Ancient landscapes of north-western Iberia: historical aerial photographs and the interpretation of Iron Age and Roman territories

Abstract

This paper presents the use of historical aerial photographs in research of past landscapes in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, through several examples taken from a larger regional study, all connected with the diachronic study of social and territorial changes during the Iron Age and Roman period (5th century BC to 3rd century AD). Technical procedures are explained, but also the different solutions adopted and the consequences of the use of the historical aerial photographs. An important point of this paper is to demonstrate the great value of such imagery in an age when the use of other sources, such as Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS or LiDAR) data or modern aerial orthoimages, might be seen as all that is needed.