INVESTIGATION OF A MONUMENTAL MACEDONIAN TUMULUS BY THREE DIMENSIONAL SEISMIC TOMOGRAPHY

• L. Polymenakos, St. P. Papamarinopoulos, A. Liossis (Laboratory of Geophysics, Section of applied Geology and Geophysics, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 261 10 Patras, Greece)
• Ch. Koukouli-Chryssanthaki (Archaeological Society, Athens, Greece)

Monumental tumuli are important monuments of past human activity, and may contain burial structures of high cultural and historical value. Seismic tomography is employed to investigate the internal structure of a monumental tumulus. Energy sources and recorders are placed on the periphery at the base of the tumulus. Travel time data are analyzed and processed with three dimensional tomographic inversion in order to construct images of the distribution of seismic velocity in the interior of the tumulus. Velocity variations are known to correlate well with the lithological character of the earth materials, thus providing important structural and lithological information of the tumulus. A case history from a Macedonian tumulus in Northern Greece is presented. The results are interpreted in terms of evidence for possible man-made buried structures, such as tombs, walls etc; 3D modelling is used to assist in the interpretation and evaluation of the significance and reliability of the results.

Keywords: seismic tomography; tumuli; archaeology