Much of the work carried out by our company is routine and confidential - summaries of many of our projects in England can be found on English Heritage’s database of Archaeological Geophysics (see our "links" page). However, GSB Prospection are involved in a number of research projects that may be of interest to archaeologists or geophysicists world wide.
Wroxeter Roman City
Our team has been involved in the investigation of Viroconium Cornoviorum, the Roman city at Wroxeter (Shropshire, England), for about 5 years. The town itself covers c. 78 ha, and while much was known about specific areas as a result of aerial photography, large parts were apparently devoid of archaeological features. GSB Prospection, in conjunction with English Heritage’s Geophysics Section, have surveyed all available land within the town walls. The results are stunning, with an extraordinary amount of detail added to the cropmark evidence. The survey has proved that the area within the town was almost totally settled at one time or another.Unusually for a survey in British conditions the gradiometer results have revealed clear wall lines as negative anomalies. This is a result of non-magnetic building stone within highly enhanced soils. Strangely, in specific areas within the town the walls are denoted by positive anomalies. It is thought that this may indicate places where fire has significantly altered the magnetic properties of the structures.
Burnt buildings within Roman Wroxeter?
To find out more about the project at Wroxter see our "links" page.
King Lobengula's Royal Enclosure, Zimbabwe
This project, undertaken on behalf of the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, covers the Royal Enclosure at the Ndebele King Lobengula’s village at Old Bulawayo. The position of the site was well known from pictorial and written evidence. However, little was known as to the exact size and layout of the Royal Enclosure. GSB Prospection initiated a pilot study which indicated that a magnetic susceptibility survey would reveal the majority of the subsurface features.Two seasons of work were then undertaken with measurements at 1.0m intervals across some 2 ha of cleared bush. The data revealed the archaeological record in astonishing detail. The boundary of the enclosure, although known to be only brushwood, left a clear magnetic response. Similarly, internal details such as partitions and structures are clearly present. This detail is a result of the final demise of the site. Old Bulawayo was only inhabited for 11 years. When the King decided to move his palace, to modern Bulawayo in 1881, he ordered the village to be razed to the ground. This was achieved by burning the structures. While this was a disaster for the historical record, the archaeological features that are buried beneath the thin soil are now highly susceptible to magnetic survey.
Results of the Magnetic Susceptibility Survey at Old Bulawayo
To find out more about the project at Old Bulawayo see our "links" page.
