Calton Hill Conservation Trust begin the New Year with an exciting new project devoted to archaeology and heritage of Edinburgh’s best-known hill — in partnership with Headland Archaeology.
The prominence of Calton Hill means it would have been a focus of human activity in the past, just as it is today – yet surprisingly little is known about its ancient and early historic use before the 19th-century ‘Athens of the North’ monuments were built.
The project will look at the archaeological potential of the landscape — indications of human impacts that have shaped the hill in the past — using drone photogrammetry*, a ‘non-invasive‘, remote-sensing method to examine the land surface, for entry into a geographical information system (GIS), and comparison with historic maps and records.
Headland Archaeology will lead a series of community workshops and walks to introduce and explain how technology is being used to develop our understanding of Calton Hill, and explore present-day approaches to understanding human behaviour in the past.
Participants will be invited to explore the history of the hill, discover what’s currently known about its history and archaeology, and develop an understanding around what is left to uncover. Walks will explore learnings on the ground and will be an opportunity for people to get outside and interact with the hill, to discover more about its historic landscape.
Participation is free for both members and non-members. Information from <info@caltonhilltrust.org>.
Dates:
1. Saturday 31 January 10.00, workshop on photogrammetric survey results at Headland Archaeology, 13 Jane Street EH6 5HE.
2. Saturday 7 February 10.00, Walk and talk on Calton Hill’s archaeology.
3. Saturday 21 February 10.00, On-site workshop to explore archaeological walk-over survey techniques and record any findings
4. Saturday 28 February 10.00, Final workshop to summarize results at Headland Archaeology, 13 Jane Street EH6 5HE.
Eventbrite Link: <bit.ly/49m1Bdx>
*Photogrammetry is the process of capturing many overlapping photographs of a desired target, this can range from a small artifact to a large landscape. These photographs are then processed using specialist software to produce a fully textured 3D model. From this data videos and ortho-images (scaled images with no distortion or perspective) are generated for further analysis. For small objects handheld cameras are used, but for landscapes such as Calton Hill aerial photography is the preferred method, rapidly capturing a large area using a drone.
This release is also available in pdf form here.