GPS surveying techniques in archaeology: Topographical survey of the Thorikos region (Greece)

Not only for pure topographical but also for archaeological purposes, GPS is a suitable surveying technique that permits to measure detail points with a high accuracy comparable to that obtained with a totalstation, but with a higher efficiency as there is no visibility required between the reference antenna and the measuring or "roving" antenna. We shall describe below the basic principles of GPS, the different possible measuring modes, and finally a detailed example of how some of these measuring modes were used for the topographical survey executed with GPS equipment in Thorikos (Greece) in 1997. In a separate article [1], a critical comparison of GPS sun,eying and surveying with totalstation in the specific archaeological measuring conditions of Greece is made and the gain in efficiency will be quantified as exactly as possible.