f 3-D GPR IMAGING ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN: EXAMPLES FROM THE PYRAMID COMPLEX OF PHARAOH SENWOSRET III AND THE THEBAN TEMPLE OF FEMALE PHARAOH TAUSRET (EGYPT)

Many of the undisturbed areas of ancient Egyptian temples and pyramid complexes are situated in locations of adverse terrain, inhibiting archaeological excavation. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) imaging of these difficult terrains can provide archaeologists with insights otherwise only available from excessively expensive or dangerous excavations. GPR imaging algorithms used on data from these terrains must allow for uneven sampling grids and missing traces, while compensating for surface topography and antenna patterns. We introduce an adaption to the Kirchoff topographic migration method that includes compensation for antenna patterns through a heuristic solution to the total field pattern of an antenna over a half space. The compensation of the antenna pattern is based on a stable inverse weighting of the total field pattern from numerical and analytical solutions. We also discuss surveying and interpolating surface topography, calculation of surface normals, pre- and post-processing of the data, attribute extraction, and other concerns for conducting successful remote sensing in Egypt. Examples of the application of this method include surveys from the Middle Kingdom pyramid complex of pharaoh Senwosret the III at Dahshur (ca. 1850 BC), and the New Kingdom Theban temple complex of the female pharaoh Queen Tausret (ca. 1180 BC), West Bank, Luxor, Egypt.