Geophysical and Geochemical Proxies of Neolithic Sites from Thessaly: A Comparative Study on the Potential of Soil Magnetic Susceptibility and Phosphate Analyses for Minimally Invasive Location and Interpretation of Buried Features

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study exploring the potential of magnetic-susceptibility and phosphate soil analyses to locate and characterize buried Neolithic settlements in Thessaly, Greece. Using the preliminary results of large-area magnetometer surveys, soil samples were collected at three well-known sites along exploratory lines and augers targeting the locations of possible features of interest, including habitational structures and enclosures. The results demonstrated the capability of these analyses to detect the sites, outline hotspots and better interpret the features identified in the magnetometer results.