Palmyra Revisited from Space – High-Resolution Satellite Prospection of a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Abstract

The launch of TerraSAR-X widened the application of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in the archaeological prospection tremendously. SAR now can be used effectively for the integrated geophysical prospection of huge ancient settlements and cities such as Palmyra. On the one hand, ground-based methods like magnetometry and resistivity can provide detailed insights into the buried archaeological remains. On the other hand, it is possible to get a fast overview of a site and its cultural landscape by space-borne survey methods, e.g. optical satellite photos or satellite radar. This paper will show the results of an integrated geophysical prospection by magnetometry, resistivity, satellite photos and radar in the area of the ancient Palmyra. While the first two methods could prove the existence of a Hellenistic town south of the Wadi el Kubur and map its layout in detail, the space-borne results provide an overview over the upstanding remains, as well as several new structures of the buried archaeology of this famous caravan city in the Syrian Desert.