Fortificațiile Epocii Fierului Dintre Prut și Nistru în Fotografiile Satelitare Americane Declasificate
The Iron Age fortifications between the Prut and Dniester in American declassified satellite photographs

Summary/Abstract: The photographs taken by American military satellites during the Cold War were used in archaeological research from the first years following their declassification in 1995. Initially, this happened at an international level, while Romanian archaeology adopted the practice afterwards. The present study analyzes the data these satellite images offer on the Iron Age fortifications in the Prut-Dniester area, which are important contributions, considering the damage inflicted on sites by quarries or constructions, as well as their degradation caused by mul- tiyear agricultural plowing or terracing. The investigations carried out on the United States Geological Survey’s EarthExplorer platform uncovered 19 declassified photos that show 35 such fortified sites. They were retrieved by the satellites of the American surveillance programs codenamed CORONA (KH-4A, KH-4B), GAMBIT (KH-7) and HEXAGON (KH-9). Under scrutiny, they revealed previously unknown defensive lines (Saharna “La Șanț”, Japca “La Țiglău”) and allowed the mapping of fortification systems which are no longer visible in the field (Sipoteni “La Șanț”, Hansca “Cetate”, Japca “La Țiglău” and others) or which remain hidden by forests (Stroiești “Poiană”, Ver- tiujeni “Cetate”, Rașcov “Chievca” and others). As for the fortified sites affected every year by agricultural works, they may show previously unnoticed features, such as the location of the hillforts’ entrance gates (at Tătărăuca Nouă VIII, Climăuții de Jos “Pe Holm”, among others). Of note is the possibility to map older archaeological sec- tions using declassified satellite images, as demonstrated in the case of the Rudi “La Șanțuri” hillfort. Its 1969-1973 excavation units are clearly distinguishable on a 1974 KH-9 photo. For the archaeology between the Prut and Dniester, using this source of aerial surveys is only at its initial stage, however it has the potential to become an essential component of its tool kit.

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