Field activity/ Feldforschung
Prior to the excavation a precampaign was indispensable to preempt logistical problems and preventing the waste of time on preparing the topographic map and providing the initial database. The main objectives of this season were;
- discovering any distributional pattern of any kind of artifacts within the site. It helps us to recognize which parts of the site was densely occupied in each period and provide some information about domestic areas.
- Obtaining results that will help us to decide about the locations of the trenches within the site.
Intensive systematic survey on and around the site, preparation of topographic map and three-dimensional models with drone, registering and drawing the assembled pottery sherds of the site were the accomplished tasks in this season.
The flights were carried out by DJI Phantom 4pro V2.0, equipped with 1-inch sensor, a 20 MP camera (Fig 4). In total the drone covered an area around 11.5 ha, taking 1849 aerial images across the site. A 3D Textured meshes, point clouds, DSMs, DTMs, orthomosaics, contour lines, and fly-through videos were produced (Fig 5). Based on orthomap and aerial photos, and a dual antenna RTK GPS a grad system of 10 to 10 m squares was superimposed on the site for intensive systematic survey (Fig 6). The collected pottery sherds and any other surface findings were documented (Fig 7).
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| Fig. 4 - Tappeh Balu and its surrounding (view from north) |
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| Fig. 5 - Dem map of Tappeh Balu | Fig. 6 - The dual antenna RTK GPS used for establishing the grids for intensive systematic survey and documentation |
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| Fig.7 - Chalcolithic and Kura-Araxes pottery sherds, Tappeh Balu |