The Role of Remote Sensing in Ethnohistorical Research

In the last few decades archaeology has seen new technique and methods, especially in ethnohistorical research. Remote sensing techniques can offer a great deal in constructing new research methods and as such played an important part in the transition.

Remote sensing in can be defined as the detection, recognition or evaluation of distant objects through the use of recording devices. The turn ‘remote sensing’ refers to the use of both photographic and non-photographic imagery produced from an aerial vantage point. As such, cameras, thermal infrared scanners, radar and multi-spectral systems are just a few of the many instruments that can be used to record and utilise natural and man-made features from aircraft, satellites and spacecraft.

There are some ethnohistorians who may find replacements somewhat difficult to use in their studies. However, remote sensing offers a wealth of information that can be crucial in ethnohistorical research.

Both historians and archaeologists would define ethnohistorical will research as “… the use of historical and ethnological methods and materials to gain knowledge of the nature and causes of change in a culture”. There are scholars who believe that ethnohistorians rely primarily on the written record, whereas archaeologist and anthropologist utilise different techniques to gather information, such as maps, photos, ecological surveys and site exploration.

For ethnohistorians, remote sensing can offer vital information. “For example, remote sensing offers an improved vantage point, one that can assist in the evaluation and measuring of known patterns and structures not easily visible from the ground. This includes residence and settlement patterns, trade routes, and demographic information. Aerial photos and imagery achieve levels of sensitivity beyond the capacity of the human eye, aiding in the search for undiscovered historical features and assisting in site exploration”.

There are many different types of remote sensing. One of these includes black and white photography – “the film has an emulsion of silver salts that becomes black metallic silver when activated by light energy. The light that is recorded on the film is the selective reflection of sunlight from the various phenomena photographed through the lens. The quantity of energy reflected from an object is a function of the incoming energy as well as absorption and reflective characteristics of the object. Therefore, if one is not utilizing pre-existing or archival photography, the planning of new photography for ethnohistorical research requires that light intensity, altitude (hence scale and resolution considerations), and the angle and direction of the photography be properly specified”.

In the last few years, archaeologists and cultural geographers have experimented with a vast range of different sensors, data-processing techniques and new strategies in order to find the greatest advantage when studying ancient cultures. Using remote sensing, ethnohistorians will find that they gain a lot more when incorporating this new technique.

Bibliography:

Kruckman, Laurence (1987) The Role of Remote Sensing in Ethnohistorical Research, Journal of Field Archaeology, Boston University.