During the last decade, remote sensing methods have developed significantly. The technological progress in development of new sensors and techniques opened up a large scope of new applications including near-field data collecting using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). State-of-the-art UAV technologies provide advantages including cost-effectiveness and temporal flexibility. For our case study, we acquired the high-resolution UAV data over the archaeological site near Černouček, the Czech Republic. This site was discovered at the beginning of 1990s as a result of low altitude aerial reconnaissance carried out by the Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences. Two ditched enclosures were identified due to vegetation marks in late spring and early summer, as higher moisture and presence of some chemical constituents in the secondary infill of the ditches give better conditions for plants above them. In 2017, new UAV data (Red, Green and Blue: RGB and Red and Near-infrared data: Red + NIR) were acquired over the Černouček site in June to find out whether there are some other objects hidden under ground. Using the RGB data digital elevation models were derived while the Red + NIR data were used to compute vegetation indices (VI), further spatial filtering allowing enhancing the local anomalies in the VI values was employed. As a result, several small objects were detected and suggested for the further investigations.

This paper aims to present the potential of observations of the Earth’s surface by means of remote sensing (survey), specifically via direct (active) visual prospection from low altitude to identify and map small components (such as postholes) of archaeological contexts, namely aboveground post-built structures dated to the Early Iron Age (appr. 800–380 B.C.). This work gives an example of archaeological data on buried settlement constructions identified by aerial reconnaissance (i.e., by a non-invasive method), the interpretation—and primarily dating—of which is based on information achieved by excavation practice (recently performed predominantly during rescue campaigns). This research points to the fact that nonetheless to the traditional idea on the limited potential of crop-marked archaeological heritage in terms of dating (the ability of cropmarks displayed over pits, ditches, graves, etc., to produce exact ground-plans of even small buried features, so that their original function and dating can be determined) the number of more or less precisely datable archaeological sites and features buried under the surface is growing, including wooden structures once constructed on the ground (i.e., not sunken under the ground) and leaving on cereal crops just tiny spots/dots regularly spaced into lines. These are features (constructions) with identical ground plans (postholes placed in 4 × 3 and/or 3 × 3 patterns) of which commonly just one in a group of them situated on one site is enclosed by a perimeter line—a foundation for a wall or a trench for a palisade. Consequently, a retrospective survey of air-photo analog archives and digital repositories now brings new evidence on the chronological setting of many crop-marked Early Iron Age sites that previously remained undated.

This paper presents the results of an aerial survey taken over prehistoric and Roman era archaeological sites in southern Moravia and north-west Bohemia. The images were acquired by both aircraft and RPAS, equipped with a variety of sensors (such as multispectral, RGB, infrared, red-edge and thermal cameras), to serve as a source of information for archaeologists about the existence of unknown sites (hitherto not evidenced). The non-invasive character of remotely sensed data which brings important data on the buried archaeological features is valuable and, at the same time, more careful to archaeological heritage in contrast to traditional excavation methods.

From the 17th to the 19th century, a score of military events, campaigns and battles took place in the Czech lands, leaving numerous traces and distinctly changing the appearance of the cultural landscape in some regions. The results of long-term aerial-archeological surveys in the Czech lands have demonstrated that this detection method is advantageous in identifying buried sites built in the past in the context of military conflicts. Experience hitherto has made it possible to label archeological remote sensing as a collection of the potentially most effective methods for uncovering sites of field fortifications dated to the modern period and the beginning of the industrial era. This includes finds of both solitary sites and segments of strategically built fortification lines. This paper is an attempt to critically evaluate these hitherto recorded landmarks which have been discovered and documented via aerial prospection from the 1990s to the present. At the same time, this study reflects on the possibilities offered by the modern methods of remote sensing which have played a significant role in the discovery, mapping, documentation, digital terrain modelling, and the 3D virtual reconstructions of these sites.

Neolithic long barrows are among the earliest monumental structures in Europe, yet in many parts of Central Europe their surface expression has been largely erased by long‐term agricultural activity. This study evaluates the potential of integrated remote sensing approaches for identifying and contextualizing long barrows and associated archaeological features in the intensively cultivated landscape of north‐western Bohemia, Czech Republic. The analysis focuses on two long barrows near Mount Říp (Dušníky 1 and Nížebohy) and combines oblique aerial photography, magnetic survey and airborne laser scanning (ALS). The results demonstrate that even heavily levelled long barrows remain detectable through the complementary use of non‐invasive methods. ALS confirms the presence of subdued barrow mantles, while aerial imagery and magnetometry provide key information on monument layout, internal structure and associated burial features. In addition, the remote sensing data reveal further funerary monuments of later prehistoric periods, indicating long‐term continuity of burial practices and the development of enduring ritual landscapes. Settlement activities are spatially restricted and clearly separated from funerary zones. This study highlights the value of multi‐method remote sensing for reconstructing prehistoric burial landscapes in intensively cultivated regions.