Product Description

Aerial photography is one of the most important and cost-effective ways of recording traces of the past and discovering new sites. It also offers the archaeologist an alternative viewpoint on these archaeological traces, and is one of the most exciting and challenging types of fieldwork. The experiences of the contributors to this volume highlight the role that bias, subjectivity and perception play in the shaping of flights and in the results themselves. They draw on important aspects of archaeological fieldwork such as experience, intuition, improvisation, emotion and stress, which are all too often left unarticulated. These contributions from the practitioners, photographers and interpreters that from the aerial archaeological community present a counterpoint to the traditional textbook.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #518025 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 190 pages

About the Author
The individual chapters reflect new research by some of the best young scholars involved in aerial archaeology, as well as providing contributions from such doyens of the discipline as W.S. Hanson, Gordon Maxwell and David R. Wilson. The editors, Dr Kenneth Brophy and Dave Cowley, work in the Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland respectively.

Customer Reviews

Good and bad
This is a strange combination of chatty writing style and entrenched academic thought. More of a collection of academic-style papers than a true account of aerial archaeology. Some of the views expressed about the value of different styles of imaging seem to be more aimed at keeping professionals in a nice job than encouraging high quality amateur aerial work (which I do, out of my own pocket, and which has received thanks from CADW and, to a lesser degree, RCAHMW). Too much of the book is stories of jaunts in aircraft. Some of the claims about limitations of restricted airspace reveal that some of these pilots are either very nervous, or can't get cooperation from their local ATC!

Still, things like a discussion on the different views of 'flyers', photo-interpreters, and archaeologists are worthwhile, and do help anyone wanting to embark on aerial survey, or develop an existing one.