An Investigation of Ancient Water Collection and Storage Systems Near the Karahantepe Neolithic Site Using UAV and GIS

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the ancient water collection and storage systems near the Karahantepe Neolithic Site, located 500 m to the north, utilising unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The utilisation of DEM allowed for the examination of the cisterns, pools, and channels in the region. The hydrological analysis gave a comprehensive understanding of the water flow patterns. The findings showed that the channels leading to the cisterns followed a meandering slope and culminated in pools, which could be sedimentation ponds. The study emphasised the benefit of utilising UAV technology in archaeology and inferred that the water collection and storage system in the region was deliberately constructed by ancient civilisations.

KEYWORDS:

• UAV
• GIS
• hydrological analysis
• cistern
• Karahantepe
• Photogrammetry

Acknowledgements

The author expresses their gratitude to head of Karahantepe excavation Prof. Dr. Necmi KARUL for their invaluable support. This project was supported by the Harran University Project Office (HUBAP) as project number 22260.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The Data not Available due to Privacy of Ongoing Archaeological Excavations.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Notes on contributors

Nizar Polat

Nizar Polat graduated from Istanbul Technical University as Geomatics Engineer. He is working as an assistant professor at Geomatics Engineering department in Harran University. His research and studies are mostly related to geographic information system, UAV photogrammetry, and remote sensing.