Using ArcGrid to Calculate Topographic Prominence in an Archaeological Landscape

Topographic prominence can be defined as the perceived difference in height between an individual and their surroundings within a defined neighborhood. Because this difference can be seen as an element of visual/political control, topographic prominence may provide clues to perceived social hierarchy and rank. This study uses ARC/GRID to discover topographic prominence in a landscape at a variety of neighborhood scales. Within these landscapes archaeological sites have been introduced to determine their relative topographic prominence. Data for this study comes from the hinterland surveys of the Madaba Plains Project at Tall al-Umayri, Jordan.