archaeological and anthropological research questions. Such an approach is best realised when geophysical and traditional archaeologists work together to define new objectives and strategies to address them, and by maintaining this collaboration to allow continual feedback between geophysical and archaeological data. A flexible research design is therefore essential in order to allow the methodologies to adapt to the site, the results, and the questions being posed. This methodology is demonstrated through two case studies from mound sites in southeast USA: the transitional Mississippian Washausen site in Illinois; and the Middle Woodland Garden Creek site in North Carolina. In both cases, integrating geophysical methods throughout the archaeological investigations has resulted in multiple phases of generating and addressing new research objectives. Although clearly beneficial at these two mound sites in southeast USA, this interdisciplinary approach has obvious implications well beyond these temporal and geographical areas.
Research on the cities of the Classical Greek world has traditionally focused on mapping the orga... more Research on the cities of the Classical Greek world has traditionally focused on mapping the organisation of urban space and studying major civic or religious buildings. More recently, newer techniques such as field survey and geophysical survey have facilitated exploration of the extent and character of larger areas within urban settlements, raising questions about economic processes. At the same time, detailed analysis of residential buildings has also supported a change of emphasis towards understanding some of the functional and social aspects of the built environment as well as purely formal ones. This article argues for the advantages of analysing Greek cities using a multidisciplinary, multi-scalar framework which encompasses all of these various approaches and adds to them other analytical techniques (particularly micro-archaeology). We suggest that this strategy can lead towards a more holistic view of a city, not only as a physical place, but also as a dynamic community, revealing its origins, development and patterns of social and economic activity. Our argument is made with reference to the research design, methodology and results of the first three seasons of fieldwork at the city of Olynthos, carried out by the Olynthos Project.
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Articles & Book Chapters by Tim Horsley
Keywords: geophysics, integrated survey, mound, Southeast United States, Middle Woodland, Mississippian"
Papers by Tim Horsley
Keywords: geophysics, integrated survey, mound, Southeast United States, Middle Woodland, Mississippian"