With National Science Foundation support, Boston University will purchase remote sensing instrumentation for use by the Archaeology Department. The equipment includes: 1. a Geometrics Model G-868 Cesium Magnetometer with a sensitivity of (.05 to .01 nT and measurement rates from 10 to 1 per second). The machine has an internal memory for storage of 250,0000 measurement points and runs a full day on a rechargeable battery pack; 2. a Geoscan Research Resistance Survey System RM-15. This electrical resistivity meter with Geoplot Software is fully automated for rapid survey and wide-area coverage. Rechargeable batteries will also power the unit for a full day; 3. a Dell latitude LX 4100D portable notebook computer and printer suitable for in field processing and temporary storage of geophysical survey data. The portable printer will serve to print maps in the field for use by survey crews. Archaeological excavation is time consuming, expensive and destructive by its very nature. Remote sensing techniques permit archaeologists to, in effect, look below the ground to locate magnetic and other anomalies and to plot their location and sometimes shape. These can reflect the presence of buildings, hearths, pits and other features. The results can guide placement of archaeological trenches to make best use of limited time and resources. Boston University is a leader in remote sensing and its very active Archaeology Department conducts excavations in many parts of the world. It's current equipment is approximately a decade old and requires replacement by more accurate, faster and more reliable models. This award accomplishes that goal. The department also provides training in remote sensing techniques, available no place else in the United States, to numbers of both graduate and undergraduate students. Currently Boston University researchers are pursuing a number of projects. The most anthropologically relevant of these include underground mapping of the ancient capital of Narvin in northern Ireland and survey of K'xabo, a Mayan site in Belize.
