A combination of remote sensing and close-range topographic survey at Ad-Dariz South, Sultanate of Oman

The contemporary ‘high-end’ remote sensing technologies, such as LiDAR and on-the-ground 3D laser scanning are still unaffordable for use by many archaeological missions outside their home countries. This paper presents a low-cost but effective way of conducting a multi-scalar topographic survey of tells, or mounds of abandoned built structures in Southwest Asia. The survey was carried out at the site of Ad-Dariz South, in Oman, by means of satellite remote sensing, handy-GPS-based mapping, Total Station survey, and close-range photogrammetry. This combinational approach has successfully documented the surface features of a Bronze Age tower and an Islamic settlement in high resolution.