Multispectral and multiscale remote sensing data for archaeological prospecting in an alpine alluvial plain

This work is part of a multidisciplinary research project, developed in collaboration with archaeologists and geophysical experts, which aims at delineating the spatio-temporal relationships between paleoenvironmental conditions of an alluvial plain in an alpine environment and the human settlements during past ages. The study area is located in the upper Lake Como region at the confluence of the Valtellina (Adda river) and Val Chiavenna (Mera River) valleys in northern Italy. The area is a deltaic zone which was affected by great adjustments due to varying sediment loads and separate parts emerged at different times, thus conditioning the human presence and distribution. Archaeological evidences dating back to the last millennium BC and relicts of Roman ages were discovered in the area, particularly during the 19th century Adda River canalisation. Remotely sensed images taken from space orbiting satellite at different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible up to thermal infrared, were used to delineate landscape features not easily detected on ground. Geomorphological study of the area was improved by means of historical aerial b/w photographs taken before the Second World War by the Royal Air Force. Ground surveys and proximal sensing measurements, using portable spectral radiometers operating at the same wavelengths as the satellite sensors, were conducted at some experimental sites. Integrated analysis of remote sensing multilevel derived information, cartographic data and archaeological evidences proved to be useful for archaeological research with indications of favourable sites for future exploration in the area