Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) technology can be used to identify features of terrain relief in forested areas, possibly leading to the discovery of previously unknown archaeological monuments. Spatial interpretation of numerous objects with various shapes and sizes is a difficult challenge for archaeologists. Mapping structures with multiple elements whose area can exceed dozens of hectares, such as ancient agricultural field systems, is very time-consuming. These archaeological sites are composed of a large number of embanked fields, which together form a recognizable spatial pattern. Image classification and segmentation, as well as object recognition, are the most important tasks for deep learning neural networks (DLNN) and therefore they can be used for automatic recognition of archaeological monuments. In this study, a U-Net neural network was implemented to perform semantic segmentation of the ALS-derived data including (1) archaeological, (2) natural and (3) modern features in the Polish part of the Białowieża Forest. The performance of the U-Net segmentation model was evaluated by measuring the pixel-wise similarity between ground truth and predicted segmentation masks. After 83 epochs, The Dice-Sorensen coefficient (F1 score) and the Intersect Over Union (IoU) metrics were 0.58 and 0.5, respectively. The IoU metric reached a value of 0.41, 0.62 and 0.62 for the ancient field system banks, ancient field system plots and burial mounds, respectively. The results of the U-Net deep learning model proved very useful in semantic segmentation of images derived from ALS data.

The Białowieża Forest (BF), a unique ecosystem of historical significance in central Europe, has a long history of assumed human settlement, with at least 200 known archaeological sites (until 2016). This study uncovers new evidence of the cultural heritage of this unique forest area using Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) technology combined with traditional archaeological field assessment methods to verify the ALS data interpretations and to provide additional evidence about the function and origin of the newly detected archaeological sites. The results of this study include (1) a scientific approach for an improved identification of archaeological resources in forest areas; (2) new evidence about the history of the human use of the BF based on ALS data, covering the entire Polish part of the BF; and (3) an improved remote sensing infrastructure, supporting existing GIS (Geographic Information System) systems for the BF, a famous UNESCO Heritage site. Our study identified numerous locations with evidence of past human agricultural activities known in the literature as “field systems”, “lynchets” and “Celtic fields”. The initial identification included more than 300 km of possible field boundaries and plough headlands, many of which we have verified on the ground. Various past human activities creating those boundaries have existed since the (pre-) Roman Period up to the 13th century AD. The results of this study demonstrate that past human activities in the Polish part of the Białowieża Forest had been more prevalent than previously believed. As a practical result of the described activities, a geodatabase was created; this has practical applications for the system of monument protection in Poland, as well as for local communities and the BF’s management and conservation. The more widely achieved results are in line with the implementation of the concept of a cultural heritage inventory in forested and protected areas—the actions taken specify (built globally) the forms of protection and management of cultural and environmental goods.

This article presents the results of multidisciplinary research undertaken in 2016–2019 at the German Nazi Treblinka I Forced Labour Camp. Housing 20,000 prisoners, Treblinka I was established in 1941 as a part of a network of objects such as forced labour camps, resettlement camps and prison camps that were established in the territory of occupied Poland from September 1939. This paper describes archaeological research conducted in particular on the execution site and burial site—the area where the “death pits” have been found—in the so-called Las Maliszewski (Maliszewa Forest). In this area (poorly documented) exhumation work was conducted only until 1947, so the location of these graves is only approximately known. The research was resumed at the beginning of the 21st century using, e.g., non-invasive methods and remote-sensing data. The leading aim of this article is to describe the comprehensive research strategy, with a particular stress on non-invasive geophysical surveys. The integrated archaeological research presented in this paper includes an analysis of archive materials (aerial photos, witness accounts, maps, plans, and sketches), contemporary data resources (orthophotomaps, airborne laser scanning-ALS data), field work (verification of potential objects, ground penetrating radar-GPR surveys, excavations), and the integration, analysis and interpretation of all these datasets using a GIS platform. The results of the presented study included the identification of the burial zone within the Maliszewa Forest area, including six previously unknown graves, creation of a new database, and expansion of the Historical-GIS-Treblinka. Obtained results indicate that the integration and analyses within the GIS environment of various types of remote-sensing data and geophysical measurements significantly contribute to archaeological research and increase the chances to discover previously unknown “graves” from the time when the labour camp Treblinka I functioned.

The article initially and cross-sectionally discusses the phenomenon of non-formal exhibitions and visiting of tangible cultural heritage in forest areas in Poland. The publication also shows certain processes that authenticate cultural resources, which are outside the register of monuments, as well as processes that inscribe certain cultural assets in public space, especially tourist space. The text has an introductory character to the problematic and at the same time recognizes the phenomenon. The article initially and cross-sectionally discusses the phenomenon of non-formal exhibitions and visiting of tangible cultural heritage in forest areas in Poland. The publication also shows certain processes that authenticate cultural resources, which are outside the register of monuments, as well as processes that inscribe certain cultural assets in public space, especially tourist space. The text has an introductory character to the problematic and at the same time recognizes the phenomenon.