Articles by Nichole Sheldrick
Libyan Studies, 2017
Libya's archaeological heritage is under serious threat, not only because of recent conflict, but... more Libya's archaeological heritage is under serious threat, not only because of recent conflict, but also due to other factors such as urban expansion, agricultural development, natural resource prospection, vandalism, looting and natural deterioration. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Project (EAMENA) has developed a database and methodology using remote sensing and other techniques to rapidly document archaeological sites and any disturbances and threats to them in Libya and across the MENA region. This paper will demonstrate this methodology and highlight the various types of disturbances and threats affecting the archaeology of Libya, concentrating on four case studies in different areas of the country, including the coastal plain around Zliten, a section of the Wadi Sofeggin in the pre-desert, and the desert oases of Jufra and Murzuq.
The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factor... more The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factors, including agricultural expansion, urban development, looting, and conflict. Recording and documenting this heritage is therefore a key priority to aid heritage practitioners tasked with protecting sites and evaluating their condition on the ground. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has developed a methodology for the identification, documentation, analysis, and monitoring of sites across the region to aid heritage professionals in these efforts. The project uses remote sensing techniques along with traditional archaeological research and prospection methods to collect data, which are stored and managed in a custom-designed database adapted from open-source Arches v.3 software, using CIDOC CRM standards and controlled vocabularies. In addition to these activities, the EAMENA project has initiated an international conference series and training workshops to support and establish partnerships with heritage professionals and institutions across the region.
Antiquity, 2017
Concluding remarks to the 2017 Antiquity paper 'Satellite imagery and heritage damage in Egypt: a... more Concluding remarks to the 2017 Antiquity paper 'Satellite imagery and heritage damage in Egypt: a response to Parcak et al. (2016)', following a response from Parcak et al.
Abstract: This project uses satellite imagery and historic aerial photographs to discover and int... more Abstract: This project uses satellite imagery and historic aerial photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better under- stood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our the last chance before they are destroyed.
Keywords: Endangered archaeology, Satellite imagery, Middle East, North Africa
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D. et al. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana et al. (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd CAA Annual Conference. Oxford, 919–32., Apr 2016
This project uses satellite imagery and historic air photographs to discover and interpret archae... more This project uses satellite imagery and historic air photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better understood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our last chance before they are destroyed.
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.
Conference & Seminar Presentations by Nichole Sheldrick
The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factor... more The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factors, including agricultural expansion, urban development, looting, and conflict. Recording and documenting this heritage is therefore a key priority to aid heritage practitioners tasked with protecting sites and evaluating their condition on the ground. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has developed a methodology for the identification, documentation, analysis, and monitoring of sites across the region to aid heritage professionals in these efforts. The project uses remote sensing techniques along with traditional archaeological research and prospection methods to collect data, which are stored and managed in a custom-designed database adapted from open-source Arches v.3 software, using CIDOC CRM standards and controlled vocabularies. In addition to these activities, the EAMENA project has initiated an international conference series and training workshops to support and establish partnerships with heritage professionals and institutions across the region.
Since early 2015, the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Project (EAMENA,... more Since early 2015, the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Project (EAMENA, Universities of Oxford and Leicester, UK) has been using satellite imagery to record and assess damage and threats to the archaeological heritage of the MENA region. These data are recorded in an open-access database that uses the Arches system, with the aim of providing a useful platform and information to heritage officials and archaeologists to aid in the management and protection of heritage in the MENA countries.
As a methodology for heritage management, a remote sensing approach has many advantages. The increasing availability and quality of high-resolution satellite imagery, particularly via open-access platforms such as Google Earth, has made it possible for archaeologists to identify and monitor sites from remote locations in a swift and cost-effective manner. This approach is particularly effective in the arid environments of the MENA region, due to the minimal ground cover, and often limited amount of development and agriculture. In addition, as a result of the ongoing conflicts, it is increasingly difficult, and sometimes dangerous, for archaeologists, both foreign and local, to gain access to many sites in the MENA region, making remote sensing an ideal alternative.
Using case studies from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, the Tripolitanian pre-desert in Libya, and western Saudi Arabia, this paper will present EAMENA’s methodology and the enormous potential that satellite imagery analysis offers for heritage management in arid regions. Many archaeological sites in these regions are under threat from a range of factors, including development, looting, mining, agriculture, and even natural deterioration. Although not all disturbances to the archaeology of these regions can be prevented entirely, by combining remote sensing analysis with partnerships with local heritage authorities, archaeologists, and fieldwork missions, we can help mitigate the effects of these problems in the future.
Fieldwork Reports by Nichole Sheldrick
As in past seasons, excavations continued both to the north and the south of the main decumanus c... more As in past seasons, excavations continued both to the north and the south of the main decumanus crossing the site. Excavation to the north was supervised by Benjamin Russell and John Sigmier, while that to the south was supervised by Elizabeth Fentress and Faouzi Ghozzi.
by Josephine Crawley Quinn, Candace M Rice, Elizabeth Fentress, Faouzi Ghozzi, Andrea Zocchi, Nichole Sheldrick, Andrew Wilson, Kaouther Jendoubi, Sophie Hay, J. Andrew Dufton, and Gabriella Carpentiero I. Ben Jerbania, E. Fentress, F. Ghozzi, A. Wilson et al., Excavations at Utica by the Tunisian-British Utica Project 2014 , Jun 1, 2015
We are particularly grateful to Hedi al-Habib Sellini for his tireless efforts and invaluable ass... more We are particularly grateful to Hedi al-Habib Sellini for his tireless efforts and invaluable assistance with the logistics of the project.
Thesis by Nichole Sheldrick
In this thesis, data collected from both previously published material and new
surveys conducted ... more In this thesis, data collected from both previously published material and new
surveys conducted using satellite imagery on the architecture and construction of
over 2,400 rural structures in nine different regions of Tripolitania and dating
between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD are brought together and analysed on a
regional scale. The synthesis and standardisation of these data and the creation of
new typologies, applicable to structures in all parts of the region have, for the first
time, facilitated meaningful comparisons between buildings and settlements across
Tripolitania during the period under the study, in a more systematic fashion and on a
wider scale than has previously been possible.
This first part of this study contextualises the material with discussions on
the historical background of Tripolitania, previous investigations and
methodological foundations, the evidence for pre-Roman architectures and
settlement, and the chronology of rural settlement during the period under study
based on ceramic evidence. This is followed by a discussion of the known military
buildings in the region, with particular reference to how these structures related and
potentially contributed to the development of civilian settlement and architecture.
The second part of this study presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of the
physical characteristics of the main group of buildings under investigation:
unfortified and fortified farm buildings. Discussions of how different spaces may
have been utilised and the spatial relationships between the settlement groups
formed by these buildings provide insight into how and why different types of
buildings developed in the countryside during between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c.
AD. These analyses demonstrate that the rural buildings of Tripolitania can be seen
as meaningful reflections not only of the wide variety of activities taking place in the
buildings themselves, but also of the varying histories and patterns of land-use in
different parts of the region and even the status, wealth, and socio-cultural structures
of the people who constructed and lived in them.
Papers by Nichole Sheldrick
Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2017
The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factor... more The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factors, including agricultural expansion, urban development, looting, and conflict. Recording and documenting this heritage is therefore a key priority to aid heritage practitioners tasked with protecting sites and evaluating their condition on the ground. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has developed a methodology for the identification, documentation, analysis, and monitoring of sites across the region to aid heritage professionals in these efforts. The project uses remote sensing techniques along with traditional archaeological research and prospection methods to collect data, which are stored and managed in a custom-designed database adapted from open-source Arches v.3 software, using CIDOC CRM standards and controlled vocabularies. In addition to these activities, the EAMENA project has initiated an international conference series and training workshops to support and establish partnerships with heritage professionals and institutions across the region.
Uploads
Articles by Nichole Sheldrick
Keywords: Endangered archaeology, Satellite imagery, Middle East, North Africa
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.
Conference & Seminar Presentations by Nichole Sheldrick
As a methodology for heritage management, a remote sensing approach has many advantages. The increasing availability and quality of high-resolution satellite imagery, particularly via open-access platforms such as Google Earth, has made it possible for archaeologists to identify and monitor sites from remote locations in a swift and cost-effective manner. This approach is particularly effective in the arid environments of the MENA region, due to the minimal ground cover, and often limited amount of development and agriculture. In addition, as a result of the ongoing conflicts, it is increasingly difficult, and sometimes dangerous, for archaeologists, both foreign and local, to gain access to many sites in the MENA region, making remote sensing an ideal alternative.
Using case studies from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, the Tripolitanian pre-desert in Libya, and western Saudi Arabia, this paper will present EAMENA’s methodology and the enormous potential that satellite imagery analysis offers for heritage management in arid regions. Many archaeological sites in these regions are under threat from a range of factors, including development, looting, mining, agriculture, and even natural deterioration. Although not all disturbances to the archaeology of these regions can be prevented entirely, by combining remote sensing analysis with partnerships with local heritage authorities, archaeologists, and fieldwork missions, we can help mitigate the effects of these problems in the future.
Fieldwork Reports by Nichole Sheldrick
Thesis by Nichole Sheldrick
surveys conducted using satellite imagery on the architecture and construction of
over 2,400 rural structures in nine different regions of Tripolitania and dating
between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD are brought together and analysed on a
regional scale. The synthesis and standardisation of these data and the creation of
new typologies, applicable to structures in all parts of the region have, for the first
time, facilitated meaningful comparisons between buildings and settlements across
Tripolitania during the period under the study, in a more systematic fashion and on a
wider scale than has previously been possible.
This first part of this study contextualises the material with discussions on
the historical background of Tripolitania, previous investigations and
methodological foundations, the evidence for pre-Roman architectures and
settlement, and the chronology of rural settlement during the period under study
based on ceramic evidence. This is followed by a discussion of the known military
buildings in the region, with particular reference to how these structures related and
potentially contributed to the development of civilian settlement and architecture.
The second part of this study presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of the
physical characteristics of the main group of buildings under investigation:
unfortified and fortified farm buildings. Discussions of how different spaces may
have been utilised and the spatial relationships between the settlement groups
formed by these buildings provide insight into how and why different types of
buildings developed in the countryside during between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c.
AD. These analyses demonstrate that the rural buildings of Tripolitania can be seen
as meaningful reflections not only of the wide variety of activities taking place in the
buildings themselves, but also of the varying histories and patterns of land-use in
different parts of the region and even the status, wealth, and socio-cultural structures
of the people who constructed and lived in them.
Papers by Nichole Sheldrick
Keywords: Endangered archaeology, Satellite imagery, Middle East, North Africa
Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.
As a methodology for heritage management, a remote sensing approach has many advantages. The increasing availability and quality of high-resolution satellite imagery, particularly via open-access platforms such as Google Earth, has made it possible for archaeologists to identify and monitor sites from remote locations in a swift and cost-effective manner. This approach is particularly effective in the arid environments of the MENA region, due to the minimal ground cover, and often limited amount of development and agriculture. In addition, as a result of the ongoing conflicts, it is increasingly difficult, and sometimes dangerous, for archaeologists, both foreign and local, to gain access to many sites in the MENA region, making remote sensing an ideal alternative.
Using case studies from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, the Tripolitanian pre-desert in Libya, and western Saudi Arabia, this paper will present EAMENA’s methodology and the enormous potential that satellite imagery analysis offers for heritage management in arid regions. Many archaeological sites in these regions are under threat from a range of factors, including development, looting, mining, agriculture, and even natural deterioration. Although not all disturbances to the archaeology of these regions can be prevented entirely, by combining remote sensing analysis with partnerships with local heritage authorities, archaeologists, and fieldwork missions, we can help mitigate the effects of these problems in the future.
surveys conducted using satellite imagery on the architecture and construction of
over 2,400 rural structures in nine different regions of Tripolitania and dating
between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD are brought together and analysed on a
regional scale. The synthesis and standardisation of these data and the creation of
new typologies, applicable to structures in all parts of the region have, for the first
time, facilitated meaningful comparisons between buildings and settlements across
Tripolitania during the period under the study, in a more systematic fashion and on a
wider scale than has previously been possible.
This first part of this study contextualises the material with discussions on
the historical background of Tripolitania, previous investigations and
methodological foundations, the evidence for pre-Roman architectures and
settlement, and the chronology of rural settlement during the period under study
based on ceramic evidence. This is followed by a discussion of the known military
buildings in the region, with particular reference to how these structures related and
potentially contributed to the development of civilian settlement and architecture.
The second part of this study presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of the
physical characteristics of the main group of buildings under investigation:
unfortified and fortified farm buildings. Discussions of how different spaces may
have been utilised and the spatial relationships between the settlement groups
formed by these buildings provide insight into how and why different types of
buildings developed in the countryside during between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c.
AD. These analyses demonstrate that the rural buildings of Tripolitania can be seen
as meaningful reflections not only of the wide variety of activities taking place in the
buildings themselves, but also of the varying histories and patterns of land-use in
different parts of the region and even the status, wealth, and socio-cultural structures
of the people who constructed and lived in them.