THE MONASTERY HILL: GEOPHYSICAL METHODS FOR DESCRIBING ARCHAEOLOGY AND NEAR-SURFACE GEOLOGY IN LÖDÖSE, SW SWEDEN

Abstract

Even though Sweden has been one of the leading countries in the development of nearsurface geophysics instrumentation and practices, geophysical surveys in archaeology are not commonly used in Sweden. However, it is becoming increasingly popular, especially the use of ground-penetrating radar and metal detectors. Therefore, it is of great interest to investigate the usability of other geophysical methods for accurately describing the archaeological potential. This study aims at comparing resistivity and magnetic gradiometry to previous ground-penetrating radar measurements and archaeological excavations. The study area is located in Lödöse, South-West Sweden, which was once one of the most important cities in medieval Sweden. The surveys were made over the Monastery Hill, where a Dominican monastery and an older church are located beneath the surface. This study is showing that clearer images are given from the GPR measurements, but additional features can be seen in the resistivity results. The magnetic gradiometry does not show any structures that can easily be compared to the GPR and resistivity but shows another structure that does not appear in the other two surveys. The resistivity and gradiometry surveys are also used to interpret the material of the archaeological features as well as the surrounding geology. All in all, the different methods have different pros and cons and illuminate different archaeological features in the subsurface. Used together, they can give an unsurpassed information source, short of excavation only.