Heritage (Jan 2022)

Ground Penetrating Radar Survey of the UNESCO Painted Churches in the Troodos Region (Cyprus)

  • William L. Mitchell,
  • Dante Abate,
  • Kevin S. Colls,
  • Marina Faka,
  • Caroline Sturdy Colls,
  • Nikolas Bakirtzis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5010014
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
pp. 260 – 285

Abstract

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In the framework of the IH-AT (Invisible Heritage Analysis and Technology) project, a cluster of churches ranging from the 11th to the 16th centuries, located in the Troodos Mountain range of Cyprus, designated by UNESCO as World Heritage monuments, were investigated using Non-Destructive-Techniques (NDT) (geophysical and topographic survey), 3D modelling and visualisation methods, contextualised and interpreted by art-historical and archaeological research. A geophysical survey, performed using a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), specifically aimed to confirm the presence or absence of buried features of archaeological interest at each of these sites, in particular, evidence of monastic complexes and buildings that used to surround preserved churches. This paper describes the preliminary results of this survey and some initial interpretations concerning what new information can be discerned about the now lost monastery complexes, in advance of future excavation.

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