Preventive geophysical surveys for the evaluation of the archaeological risk: examples from the region of the ancient Pylos (western Peloponnese, Greece)

The archaeological heritage represents a fundamental element to define the cultural identity of the human populations and its conservation and preservation occupy a strategic role in the economy of the countries. Geophysical prospection methods provide a valuable support for modern archaeology and contribute to the definition of urban and land-use planning strategies based on the knowledge of the archaeological heritage, providing both qualitative and quantitative information related to buried structures, geological features and materials of the sites. This note proposes the results derived from the preventive archaeo-geophysical surveys, designed and performed in the framework of the PROGRESS Project. Three sites of study were identified in the historical Greek region of Pylos (Messenia, Peloponnese), the ancient kingdom of Nestor. The preliminary analysis of the aerial images of the areas allowed the identification of the zones with more signs of probable underground structures. Therefore, the geophysical surveys were concentrated on these areas. Integrated methods were utilized to collect multiple physical properties and geometrical features of the underground structures. The investigations were performed through 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomographies, Ground Penetrating Radar and Time Domain electromagnetic measurements. The analysis and the interpretation of the geophysical results provided a preliminary support to plan more detailed surveys and archaeological dugs on selected sectors of the investigated areas.