Locating archaeological sites in the landscape: a hierarchical approach based on landscape indicators

Heritage conservation and management of landscapes is evident in many recent European policies and national reports on the state of the environment. To assist in the management of heritage resources, we present a landscape approach to the identification of localities with a high probability of possessing cultural heritage interests. The low proportion of sites registered in Norway (an estimated 20%) combined with current rates of damage gives the location of archaeological sites and their vulnerability to land use change high priority. To optimise use of the results for landscape planning, the study describes analysis at two hierarchical scales: (1) the regional level—where the aim was to locate combinations of environmental resources suitable for human use—for application in strategic planning; and (2) the landscape level—where identifying and delimiting cultural environments for local planning was the aim. This paper focuses on one type of archaeological site, Bronze and Iron Age grave mounds. The project used geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and mapping of landscape characteristics that indicate zones with a high probability of possessing cultural heritage interest. These zones covered ca. 12% of the forested areas of the region yet captured 94% of the registered grave mounds. New fieldwork confirmed the presence of new sites in the zones identified. Results have increased our understanding of archaeological site location in Norway and the close links between landscape ecology and archaeology.