Jörg W. E. Fassbinder

Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich | LMU · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Enrichment of the ferrimagnetic minerals magnetite and maghemite is frequently observed in the top layer of soil horizons. Although both inorganic and organic processes are known to produce magnetite, magnetite in soils has been ascribed to an inorganic origin. We report here the discovery of living magnetic bacteria, similar to those found in salt...

The Roman Limes with a length of 550 km is the largest archaeological site of Europe as well as the largest monument of the Roman period. In July 2005 it was decided that the Limes and its interrelated archaeological sites, together with Hadrian's Wall in England, would be a component of a ‘Trans-National World Heritage Site’ taking the name ‘Front...

Magnetic prospection was applied for the first time to archaeology in 1956 (Belshé, 1957; Aitken, 1958), and over the years since then, it has become one of the most important archaeological methods for the detection and mapping of buried remains at large archaeological sites (Aitken, 1974; Scollar et al., 1990; Clark, 1996; Neubauer et al., 1998–1...

In spring 2022, exactly 120 years after the first excavations, a team from LMU Munich, in collaboration with colleagues from the University al-Qadissiya (Diwaniyah), carried out renewed excavations in Fāra, ancient Šuruppak. An important result of the short excavation campaign was to confirm that successful research is possible despite the recent h...

Yeha and Melazo, located in the Tigray high plateau in the north of Ethiopia, represent two outstanding archaeological sites of the Ethio-Sabaean culture during the first half of the 1st millennium BC. Yeha-on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites-preserves two complex monumental buildings: the Grat Be'al Gibri and the Grand Temple of Y...

Enrichment of magnetic minerals in the topsoil and thus enhancement of magnetic susceptibility in archaeological layers and soils, the so-called “Le Borgne effect” is a quite common and a widespread property of the majority of soils worldwide. This effect is widely regarded as the main fundament and plays a crucial role for a successful magnetomete...

Enrichment of magnetic minerals in the topsoil and archaeological sediments not only plays a crucial role but indeed forms the essential basis for any successful magnetometer prospection. Magnetometry is a potential method. This means that magnetic field anomalies can overlap and add up; their intensity does not change linearly with distance and th...

Resuming magnetometer prospecting at Assur in 2023 The city of Assur is situated on the western bank of the Tigris. The city lies on a slight elevation ca. 10 m above the average water level above the river. Fortification walls enclose the city, which are still preserved to a height of ca. 10 m in many parts. Inside lies an area covering ca. 0.65 s...

Meanwhile, the Archaeological Prospection in Bavaria can look back on more than 40 years of continuous work all over the country, as the first attempts and surveys were already made in the late 1970s. Besides pure geophysics, we also routinely apply aerial archaeology and Airborne Laserscanning to detect and map historical monuments. For some years...

70 years since its first successful application, archaeological-geophysical prospecting, and magnetometry in particular, can look back on a long tradition. Since then, we have developed these methods into an independent science, which has now become an indispensable tool not only for preparing scientific excavations, but especially for the precise...

Palmyra depicts one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean area and is already listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for more than 40 years. Whereas several parts of the Roman city are preserved at the surface or have been excavated during the last decades, other parts are buried in the desert sand and can only be mapped by rem...

The use of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, for magnetic surveying is of great interest, since it enables the rapid coverage of large and inaccessible areas. The main limitation of drone-based magnetometry is the magnetic noise introduced by the drone itself. Therefore, it is not yet commonly used for surveys that requ...

Within the framework of an Armenian–German research project, taking place between 2019 and 2021 on the Artanish Peninsula at Lake Sevan (Armenia), in addition to numerous (geo-) archaeological investigations, methods of geochemical prospection have been carried out. The ancient burial grounds of Artanish 23 and Artanish 29 have served as model site...

Magnetometry is one of the most efficient and successful methods of archaeological prospection. Drone-based prospecting is increasingly being used in many fields of remote sensing but with respect to magnetometry, with rather poor results. For magnetic surveys, drone prospecting comes with the problem that magnetic and mechanical disturbances origi...

Magnetic prospecting Definition Magnetometry. Application of magnetometers to detect and trace archaeological features and structures that lie beneath the ground. Field magnetometers. Instrumentation adapted for magnetic prospection of near-surface structures in archaeology. Soil magnetism. Applying mineral magnetic analysis and methods of mea...

Überblicksaufsatz im Band Vorträge des 40. Niederbayerischen Archäologentages.

The publication at hand are the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection held between March 28 and April 1, 2023, in Kiel, Germany. The content of the articles ranges from local to large-scale case studies all over the world and from various archaeological times, over methodological improvements, new processing...

The publication at hand are the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection held between March 28 and April 1, 2023, in Kiel, Germany. The content of the articles ranges from local to large-scale case studies all over the world and from various archaeological times, over methodological improvements, new processing...

The publication at hand are the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection held between March 28 and April 1, 2023, in Kiel, Germany. The content of the articles ranges from local to large-scale case studies all over the world and from various archaeological times, over methodological improvements, new processing...

The article is devoted to new methodological techniques in the study of widely known sites of the early stage of Alanian culture of the Central Ciscaucasia – Zilginskoye hillfort and Beslan kurgan catacomb burial ground (RNO – Alania). Thanks to the use of satellite images, low-altitude aerial photography, photogrammetry and magnetometric survey it...

The Achaemenid Empire controlled the Western Asian landmass between ca. 550–300 BCE. By some estimates, its subject peoples made up almost 44% of the world population. In recent years, studies have moved from a consideration of its core region, located in the province of Fars, Iran, to the investigation of imperial rule in the dependent regions. Si...

Ancient Šuruppak, today Fara, was one of the major Sumerian cities in Mesopotamia. It was situated along one of the ancient watercourses of the Euphrates River. Findings date it back to the Jemdet Nasr period around 3000 BC with a continuous occupation until the end of the Ur III period around 2000 BC. Fara was first explored and excavated by the D...

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)‐based magnetometer systems became more and more attractive for large‐scale archaeological prospection in recent years. Although their sensors exhibit the same sensitivity than the ground‐based prospecting systems, UAV prospecting is seriously handicapped by the magnetic and mechanical disturbances of the drone and by l...

Meninx was the eponymous capital of the island of Djerba in Antiquity. The spacious seaport, situated on a protected gulf, was famous as one of the main production centres of purple dye in the Mediterranean and developed into one of the largest metropolises in Roman North Africa. In 2015, an archaeological research project was initiated in cooperat...

Meninx was the eponymous capital of the island of Djerba in Antiquity. The spacious seaport, situated on a protected gulf, was famous as one of the main production centres of purple dye in the Mediterranean and developed into one of the largest metropolises in Roman North Africa. In 2015, an archaeological research project was initiated in cooperat...

Meninx was the eponymous capital of the island of Djerba in Antiquity. The spacious seaport, situated on a protected gulf, was famous as one of the main production centres of purple dye in the Mediterranean and developed into one of the largest metropolises in Roman North Africa. In 2015, an archaeological research project was initiated in cooperat...

This volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. It draws on archival records, research and administrative data, but above all on the memories of its members since its foundation in 1970. The history of the Institute, teaching experiences and research achievement...

This volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. It draws on archival records, research and administrative data, but above all on the memories of its members since its foundation in 1970. The history of the Institute, teaching experiences and research achievement...

Der östlich des im Mittelalter gegründeten Marktortes Ergoldsbach gelegene Kapellenberg wurde auf der Exkursion der Bayerischen Archäologietagung im Landkreis Landshut 2015 als selbstverständlich gesetzte Größe besucht. Bei der Führung vor Ort wurde uns bewusst, dass wir entschieden zu wenig über dieses wichtige Denkmal wissen. Der Kapellenberg, de...

The direct visibility between watchtowers and their corresponding fortresses in the hinterland was a crucial factor in the effective protection and control of the Roman frontier. Solely, archaeological excavations cannot evaluate these interactions in detail. Hence, modern geoinformatics can help with a fast and easy approach to gather information...

The paper presents the results of the investigation of the mound “Mugol” (Uzbekistan) using a complex of geophysical methods, namely methods of electrotomography and magnetic prospecting. It is clearly shown that each of these methods individually gives good results in solving archaeological problems, but their joint application and further complex...

Archaeological sites can be discovered and recorded in a high-resolution and non-invasivemanner using geophysical methods. These measure the spatial variation of a range ofphysical properties of the soil which may be representative proxies of the subsurfacearchaeology. Less-invasive and cost-effective field procedures have become top-priority tomit...

Die Entstehung komplexer Siedlungen im Zentraloman: Archäologische Untersuchungen zur Siedlungsgeschichte von Al-Khashbah presents the results of a survey conducted in 2015 and beyond by the Institut für die Kulturen des Alten Orients of the Universität Tübingen in Al-Khashbah, one of the largest Early Bronze Age sites on the Omani Peninsula. Ten m...

S. Hansen, L. Giemsch (eds.), The Caucasus - Bridge between the urban centres in Mesopotamia and the Pontic steppes in the 4th and 3rd millennium BC. Proceedings of the Caucasus conference Frankfurt am Main, November 28 – December 1, 2018, 2021 Geophysical methods are worldwide accepted, meaningful tools to prepare and to optimize archaeological...

Die Ruinen von Uruk liegen im Süden des Irak etwa 250 km südöstlich von Bagdad und 210 km nordwestlich der Stadt Basra, in deren Nähe sich Euphrat und Tigris im Schatt al-Arab vereinigen, der dann in den Persischen Golf mündet. Im Altertum lag Uruk unmittelbar am Euphrat. Heute verläuft das Flussbett etwa 15 km weiter westlich. Seit 1912 wird Uruk...

Magnetometer prospecting of roman castle: Case studies from Egypt, Tunesia and Baden-Wuerttemberg Während generell Stadtanlagen, Einzelsiedlungen sowie Militärbauten der Römerzeit nicht zuletzt aufgrund ihrer intensiven Nutzung, stabilen Bauweise und Einbau von Hypokausten deutliche Spuren im Magnetfeld hinterlassen, stellen die drei vorgestellten...

Otto Braasch, an aerial archaeology pioneer Roland Linck1, Jörg W.E. Fassbinder Sad news for the AARG community: in the night to the 5th August 2021 Otto Braasch, one of the aerial archaeology pioneers in Germany, passed away at the age of 84 years in Lahr (Black Forest, Germany). Otto Braasch was born in 1936 in Kutenholz near Hamburg and has grow...

The article is devoted to new methodological techniques in the study of widely known sites of the early stage of Alanic culture of the Central Ciscaucasia — Zilgi hillfort and Beslan kurgan catacomb burial ground (RNO — Alania). The use of satellite images, low-altitude aerial photography, photogrammetry and magnetometric survey made it possible to...

Keywords: Claus Colani; pulsed electromagnetic fields; electromagnetic induction; automatic image processing; history of Archaeological Prospection Highlights: - In a historical retrospective, the pioneering work of the development engineer Claus Colani for archaeological prospecting is highlighted and honoured. - Colani's principle of pulsed e...

– Comparative measurements and analysis of 3D ERT and GPR results.– Evaluation of different ERT data processing methods.

– Magnetometer prospection of a Bronze Age burial ground in Armenia.– Natural remanent magnetisation is the chief cause of anomalies.– Prehistoric gold mining near Sotk.

– New outstanding Achaemenid monumental complex in the periphery of the Persian Empire.– Magnetometer and ERT prospecting of adobe mud-brick architecture.– Test excavation, soil magnetic studies on top soils, mudbricks and excavation profiles.

– Satellite images were used to identify barrow cemeteries in the North Caucasus.– Magnetic prospection helped to recognize circular and rectangular ditches in the cemeteries.– Archaeological excavations fully confirmed the results of the magnetometry survey.

– Comparison of synthetic magnetograms of dipoles with an illustrative case study.– Remanence explains different anomaly patterns of magnetic dipoles.– The remanence, therefore the total magnetisation, can point in any direction if not acquired in-situ.

Magnetic prospecting of burial grounds is still a great challenge in the field of archaeological geophysics. Some graves appear as positive anomalies, whereas others do not generate any traces or even show up by negative anomalies. This study involves ground magnetic survey, rock magnetic and magnetic mineralogy examinations of soils to determine f...

Das Archäologische Jahr in Bayern 2019

Between April and May 2019, an Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) survey was conducted in the Bora Plain, with two main goals. The first goal was to continue the investigation of the qanat system, the underground irrigation system that was first identified on the surface in 2015 and further investigated in 2016-2018. The second goal was to inv...

The paper publishes two new assemblages with Catacomb burials covered with kurgans which were excavated in the Kievskiy I kurgan cemetery in the Mozdok district, the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania in 2019. The team developed a number of methodological guidelines aimed at discovering and localizing catacombs covered with kurgan mounds using arch...

Samreklo is a hilltop settlement on the edge of the Shiraki plain in Kakheti (East Georgia). The first excavations were undertaken here in 2019 and, after initial geophysical prospections, concentrated on the southern slope of the site. The foundation of a rectangular building could be uncovered, which dates to the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age. H...

The third campaign at Nazarlebi, a late Bronze/Early Iron Age site in Kak-heti, Eastern Georgia, 2019, was devoted to the completion of the excavation of the whole circular structure found in 2018. Its wide entrance is situated in the East. Directly in front of the western part of the stone circle wall we found another two hoards, this time placed...

Seit mehr als 50 Jahren werden die Bodendenkmäler in der Umgebung von Stadtlauringen von Dr. Reinhold Heusinger und Ernst Lauerbach begangen. Dabei erbrachte auch die Altenburg eine große Anzahl an Lesefunden (vgl. Beitrag S. 197–199). Diese liegt etwa 1400 m nordnordöstlich der Kirche von Stadtlauringen in der gleichnamigen Flur. Der leicht nach S...

Доклад посвящен первым итогам проекта, направленного на мультидисциплинарное изучение памятников раннего этапа аланской культуры Северного Кавказа (II-IV вв. н.э.). Основные полевые работы были сосредоточены в 2019 г. в окрестностях с. Киевское Моздокского района РСО-А – на курганном могильнике Киевский I, являющимся некрополем Киевского городища р...

Die geophysikalische Prospektion römischer Kastelle verspricht in der Regel sehr erfolgreiche Resultate (Faßbinder 2008). Die Mehrzahl dieser Anlagen erzeugt Magnetfeldabweichungen von mehr als ± 20–30 nT Stärke. Viele Gebäude waren darüber hinaus in Stein ausgeführt, weshalb die Fundamente auch hohe Kontraste in der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit aufw...

The southern Mesopotamian city of Uruk is approximately five kilometers in diameter. Even after a century of work, excavations have barely scratched the surface. But new techniques now look far below the surface By 3000 BCE Uruk-Warka was one of the largest megacities of Mesopotamia. It was also the setting for the oldest saga of humankind, the fa...

549 Die skythische «Geschichte» in den Steppen- und Waldsteppengürteln Eurasiens beginnt mit dem Ende des 9. — Anfang des 8. Jhs. v. Chr. In diese Zeit wird der bis dato älteste bekannte skythische Grabhügel Aržan-1 in Südsibirien datiert. Die frühesten skythischen Großkurgane im Nordkaukasus können in das 7. Jh. v. Chr. gestellt werden. Häufig wir...

Доклад посвящен первым итогам проекта, направленного на мультидисциплинарное изучение памятников раннего этапа аланской культуры Северного Кавказа (II-IV вв. н.э.).

Geophysical prospection, especially magnetometry, is an effective and time saving method to investigate archaeological sites in order to get an idea of the layout and the extension of a site. Archaeological features such as walls, ditches, pits, graves, kilns/ovens can be detected as well as geological information can be collected, for example anci...

The ancient site of Henchir Bourgou (Djerba), Tunisia, is the object of archaeological research conducted jointly by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute, the Ludwigs Maximilians University Munich and the German Archaeological Institute since 2017. The reports presents an overview on the activities in HenchirBourgou done in 2017–2019 and gives...

Fieldwork at Uruk consists of a survey of the environs of Uruk aiming at documenting all archaeological remains in a distance of 3 km around the town. The geophysical survey of the city, started in 2001, continued in its south-western part. Two new excavation areas were opened: at the city wall aiming at collecting additional hints for its construc...

A single burial mound is located on the right bank of the Serteyka River (north-western Russia). It was discovered by E.A. Schmidt in 1951 and is attributed to the Old Russian Period. New researches on the burial mound conducted in 2013 and 2014 have uncovered several diachronic constructions. The first stage was connected to a flint knapping site,...

Uruk is one of the largest ancient sites in Mesopotamia. At the time the famous city wall was built, at the beginning of the third millennium bc, a city area of 5.5 square kilometers needed to be encompassed, so the city wall was roughly 9 kilometers long—a gigantic undertaking. Excavations in Uruk have as yet concentrated on the city center, espec...

Systematic archaeological exploration of southern Qatar started in the 1950s. However, detailed local and regional data on climatic fluctuations and landscape changes during the Holocene, pivotal for understanding and reconstructing human–environment interactions, are still lacking. This contribution provides an overview on the variability of geomo...

The burial mounds of the warlike horse riding nomads of Eurasia, so called “kurgans” are almost very complex archaeological monuments of the Early Iron age. These sites represent not only a single burial but consist of further burials, hoards, offering complexes and cultural installations, which we call “kurgan periphery”. The Trans-Volga-Steppe fo...

A single burial mound is located on the right bank of the Serteyka River (north-western Russia). It was discovered by E.A. Schmidt in 1951 and is attributed to the Old Russian Period. New researches on the burial mound conducted in 2013 and 2014 have uncovered several diachronic constructions. The first stage was connected to a flint knapping site,...

Floodplain wetlands are complex systems influenced by many natural and anthropogenic operators. Due to the influence of high and varying groundwater table and high organic contents, geophysical prospection in wetland floodplains quickly reaches the limits of its effectiveness. At the Early Medieval canal Fossa Carolina in southwest Germany, a study...

Geoarchaeological investigations on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) revealed several hundred pits filled with reddish silty material. These pits were discovered in a fluvial terrace in a tributary valley east of the Quebrada Vaipu on the southern slope of Maunga Terevaka. The shape of the pits and the structure of the fillings leave no doubt about their a...

Magnetic prospection was applied for the first time to archaeology in 1956, and over the years since then, it has become one of the most important archaeological methods for the detection and mapping of buried remains at large archaeological sites. Magnetic detection methods are extremely sensitive in the characterization and detection of iron oxid...

Epublication ISBN 9781789693072