Over the Frontier. Remote Sensing Analysis of the Roman Eastern Borderland in Mesopotamia through Declassified Satellite and Aerial Imagery

Abstract

This paper discusses the spatial configuration of the Roman easternmost borderland in Mesopotamia through several case studies and, particularly, with the aid of declassified aerial and satellite imagery. Satellite pictures from the 1960s and 1970s have proved to be of incredible value for the archaeological research in the Near East, contributing to a solid advancement in the understanding of large-scale phenomena on long-term periods. This is particularly true for the so-called late periods of Mesopotamian history which – traditionally – suffer from an inexplicable lack of terrain data. Although the research has consistently improved in the las decade or so, the support of remote-sensing techniques has open new and fruitful research trajectories on the matter. I will employ legacy aerial data, CORONA and HEXAGON declassified satellite imagery and U2 aerial data to assess some case studies in the region and to provide new insights on such a contested space, now roughly comprised between northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq.