Spatial processing of multiple source prospection data in landscape archaeology

In a project dealing with landscape archaeology the Institute for Preand Protohistory of the Mainz University and the Institute for Spatial Information and Surveying Technology (i3mainz) have been examining the area of the Celtic oppidum “Hunnenring” in the northern Saarland (Germany) since the end of 2006. The monumental northern wall of this prehistoric town is preserved up to a height of 10 m, which makes it the most massive fortification-structure in the whole Celtic world. Various sources indicate that the low mountain range, which is nowadays situated peripherally, used to be a significant centre with supra-regional importance in Celtic times. By using various archaeological prospection methods and the methods of applied geoinformatics and surveying technology it is attempted to reconstruct the preand protohistoric habitat as detailed as possible. Special emphasis is placed on tracking early use of resources and on the question to what extent local iron ore and copper deposits affected the economic activities of people. High-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTM), which were generated by using Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data, are a core component and the starting point for targeted prospections in this respect. The information, that was generated by using various methods such as geophysical prospection, surveying of single finds, ALS and diggings, is stored related to each other in a Geographic Information System (GIS) and is, combined with significant factors such as soil quality, geology, waterlogging, slope and water proximity, well to be included in analysis of settlement history.