Topographic Survey
This method is very important and provides the topographic context for the geophysical survey results, enabling us to relate geophysical anomalies with the lie of the land and the many standing structures. Much of the site had already been surveyed by the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Ostia, who have produced a digitized 1: 2000 map that we have been able to use as a base map. This has rendered a full-scale topographic survey unneccessary and geophysical survey was thus able to proceed in 1998 without significant topographic work. In future seasons, however, topographic survey was necessary in areas that fell outside of the area of the Soprintendenza survey, where greater precision is needed or where a comprehensive micro-topographic survey was required to record changes in ground height caused by buried archaeology.
Plan showing the main topographical features identified at Portus
