Geospatial Analysis of Archaeological Sites in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajgt.v3i1.2447Keywords:
Archaeologist, Archaeology, Archaeological Site, Geospatial AnalysisAbstract
Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria has rich and diverse archaeological heritage. The research employed geospatial technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, to analyze and document the archaeological sites in Ikara. The research aims to assess the Geospatial distribution of Archaeological sites in the study area by mapping to locate the Archaeological sites in the study area, determine the pattern of distribution of the Archaeological sites and examine the finds and features in the sites. The research employed a mixed-method approach that combines field surveys, archival research, and geospatial analysis. The research findings show fifteen (15) archaeological sites dispersedly distributed across the Eight (8) wards in the study area with Ikara ward having the highest number of archaeological sites. Also, the dominant cultural materials across the sites are finds in forms of potsherds and features in form of House foundation. The cultural remains on the Archaeological sites are House foundations, mounds, granary, potsherds, iron slag, open grave, stone tools and grinding stones. Based on the findings, dispersed pattern of the Archaeological sites in the study area was deduced from the data collected especially at the southern part of the area of study where the sites are found to be most concentrated. Base on the research findings, it is recommended that further research shall be undertaken using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology for effective Archaeological site discovery, management and preservation.
References
Allen, S., Green, E. and Zubrow E. (1990). Interpreting Space: GIS and Archaeology. Taylor and Francis, London
Anderson, K. L., & Burke, A. (2008). Refining the definition of cultural levels at Karabi Tamchin: a quantitative approach to vertical intra-site spatial analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35(8), 2274-2285.
Armstrong, D. & Mark W. (2004). An East Indian Laborers’ Household in Nineteenth-Century Jamaica: A Case for Understanding Cultural Diversity through Space, Chronology, and Material Analysis. Historical Archaeology 38(2), 9-21.
Ashurst, J. & Shalom, A. (2012). The Demise, Discovery, Destruction and Salvation of a Ruin (2007) in “Archaeological Sites: Conservation and Management”. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute. pp. 353–364.
Bate, L., Emma K. (2011). Ceramic Technology and Spanish Contact: Analysis of Artifacts from the Long Bay Site, San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Belmonte, J., Esteban, C., Cuesta, L., Gonzarez, J. (1999). Pre-Islamic burial monuments in Northern and Saharan Morocco. Archaeo- astronomy 1999, 30, 21.
Benjamin W. K & Christopher R. D. (2004). Ghana’s Vanishing Past: Development, Antiquities, and the Ghana’s Vanishing Past: Development, Antiquities, and the Destruction of the Archaeological Record. African Archaeological Review v. 21, #2 , pp. 89- 128
Bewley, R., Donoghue, D., Gaffney, V., Van Leusen, M., Wise, A (1999). Archiving Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing Data: A Guide to Good Practice; Archaeology Data Service; Oxbow Books: Oxford, UK.
Burrough, P. (1994). Principles of Geographical Information Systems for land resources Assessment. Oxford Science
Constantinidis, D. (2009). GIS for managing the analysis and protection of archaeological remains in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area. Archaeology in Oceania, 44(2), 112-118.
Cunliffe, E. (2014). Archaeological Site Damage in the Cycle of War and Peace:: A Syrian Case Study. Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies, 2(3), 229-247.
Curet, L. A. (1992). House structure and cultural change in the Caribbean: Three case studies from Puerto Rico. Latin American Antiquity, 3(2), 160-174.
Fagan, M. B (2000). Ancient Lives. New York: Preston hall Publishers
Faleye, O. A. (2016). Toward a Historical Archaeology of West African Borderlands. International Journal of Modern Anthropology, 1(9), 77-89.
Fitz, P. and Scott, M. (2006). A Critical Approach to 14C Dating in the Caribbean: Using Chronometric Hygiene to Evaluate Chronological Control and Prehistoric Settlement. Latin American Antiquity 17, 389-418.
Fitzpatrick, S. M., Kappers, M., & Kaye, Q. (2006). Coastal erosion and site destruction on Carriacou, West Indies. Journal of Field Archaeology, 31(3), 251-262.
Fitzpatrick, S. M., Kaye, Q., Kappers, M., Technics, I. T. S., & Majofskistraat, T. (2004). A radiocarbon sequence for the Sabazan site, Carriacou, West Indies. Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, 5(1), 1-11.
Gaydarska, B. (2014). Spatial analysis in field Archaeology. In Smith C (eds). Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY
Grant, J., Gorin, S. and Fleming, N. (2008). The Archaeology Course Book; An Introduction to Themes, Method and Skills’’ (3rd ed.). Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London.
Greene, K., (1991). Archaeology; An Introduction (Revised Edition). London, Batsford Ltd.
Jones, R. E. Sarris, A. J (2000). Geophysical and related techniques applied to Archaeological survey in the Mediterranean: A review. J. Mediterr. Archaeol. 2000, 13, 3–75.
Kappers, M., Scott M. Fitz P., and Quetta, K. (2007). Automated Data Collection and 3D Modelling of Archaeological Sites: Examining the Prehistory and Destruction of Grand Bay in Carriacou. Edited by Basil A. Reid, pp. 81-90
Kaye, Q. (2003). A field survey of the island of Carriacou, West indies, March 2003. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 14, 129-135.
Kappers, M. (2007). Ongoing Archaeological Investigations on Carriacou, West Indies: 2nd July to 3rd August, 2007. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 18, 167-176.
Kottak P. C (2000). Anthropology, The exploration of Human diversity (9th edition) University of Michigan.
Kvamme, K. L. (2003). Geophysical surveys as landscape archaeology. Am. Antiq.
Lasaponara, R., Masini, N. (2012). Satellite Remote Sensing: A New Tool for Archaeology; Springer Science & Business Media: Cham, The Netherlands
López, C., & Bernabé, M. (2012). Fundamentos de las Infraestructuras de Datos Espaciales. Madrid, España.
Montufo, A. M (1997). The use of satellite imagery and digital image processing in landscape archaeology: A case study from the island of Mallorca, Spain.
Neubauer,W. (2001). Images of the invisible- prospection methods for the documentation of threatened archaeological sites. Naturwissenschaften 2001, 88, 13–24.
Renfrew, C & Bahn, P. (2008). Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. (5th Edition). London, Thames and Hudson Ltd.
Scianna, A., & Villa, B. (2011). GIS Applications in Archaeology. Italian National Research Council, Italy.
Sutton, M. O. (2006). Archaeology; The Science of Human past. Pearson Educational Inc, USA. www.en-ng.topographic-map.com/maps/ghvl/Ikara/retrieved on 4th February, 2020 (01:33pm)
Theocaris, P. S., Liritzis, I., Lagios, E., & Sampson, A. (1996). Geophysical prospection, archaeological excavation, and dating in two Hellenic pyramids. Surveys in Geophysics, 17, 593-618.
UNESCO (2018). List of Endangered sites. www.africanworldheritagesites.com Retrieved on 14th June, 2021 (01:33pm)
Wynn, J. (1990). Applications of High-resolution Geophysical methods to Archaeology. In Archaeological Geology of North America Centennial Special Volume; Lasca, N.P., Donahue, J., Eds.; Geological Society of America: Boulder, CO, USA, 1990; pp. 603- 617.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Qasim Abubakar Ahmad, Nafiu Garba Umar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
