1. Quantitative approaches to the remote sensing of ancient settlements in the Near East using ASTER and SRTM data Bjoern Menze Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing University of Heidelberg, Germany

2. Settlement mounds of the Near East “tells”: Arbil / Iraq top Konya Plain / Turkey right Arbil

3. Mapping tells accurate, supra- regional data sets guidance in local survey objective search criteria by RS “Archaeological distribution- maps are maps of the distribution of archaeologists.” Western Khabur plain ASPRO

4. “Spotting tells from space” Digital elevation model (SRTM) A. Sherratt “Spotting tells from space” Antiquity, No. 301 (2004) Multispectral imagery K. N. Wilkinson et al. “Satellite Imagery as a Resource in the Prospection for Archaeological Sites in Central Syria” Geoarchaeology, No. 7, 735–750 (2006) Tell Brak [Sherratt 04] [Wilkinson 06]

5. Digital elevation model Training data set from CORONA & ground survey DEM patches of tell sites and “background” sites [Ur J, Wilkinson T]

6. Digital elevation model Binary classifier: Learn set of linear “Eigen”-filter Nonlinear classifier on Eigenspaces Menze B, Ur J, Sherratt A PE & RS 2006

7. Digital elevation model ASPRO data set

8. Digital elevation model Mounds in the DEM

9. Spectral imagery Training data set from CORONA & ground survey Spectra of tell sites and “background” sites [Ur J 2003, Wilkinson T 2000] Tell Beydar

10. Spectral imagery Training data set from CORONA & ground survey Spectra of tell sites and “background” sites [Ur J 2003, Wilkinson T 2000] Tell Beydar

11. Spectral imagery Training data set from CORONA & ground survey Spectra of tell sites and “background” sites [Ur J 2003, Wilkinson T 2000] Tell Beydar

12. Spectral imagery Training data set from CORONA & ground survey Spectra of tell sites and “background” sites [Ur J 2003, Wilkinson T 2000] Tell Beydar

13. Spectral imagery Training data set from CORONA & ground survey Spectra of tell sites and “background” sites, over time [Ur J 2003, Wilkinson T 2000] Tell Beydar

14. Spectral imagery Binary classifier: (independent of season) classify each ASTER image individually fuse result maps & pool decisions Menze B, Ur J Proc ISPMSRS 2007

15. Spectral imagery Tell Hamoukar

16. Spectral imagery Tell Hamoukar – ground survey [Ur J, Akkadica 2002]

17. Summary Mapping ancient settlement mounds: elevation profile “supra-regional” survey spectral signature “local” survey SRTM ASTER Tell Brak

18. Summary Mapping ancient settlement mounds: elevation profile “supra-regional” survey spectral signature “local” survey SRTM ASTER Tell Brak Thank you.