Aerial photography and magnetic surveying in the archaeological park of Metaponto (Southern Italy)

Metaponto is an important Greek settlement established in Southern Italy in 7th C BC. The continuous and regular excavation program that started in 1965 has mainly brought to light the public district comprising the Agora, the Theatre, and the Sacred area. At present, archaeologists are facing several still unsolved problems. Two of these are: (a) the detection and mapping of the regular road network in the city area and (b) the reconnaissance of traces of defensive walls in the area bordering an ancient riverbed of the Basento river. To answer these archaeological and historical questions, a muItitemporal aerial photograph interpretation and an extended ground magnetic survey were carried out. The high-quality results obtained combining these two approaches provided a decisive contribution towards the solution of the two archaeological problems.