ABSTRACT This editorial marks the transition of editorial leadership at Archaeological Prospection and outlines priorities for the journal's next phase. We review the journal's 30‐year history and assess opportunities created by the convergence of machine learning, miniaturized sensors and cloud computing. We identify two primary objectives: establishing rigorous standards for reproducibility and open science, and prioritizing submissions that demonstrate how non‐invasive methods address substantive archaeological research questions. We introduce revised publication formats and address the need to expand representation beyond the journal's historically European and North American base. These changes position Archaeological Prospection as a knowledge transfer platform for 21st‐century archaeological practice.

ABSTRACT Rain‐induced erosion processes can severely damage Earthen archaeological sites. Huaca Chornancap (HCH; eighth–14th century ad ) is a platform located in the Lambayeque region (Peru) exposed to seasonal rain due to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We present data from a UAV‐based photogrammetric survey and produce a Digital Surface Model from which we compute selected morphometric parameters. Rills and gullyes affect the HCH steep flanks, whereas pits concentrates on the flat top. Slides induced by rain also affect the western flank. Results from a model evidence the HCH sectors where diffusive erosion processes are predicted to act over the next century. We determine a vertical erosion rates of 0.33 m/century by ENSO‐related rain, 0.13 m/century by splash erosion and < 0.25 m/century by diffusion processes. Our findings emphasize the deteroriation of the HCH structural integrity. The methodological approach we propose may be applied to other earthen archaeological sites worldwide.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate and characterize the subsurface geophysical signatures associated with 20th‐century interwar housing developments in the Koło district of Warsaw, Poland, to provide new insights into the area's social history. These were largely destroyed during World War II and were part of a broader national initiative to address homelessness and the severe housing shortages at the time. The study methods used archival records and remote sensing data to identify the survey site, which was a current public park, where traditional excavation was not feasible. A phased geophysical site survey was then used to create a frequency domain electromagnetic method (FDEM) grid, providing key information on spatial patterns of geophysical response potentially associated with building foundations and related infrastructure. Secondary Ground‐Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey profiles then provided higher resolution information on foundation positions, although the data were geophysically noisy. This non‐invasive approach supports the preservation of the site's integrity and deepens the understanding of Warsaw's urban history, contributing valuable information for future archaeological and historical studies. The findings highlight the effectiveness of combining multiple datasets in non‐invasive archaeological research, particularly in urban settings where traditional excavation is not feasible.

ABSTRACT In Upper Mesopotamia, the transition from the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) to Pre‐Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period, ca. 10 800–10 600 cal. BP, is marked by a series of changes in chipped stone industries, architectural forms, symbolic objects, regional distribution of settlements and long‐distance exchange networks among others. These shifts may indicate rapid social transformations occurring in this time period. Since settlement size and layout can serve as proxies for population scale and social structure, methodologies capable of capturing entire site plans are critical. Geophysical prospection provides an efficient means for surveying entire archaeological sites, making it particularly suitable for studying settlement size and layout. However, geophysical prospection of Pre‐Pottery Neolithic sites in Upper Mesopotamia has rarely been published. This study conducted comprehensive geophysical investigations, including topographic survey, magnetometry and ground‐penetrating radar, covering the entire mound of Harbetsuvan Tepesi, a recently discovered small‐scale (approximately 5900 m 2 ) Early PPNB site in southeastern Anatolia. This represents the first comprehensive geophysical survey covering the entire extent of a PPNB site in this region. The data revealed a cluster of rectangular rooms densely concentrated near the mound's centre, with no indication of large open spaces or significantly oversized monumental structures. This settlement layout differs from larger contemporary sites in the region, where large circular monumental buildings have been exposed alongside clustered small dwellings. This settlement layout at Harbetsuvan Tepesi provides an example of the social structure of small settlements and makes a contribution to understanding the inter‐site regional social hierarchies and settlement diversity during the PPNA–PPNB transition.

ABSTRACT In Central Asia, by the end of the Bronze Age, a fundamental change in funeral tradition occurred, from traditional kurgans or burial mounds to Zoroastrian belief in dakhmas or Towers of Silence, for ritualized exposure of the dead. The Loylagan burial ground, discovered in 1973, contains numerous barrows which have been mapped but never geophysically investigated. This study presents an integrated geophysical investigation of mound No. 47 in order to detail and characterize its internal structure. Methods included magnetometry, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), seismic refraction and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW). Results showed that the magnetometric surveys imaged a central circular anomaly, interpreted as the structure's core. ERT, seismic and MASW surveys identified a high‐resistivity/density upper layer, interpreted as stone fill, above an oval‐shaped, low‐resistivity/velocity zone at depths of 1.5–3 m, likely corresponding to a burial pit or chamber. While little remains of these dakhmas above ground, below ground still remains relict archaeology. This study highlights the value of multi‐method site investigations for non‐invasive heritage studies in Central Asia.

ABSTRACT Megalithic landscapes in Southeast Iberia remain unevenly and insufficiently documented, particularly in rugged areas where traditional survey methods are limited. This paper addresses this gap by applying a multiscalar approach to the megalithic necropolises of the Fardes River (Granada, Spain), with the objective of detecting, documenting and interpreting poorly preserved prehistoric structures. To this end, an iterative workflow integrating remote‐sensing techniques—specifically LiDAR‐derived Digital Terrain Models (DTM) analysis and historical aerial imagery and RPAS photogrammetry—combined with systematic pedestrian surface survey was designed and tested. In the initial digital revision, 40 anomalies consistent in size (around 10–15 m in diameter) and morphology (circular) with known burial mounds of the area were identified. Field verification of these features confirmed 20 as positive archaeological features, comprising graves with tumuli and only orthostatic stone structures. Subsequently, RPAS photogrammetry was used on a selection of these verified sites to create high‐resolution imagery and 3D models, allowing for detailed documentation and advanced interpretation. Additionally, a walled Chalcolithic settlement was recorded, characterized by concentric masonry alignments and associated material culture (e.g., hand mills, pottery and metallurgical tools). From a methodological perspective, this study evaluates the potential and limitations of remote sensing for detecting small‐scale megalithic features (less than 20 m in diameter) often obscured by erosion, vegetation or subtle topographic expression. It demonstrates the value of an iterative survey model in which digital detection guides targeted fieldwork, and where field observations inform the subsequent application of advanced technologies such as RPAS for more precise documentation. This high verification rate (50%)—achieved through the complete ground‐truthing of all detected anomalies—offers a replicable framework for surveying complex prehistoric landscapes and contributes new insights into the territorial organization and social complexity of Copper Age communities in Southeastern Iberia.

No abstract is available for this article.

ABSTRACT Water is essential for life on earth. This is true in the present as it was in the past. Water scarcity and concomitant climate change are increasingly seen as the main threat to human economies across large areas of the world. The Peruvian Andes faced a similar threat during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (c. ad 750–1250). In response, past indigenous communities invested in hydraulic engineering to offset water scarcity due to retreating tropical glaciers. Then as now, the main solution was to build microdams along the headwaters of the Cordilleras. Ancient microdams existed alongside watershed management strategies that incorporated wetland and aquifer protection, terracing and canals. All these constructions, including the dams, were the product of millennia‐long engineering projects that integrated these technologies with their immediate environs. European colonisation in the sixteenth century and concomitant population decline led to their abandonment. Modern microdam construction is now destroying the remaining vestiges of these past hydraulic technologies. In documenting and studying these features, the Past Water Futures project led by Kevin Lane has compiled a geographic database of ancient dams in the Cordillera Negra region, Department of Ancash, Peru. We began by systematising all existing data, documenting both recent and ancient dams and compiling information from previous surveys undertaken by both the Peruvian government agencies and varied research projects. Thereafter, we conducted a survey employing digital imagery (recent and historical), testing out a series of locational parameters including elevation, geology and other aspects. Finally, we selected several hotspots to undertake ground survey of the dams, including a photographic and photogrammetric record of the structures.

ABSTRACT This study examines the spatial and visual organisation of tombs in the post–Roman Berenike located in Egypt's Eastern Desert. Archaeological surveys, remote sensing, geophysical methods, excavations and GIS‐based analyses are used for a comprehensive understanding of the spatial patterns and cultural significance behind the positions and layouts of 865 tumuli and 13 chamber tombs associated with the Blemmyes, an indigenous Eastern Desert people. The results indicate the existence of shared practices that shaped the sepulchral landscape of Berenike between the late fourth and fifth centuries CE , highlighting the deliberate placement of tombs in visually prominent locations, and a symbolic connection between the living community and their ancestors. This is argued to be an expression of establishing control over the town during a period when the Blemmyes transitioned from a nomadic to a more settled lifestyle and created state structures. The clustering of tombs at the site has been linked to the segmented nature of the local society. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of mortuary practices in the post–Roman period Eastern Desert and offer new perspectives on the social organisation of the Blemmyes. The results also provide a foundation for future comparative studies of sepulchral landscapes in northeast Africa, offering a spatial analysis model for other archaeological sites. This study offers a replicable spatial analysis model for archaeological sites globally.

ABSTRACTThis paper describes the application of three‐dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) in urban environments to detect wall foundations or similar structures. In this study, a specific measurement strategy based on optimized 3D measurement arrays with surface electrodes is proposed and tested. As this type of survey can be used for archaeological prospection, a special design was chosen to make the survey as non‐invasive as possible. The 3D ERT measurement scheme therefore used layouts that placed electrode lines on each side of the wall. Using an optimization method based on the Jacobian matrix, only the optimal cross‐line and in‐line measurements were selected. The proposed scheme was tested using synthetic models and was also applied to the investigation of the foundations at two sites of the Byzantine walls of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, near the Cassandrian Gate. Additional 2D ERTs were performed on each wall segment intersecting the wall perpendicularly to test the results of the 3D ERTs.The presented results of the synthetic data support the effectiveness of the measurement scheme and at the same time provide important information about the maximum depth of investigation and about the influence of the shape of the structure, which must be considered as a priori information in the inversion process. The selected sections of the 3D inversion of the field data compare well with the respective 2D ERT results. Overall, the proposed 3D ERT measuring scheme has proven to be an effective non‐destructive prospecting method.