RAPID: Testing Geophysical Prospection and Mapping Methods for Early Christian Cemeteries in Iceland

这是一个RAPID项目，在今年夏天由Skagafjordur遗产博物馆挖掘之前，对冰岛Stora-Seyla的维京时代基督徒墓地进行地球物理调查。研究小组指出，目前还没有一种地球物理方法可以在冰岛的区域范围内找到被埋葬的教堂和墓地。显然，在冰岛探测维京时代基督教墓地最有用的地球物理方法是探地雷达（GPR）。但问题是，为了使探地雷达有效，必须在调查前剥去草皮；这种活动耗资巨大，对考古环境有潜在的破坏，最重要的是需要在调查前知道被掩埋的教堂建筑群的位置。研究小组表示，采用新型多传感器仪器的电磁（EM）测量可以提供一种可在区域范围内应用的替代方案，并且在测量之前不需要移除草皮。虽然EM方法已经成功地用于寻找埋藏的草皮墙，但拟议的应用尚未在冰岛进行测试，但其结果可能会产生一种寻找埋葬墓地和表征个体埋葬的方法。有计划的挖掘将为这种创新的EM应用提供独特的机会。因此，研究小组正在接受RAPID基金，在遗产博物馆的挖掘之前对这个教堂墓地进行探索性的EM调查，这是由冰岛考古基金支持的。

This is a RAPID project to conduct geophysical survey of the Viking Age Christian cemetery at Stora-Seyla, Iceland, prior to excavation this summer by the Skagafjordur Heritage Museum. the research team states that currently there is no geophysical methodology to find buried churches and cemeteries that can be applied on a regional scale in Iceland. Apparently the most useful geophysical method to detect Viking Age Christian cemeteries in Iceland is ground penetrating radar (GPR). However, the problem is that for GPR to be effective, it is necessary to strip off the grass in advance of survey; such activity is expensive, potentially destructive to archaeological contexts, and most importantly requires that the location of buried church complexes be known before survey. The research team states that electromagnetic (EM) surveying with new multi-sensor instrumentation could provide an alternative that could be applied on a regional scale and would not require the removal of turf prior to survey. While the EM methods have been used successfully to find buried turf walls, the proposed application is untested in Iceland but its results could yield a methodology for finding buried cemeteries and characterizing individual burials. Planned excavation will provide a unique opportunity to ground-truth this innovative EM application. Therefore, the research team is receiving RAPID funds to conduct exploratory EM surveys of this churchyard before the Heritage Museum's excavation, which is being supported by the Icelandic Archaeological Fund.