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This work was supported by Consorcio Patrimonio Iberico de Aragon led by M. Beltran, F. Romeo and L. Fatas. P. Uribe worked on this paper through the post-doctoral research contract Beatriz Galindo (BEAGAL 18/00191 Agencia Estatal de Investigacion de Espana-Universidad de Zaragoza).
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Angas, JAuthorMapping Ancient Battlefields in a multi-scalar approach combining Drone Imagery and Geophysical Surveys: The Roman siege of the oppidum of Cabezo de Alcal? (Azaila, Spain)
Publicated to:Journal Of Cultural Heritage. 48 11-23 - 2021-04-01 48(), DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2021.01.013
Authors: Uribe, Paula; Angas, Jorge; Romeo, Francisco; Perez-Cabello, Fernando; Santamaria, Diego
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Abstract
The archaeology of battlefields has developed its own fieldwork techniques, based on pedestrian survey, aerial photograph analysis, metal detection surveying and, more recently, LiDAR data. Until now, this combination of tools had not included low altitude imagery obtained with drones. Thus, multispectral and thermal data acquired at low altitude with a drone are applied here for the first time, combined with the more usual tools, to identify the remains of an ancient battlefield. The objective of this project has been to map previously unknown remains of the siege of the town of Cabezo de Alcal & aacute; de Azaila (Spain) in Roman times. A multi-scalar approach has applied non-destructive technologies: historical aerial photographs, close-range aerial photography by drone with multispectral sensors, LiDAR data, GIS and metal detection surveying. The combination of these techniques has revealed a complex system of military structures around the oppidum of Cabezo de Alcal & aacute; de Azaila, the first time such structures have been found in the Iberian Peninsula and which attest the military destruction of the town. In short, mapping the siege with a drone has enabled a new advance in the research, conservation and dissemination of ancient battlefield cultural heritage. (c) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel
The work has been published in the journal Journal Of Cultural Heritage due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2021, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category History. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.
From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations from Scopus Elsevier, it yields a value for the Field-Weighted Citation Impact from the Scopus agency: 3.24, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)
This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:
- Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 17.06 (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)
Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-15, the following number of citations:
- WoS: 4
- Scopus: 12