Electrical resistivity tomography methods for archaeological prospection

Two advanced applications of electrical resistivity methods in archaeological prospecting are presented. The approach is based on new inversion techniques, which enable the modelling of the resistivity distribution below any arbitrary topography. The results of 2D and 3D electrical resistivity measurements on Tell Jenderes in Northern Syria show images of subsurface resistivity structures, which were not detectable by geomagnetics or GPR methods. The interpreted resistivity structures are related to different settlement phases from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. The new 3D-inversion technique is also useful for data sets of complex resistivity. An example, from a slag heap in Morocco, presents the parameter distribution of a 3D-complex resistivity model deriving from Induced Polarisation (IP) measurements.