Since the inception of our research in the region, we have actively engaged in non-invasive approaches to understanding regional landscapes and individual sites. From historical aerial photographs (HAPs) from the mid-twentieth century and relatively low-resolution Landsat satellites to high-resolution multispectral QuickBird (now Maxar) and Planet satellites, we use images from above to help guide ground-truthing, ground-based work. Since 2013, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have enabled even higher-resolution imagery production and have enabled fine-scale topographic mapping — or microtopographic modeling – as well. Non-invasive subsurface prospection since 2007 has tested a variety of methods, including magnetometry, electromagnetic conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistance tomography, and resistivity. Ongoing work focuses on the last of these methods, which continues to produce the best results for Kaymakçı’s specific conditions, revealing the locations of walls and other features with sub-meter precision.
