The Discovery of an Ancient Greek Vineyard

摘要

Relatively few geophysical surveys have shown how buried traces of agricultural fields can be revealed. An ancient Greek vineyard on the Crimean peninsula was first suggested in a satellite photograph; however, it was discovered only with a magnetic survey. This survey found a 5.7-ha field that is crossed by about 80 buried stone walls that are parallel and spaced by 2.6m; this pattern is found only in the vineyard. Later excavations revealed underground walls in this vineyard. The magnetic survey also detected simple magnetic anomalies at three of the four corners of the vineyard. Excavations found that these anomalies are caused by pits that were dug by the ancient Greeks into bedrock to a depth of 2.5 m; the purpose of these pits is not known.