A methodological approach to identify Roman roads using LiDAR sensing technology and aerial orthoimages. The case of viae XIX and XX (NW Iberia)

Abstract

The following article proposes a methodology for the identification of Roman roads applied to the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, focused mainly on the conventus lucensis. Therefore, a methodology based on two aspects is presented: on the one hand, on the description of remote-sensing techniques, their relevance, and their validity; on the other hand, on the strategies that allow not only to identify historical roads, but also to differentiate and catalog them according to their structural characteristics. Finally, a brief context of the state of research on historical roads in the Northwest of the Peninsula is explained in order to apply the proposed methods in two cases of studies on the XIX and XX routes of the Itinerarium Antonini Augusti