Methods: Intensive Survey

By Mees Schenkius, 2024.

One of the three main research strategies we employ during a field season is “intensive survey”. The intensive survey team is typically engaged in researching archaeological sites identified during the extensive survey portion of the research process. When a suitable site has been found, preparations are made to survey the site in an appropriate and scientifically well-founded manner.

Because of this, the research before and leading up to start of the work at a site are extremely important. The goal of the intensive survey is to collect material on-site with which to form a tentative understanding of the chronology of the site and the periods of use. For instance, a site in use during Byzantine material or Venetian times is represented by different types of ceramics and often by different objects.

By collecting representative samples across the sites the intensive survey team aims to improve and focus the projects understanding of the site. At the very basis of this, taking pictures and properly documenting the features at a site are some of the most important tasks for the team. It is often during these activities that the understanding of a site is improved. For example: While routinely taking photos this year, we discovered new built features that totally overhaul our understanding of the water management at a site. Such discoveries, and especially the documentation of them, are uniquely important in the final evaluation of the site.

The surveying on site can take on several forms depending on the required resolution. Most intensive and also the most precise are the grid squares. By using the pythagorean theorem to set out 5x5 metres squares, areas are subdivided neatly and thoroughly. The squares represent the most precise units constructed during the survey. Their limited size and concentrated area allow the team to pinpoint the concentration of material exactly.

Conversely, the method of line surveying presents a different method which covers more ground at the cost of a decrease in precision and resolution. Lines are set out with a distance of 5 metres from each other. A member of the team then walks along the line and collects finds along the ways up to a distance of several metres from the line. It is especially advisable to use this method when larger areas are to be covered.

One step up in this sense are the survey boxes. These are areas which are set out to cover larger areas. Sometimes the survey boxes are set out in unfavourable terrain where lines or grid squares would be impossible to construct normally. Alternatively, it can be used to break new ground at relatively unknown sites and get a broad overview of the material represented at the site. Using these methods in tandem to construct a plan with which to best research sites is the overall task of the intensive survey team. In addition, making sure that these survey units are well-documented (by measuring them in by means of GPS or Total Station) is crucial to processing the collected information further. The final product of a site can be typified as a map which shows the concentrations of material. Based on this information the decision might be taken to conduct further research using different methods. The trial trench that was conducted at Kastri in 2023 was, for instance, informed by the survey there, similar to the geophysical research at Bailelekas.

A day in the intensive survey team is often one which is decided beforehand but can also change quickly. The work starts early in the morning at 6-7 am, and can continue to around 12:30. These early work hours allow us to work before the Greek summer heat gets too intense. It might be that there is continuous work at a site for several weeks. Especially if the plan is to gain a higher resolution of data from a site, involving the use of grid squares, this may take several times longer than when survey boxes are the primary means of survey. Other sites might only take several days if the aims there are limited.

However, the final goal of the intensive survey remains the same no matter what context: To inform the future season of the project, and achieve the current research goals by providing appropriate data on the sites and the material culture encountered there.