Resumo
Several reasons explain why in Galicia aerial archaeology has been rarely practiced in the past. Nowadays, the increasing availability of open access datasets (aerial orthoimages, satellite imagery, Lidar data) is beginning to change this picture. In this paper those reasons are reviewed before presenting the multiple traces of potential archaeological features recently documented around a large group of castros (Iron Age hillforts) in the provinces of A Coruña and Lugo. More than 1,000 elements have been identified, including buried features around the sites (ditches, possible pathways and field boundaries…), traces of levelled defensive elements and even 25 previously unknown full sites. These findings, of serendipitous nature and made with the only aid of public, general-purpose datasets, provide a good argument to encourage the development of future projects in this direction. The use of bespoke platforms and sensors might yield very profitable results in the near future.
Palabras chave
Aerial archaeology. Aerial photography. Lidar. Hillforts. Iron Age. Galicia.