Dr Paul Newson Evening Lecture

This talk is an exploration of different fieldwork techniques and new technologies applied to a fieldwork project in the Western Central Bekaa valley. This fieldwork is exploring a number of issues, however, generally the project has sought to extend our understanding of the use of the landscape in past periods, with a particular emphasis on the Graeco- Roman period. At the core of the fieldwork project are the two sites at Niha and Hosn Niha, which are distinguished by the presence of the substantial remains of two temple complexes of the Roman period. Our work has aimed to contextualise the temple sanctuaries, by looking at the settlement history and use of the landscape outside the temple sanctuaries. Hence, the archaeological work in the Niha Valley at these two sites has the central aim of exploring the relationship between the Roman temples and its village and environment.

Beyond this aim, we have been keen to further our knowledge of regional land use, and to see if settlement in this region has always been concentrated in villages. To try to achieve these aims different systematic fieldwork techniques have been applied, including intensive fieldwalking and sampling of different environments and topologies, the application of GIS data analyses, and the recording of specific sites. There will also be discussion of some of the challenges to undertaking landscape archaeology in this environment, and how those challenges can be mitigated.