The Schlumberger Array in geophysical prospection for archaeology.

Abstract

The Schlumberger array, or Schlumberger, was one of the first resistance arrays to be used to detect buried archaeological features. The early work used fixed probes and widely spaced traverses. Recent simulation work, ýhowever, suggested that the array should give improved resolution and depth penetration over the Twin-Probe array. This thesis is an attempt to operationalise the Schlumberger for use in archaeological prospection. This has been achieved via a co-ordinated use of laboratory simulation and-field studies. Initial fieldwork in England suggested. that the. - use of point electrodes created response patterns that were dependent upon the relative direction of linear targets. This was verified using a simulation tank modified to represent field procedure. The recognition of this response, therefore, required each survey area to be surveyed twice. The re-survey requires the two current probes to be positioned at right angles to the original survey points. The Schlumberger was then used in a battery of methods to investigate the problem of the archaeological interpretation of- small, discrete scatters of ceramic sherds that cover the landscape in Greece. The research has indicated a variation of intra-site patterning that may be significant to the function of these sites. Overall, the results suggest that the relationship between the 'site' and its environment is a complex one, one that can be oversimplified when the ceramic evidence is viewed in isolation. The Schlumberger indicated possible structural elements within some of these sites.