Geoarchaeological remote sensing survey for cultural heritage management. Case study from Byblos (Jbail, Lebanon)

The ancient city of Byblos (Jbail, Lebanon) provides one of the primary examples of urban organization in the Mediterranean world. This multimillenary city bears an exceptional testimony to the beginnings of the Phoenician civilization. The site covers an area of 10 ha located along the coast. The present paper deals with the synthetic mapping of the archaeological site and its environment using remote sensing techniques. Very high-resolution imagery is vital for monitoring any archaeological site in its widest context. In the specific case of Byblos, the comparison of the Orbview 3, Ikonos 2 and Geo-Eye 1digital data indicates that a spatial resolution of about half-a-meter is necessary for archaeological purposes and particularly for mapping the walls and the buildings. The use of Corona archive acquired in 1970 allows mapping the archaeological site and its coastal environment before the Lebanese civil war. This multitemporal approach allows us to evaluate the sensitivity of the archaeological site to external factors, such as the coastal erosion, the cliff degradation, and the urban growth. It also helps to better plan the improvement of the site for touristic purposes.