A Case Study for Archaeo-Geophysics: GPR Application on Hacımusalar Mound/Elmalı/Antalya

Archaeological sites are worthy of deep research as they reflect how human communities interact with their environment. Although the science of archaeology carries out research in such areas with its methods and techniques, the studies of different disciplines accelerate detailed examination of the site. Geophysical science supports archaeology with its powerful methods. Such studies have become so well accepted that they have become known as archaeo-geophysics. Ground penetrating radar is based on the propagation principle of electromagnetic waves and is one of the main methods widely practiced in archaeogeophysical studies.

This study was conducted on a portion of the Hacımusalar Mound which is the largest of 13 mounds in the Elmalı Plain and has a multi-layered settlement. Ground penetrating radar data with a shielded antenna with a center frequency of 250 MHz in parallel profiles spaced 50 cm apart were acquired. The GPR data were then subjected to a data processing process to obtain temporal slices of the site. The wall remains are thought to be from the Byzantine period and were identified on the mound.