Sustainability of Bronze Age Monuments at Oman: Gpr Imaging at an Archaeogeophysical Laboratory

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a common geophysical method applied at archaeometrical surveys for its high-resolution outcome, which consists of either depth sections or horizontal slices depicting dielectric heterogeneities due to the existence of buried manmade structures and their surroundings. This method is ideal for dry soils, like the ones at Oman where the electromagnetic (EM) signal propagates with low loss. A cooperation between researchers from the Sultan Qaboos University at Oman, the Technical University of Crete, Greece and the Pisa University in Italy combines geophysical and archaeological studies for the conservation of Early Bronze Age (EBA) human settlements. Since 2022, every year there is an effort to synchronize the geophysical and archaeological surveys with excavations, which reveals the buried wealth of the EBA structures and has made these settlements an archaeological laboratory for the researchers and the students involved, due to the different kinds of architectural features based on the period of their origin. Here, we will present results of the on-going research at two settlements namely the Al-Ghoryeen and the Al-Tikha sites, and describe the methodology needed to assess each different type of structure.