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Helen Goodchild

University of York, Archaeology, Faculty Member

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My research interests lie in the application of computer modelling techniques to ancient landscapes.

I completed my doctoral research in 2007, which investigated the modelling of Roman agricultural landscapes in the Tiber Valley of Central Italy, as part of the wider collaborative Tiber Valley Project run by the British School at Rome. I have also carried out similar landscape-based research for Birmingham University’s Wroxeter Hinterland Project, as well as for the ESF funded Medieval Logistics: Movement, Demography and Warfare project. I am Project Geomatics manager for the Cyrene Archaeological Project, which has run since 2006, mapping the UNESCO World Heritage site of Cyrene in Libya.

My current interests include agronomic modelling, 3D scanning, and spatial data quality.
Supervisors: Niall McKeown and Vince Gaffney

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University of Cambridge

University of Khartoum

Duke University

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Stefano R L Campana

University of Siena / Università di Siena

Università di Bologna

University of California, Berkeley

University of Florida

Field Museum

University of Oxford

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Books by Helen Goodchild

Spatial Data Quality. From Process to Decisions

Modelling Roman agricultural production in the Middle Tiber Valley, Central Italy

Wroxeter, the Cornovii, and the Urban Process. Final Report on the Wroxeter Hinterland Project 1994-1997 Vol. 1: Researching the Hinterland. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 68. Portsmouth, RI: JRA. 2007.

TRAC 2005. Proceedings of the 15th Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference. Oxford: Oxbow. 2006.

Papers by Helen Goodchild

How to Use Digital Tools: GIS and Spatial History

Crossing Borders: A Multi-Layer GIS Mapping Framework for the Cultural Management of the Mundo Maya Region

Springer Series on Cultural Computing, 2013

ABSTRACT This chapter describes a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping framework, guidelin... more ABSTRACT This chapter describes a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping framework, guidelines and implementation of the internet mapping site for the cultural management of the Mundo Maya region. The challenges of bringing together an extremely large dataset derived from a variety of sources and across five Central American countries were significant. Data of various quality and integrity were integrated and prepared for internet use. The final mapping site contained an interactive map with the appropriate visual and contextual tools that allow dedicated management of the region’s cultural sites and routes. Aside from topographic data, the site also provided general information on the Mundo Maya project area including, for instance, demography, details of communication routes and land use, potential areas of tourist interest, information on relative wealth and political and administrative boundaries. Together, these data are able to assist in managers in making decisions related to tourism development. The chapter also discusses the ethical and social issues of providing such information and the importance of local ownership of spatial data.

Monuments and Landscape: Investigating a Prehistoric Monument Complex at Lochbrow, Dumfries and Galloway

The Antiquaries Journal

This paper presents the results of a survey project investigating a complex of prehistoric archae... more This paper presents the results of a survey project investigating a complex of prehistoric archaeological sites at Lochbrow, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. An Early Neolithic timber cursus, Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age timber circles and Bronze Age round barrows were first recorded as cropmarks on aerial photographs in the 1980s and 1990s. The Lochbrow Landscape Project set out to investigate and understand this lesser-known complex of prehistoric sites and their layout in the landscape using non-destructive survey techniques, including geophysical survey, experiential survey and re-assessment of aerial photographs. A pilot survey was undertaken in 2010 followed by a series of short field seasons from 2011 to 2015. Interpretation of the results from geophysical survey has proved challenging because of strong geological and geomorphological signals, but has been successful in detecting both the features known from aerial photographs and additional archaeological features. ...

Cityscapes without figures: Geophysics, computing and the future of urban studies.

by Chris Gaffney, Vincent Gaffney, Philip Murgatroyd, and Helen Goodchild

Looking to the future, caring for the past. Preventative archaeology in theory and practice. Proceedings of the 2013-2014 Erasmus IP Summer Schools in Preventive Archaeology: Evaluating sites and landscapes. Methods and techniques for evaluating the archaeological value. Boschi F (Ed), 2016

De Agri Cultura Experientia. From Modern Agronomy to Roman Economic Analysis

Productive landscapes and trade networks in the Roman Empire, 2019

GIS models of Roman agriculture

Borgring: the discovery of a Viking Age ring fortress

by Søren Sindbæk and Helen Goodchild

A massive tenth-century AD ring fortress was recently identified at Borgring, south of Copenhagen... more A massive tenth-century AD ring fortress was recently identified at Borgring, south of Copenhagen in Denmark. The combination of high-resolution LiDAR mapping, geophys-ical survey and targeted small-scale excavation has demonstrated that the site belongs to a rare class of monuments—the Trelleborg-type ring fortress. Borgring is the first such monument to be found in Denmark in over six decades, and provides an opportunity to investigate a type-site of Viking Age military organisation and conflict. The authors argue that Borgring complements a varied group of fortification structures in late Viking Age Denmark, part of a military network close to contemporaneous European ideas of military kingship and defence.

Cityscapes without figures:geophysics, computing and the future of urban studies

by Vincent Gaffney, Wolfgang Neubauer, Eugene Ch'ng, Helen Goodchild, Philip Murgatroyd, branko kirigin, and Roger White

Reprinted with permission from Looking to the Future, Caring for the Past. Copyright 2016, Bonon... more

Return to Issue# 01 contents

Aggersborg under overfladen: Geofysisk opmåling af en vikingetidsborg

Deciphering ‘lost’ Urban landscapes at Cyrene

Mapping the City

Spatial Data Quality

Wroxeter, the Cornovii, and the urban process: final report on the Wroxeter Hinterland project 1994-1997

Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence, Pompeii: The Living City. London: Phoenix, 2005, Paperback Edition. Pp 417, 27 Plates (Some Colour), 3 Maps, ISBN 0- …

rosetta.bham.ac.uk

Goodchild, H. (2006) Review of Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence, Pompeii: The Living City. Lond... more

Return to Issue# 02 Contents| Download the PDF

rosetta.bham.ac.uk

Welcome to the second issue of Rosetta. As I stated in my original editorial (Issue 1, Autumn 200... more

The Future of Ancient DNA: Technical advances and conceptual shifts

Technological innovations such as next generation sequencing and DNA hybridisation enrichment hav... more Technological innovations such as next generation sequencing and DNA hybridisation enrichment have resulted in multi-fold increases in both the quantity of ancient DNA sequence data and the time depth for DNA retrieval. To date, over 30 ancient genomes have been sequenced, moving from 0.7× coverage (mammoth) in 2008 to more than 50× coverage (Neanderthal) in 2014. Studies of rapid evolutionary changes, such as the evolution and spread of pathogens and the genetic responses of hosts, or the genetics of domestication and climatic adaptation, are developing swiftly and the importance of palaeogenomics for investigating evolutionary processes during the last million years is likely to increase considerably. However, these new datasets require new methods of data processing and analysis, as well as conceptual changes in interpreting the results. In this review we highlight important areas of future technical and conceptual progress and discuss research topics in the rapidly growing field of palaeogenomics.

Spatial Data Quality. From Process to Decisions

Modelling Roman agricultural production in the Middle Tiber Valley, Central Italy

Wroxeter, the Cornovii, and the Urban Process. Final Report on the Wroxeter Hinterland Project 1994-1997 Vol. 1: Researching the Hinterland. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 68. Portsmouth, RI: JRA. 2007.

TRAC 2005. Proceedings of the 15th Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference. Oxford: Oxbow. 2006.

How to Use Digital Tools: GIS and Spatial History

Crossing Borders: A Multi-Layer GIS Mapping Framework for the Cultural Management of the Mundo Maya Region

Springer Series on Cultural Computing, 2013

ABSTRACT This chapter describes a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping framework, guidelin... more ABSTRACT This chapter describes a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping framework, guidelines and implementation of the internet mapping site for the cultural management of the Mundo Maya region. The challenges of bringing together an extremely large dataset derived from a variety of sources and across five Central American countries were significant. Data of various quality and integrity were integrated and prepared for internet use. The final mapping site contained an interactive map with the appropriate visual and contextual tools that allow dedicated management of the region’s cultural sites and routes. Aside from topographic data, the site also provided general information on the Mundo Maya project area including, for instance, demography, details of communication routes and land use, potential areas of tourist interest, information on relative wealth and political and administrative boundaries. Together, these data are able to assist in managers in making decisions related to tourism development. The chapter also discusses the ethical and social issues of providing such information and the importance of local ownership of spatial data.

Monuments and Landscape: Investigating a Prehistoric Monument Complex at Lochbrow, Dumfries and Galloway

The Antiquaries Journal

This paper presents the results of a survey project investigating a complex of prehistoric archae... more This paper presents the results of a survey project investigating a complex of prehistoric archaeological sites at Lochbrow, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. An Early Neolithic timber cursus, Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age timber circles and Bronze Age round barrows were first recorded as cropmarks on aerial photographs in the 1980s and 1990s. The Lochbrow Landscape Project set out to investigate and understand this lesser-known complex of prehistoric sites and their layout in the landscape using non-destructive survey techniques, including geophysical survey, experiential survey and re-assessment of aerial photographs. A pilot survey was undertaken in 2010 followed by a series of short field seasons from 2011 to 2015. Interpretation of the results from geophysical survey has proved challenging because of strong geological and geomorphological signals, but has been successful in detecting both the features known from aerial photographs and additional archaeological features. ...

Cityscapes without figures: Geophysics, computing and the future of urban studies.

by Chris Gaffney, Vincent Gaffney, Philip Murgatroyd, and Helen Goodchild

Looking to the future, caring for the past. Preventative archaeology in theory and practice. Proceedings of the 2013-2014 Erasmus IP Summer Schools in Preventive Archaeology: Evaluating sites and landscapes. Methods and techniques for evaluating the archaeological value. Boschi F (Ed), 2016

De Agri Cultura Experientia. From Modern Agronomy to Roman Economic Analysis

Productive landscapes and trade networks in the Roman Empire, 2019

GIS models of Roman agriculture

Borgring: the discovery of a Viking Age ring fortress

by Søren Sindbæk and Helen Goodchild

A massive tenth-century AD ring fortress was recently identified at Borgring, south of Copenhagen... more A massive tenth-century AD ring fortress was recently identified at Borgring, south of Copenhagen in Denmark. The combination of high-resolution LiDAR mapping, geophys-ical survey and targeted small-scale excavation has demonstrated that the site belongs to a rare class of monuments—the Trelleborg-type ring fortress. Borgring is the first such monument to be found in Denmark in over six decades, and provides an opportunity to investigate a type-site of Viking Age military organisation and conflict. The authors argue that Borgring complements a varied group of fortification structures in late Viking Age Denmark, part of a military network close to contemporaneous European ideas of military kingship and defence.

Cityscapes without figures:geophysics, computing and the future of urban studies

by Vincent Gaffney, Wolfgang Neubauer, Eugene Ch'ng, Helen Goodchild, Philip Murgatroyd, branko kirigin, and Roger White

Reprinted with permission from Looking to the Future, Caring for the Past. Copyright 2016, Bonon... more

Return to Issue# 01 contents

Aggersborg under overfladen: Geofysisk opmåling af en vikingetidsborg

Deciphering ‘lost’ Urban landscapes at Cyrene

Mapping the City

Spatial Data Quality

Wroxeter, the Cornovii, and the urban process: final report on the Wroxeter Hinterland project 1994-1997

Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence, Pompeii: The Living City. London: Phoenix, 2005, Paperback Edition. Pp 417, 27 Plates (Some Colour), 3 Maps, ISBN 0- …

rosetta.bham.ac.uk

Goodchild, H. (2006) Review of Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence, Pompeii: The Living City. Lond... more

Return to Issue# 02 Contents| Download the PDF

rosetta.bham.ac.uk

Welcome to the second issue of Rosetta. As I stated in my original editorial (Issue 1, Autumn 200... more

The Future of Ancient DNA: Technical advances and conceptual shifts

Technological innovations such as next generation sequencing and DNA hybridisation enrichment hav... more Technological innovations such as next generation sequencing and DNA hybridisation enrichment have resulted in multi-fold increases in both the quantity of ancient DNA sequence data and the time depth for DNA retrieval. To date, over 30 ancient genomes have been sequenced, moving from 0.7× coverage (mammoth) in 2008 to more than 50× coverage (Neanderthal) in 2014. Studies of rapid evolutionary changes, such as the evolution and spread of pathogens and the genetic responses of hosts, or the genetics of domestication and climatic adaptation, are developing swiftly and the importance of palaeogenomics for investigating evolutionary processes during the last million years is likely to increase considerably. However, these new datasets require new methods of data processing and analysis, as well as conceptual changes in interpreting the results. In this review we highlight important areas of future technical and conceptual progress and discuss research topics in the rapidly growing field of palaeogenomics.

Making Place for a Viking Fortress. An archaeological and geophysical reassessment of Aggersborg, Denmark

Internet Archaeology, 2014

GIS Models of Roman Agricultural Production

The Roman Agricultural Economy. Oxford Studies on the Roman Economy Volume 3, 2013

Agriculture and the Environment of Republican Italy

A Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Republic, 2013

The traditional picture of Republican agriculture is one characterized by upheaval and warfare. T... more The traditional picture of Republican agriculture is one characterized by upheaval and warfare. The Punic Wars and the Gracchan agrarian reforms are key events in the history of Italian agriculture, but these crisis periods are not the full story. Roman farming prioritized high-status investment farming and led to generalized narratives of agricultural production. This chapter focuses on the landscapes and agricultural systems in place in this highly transitional period, concentrating primarily on the central and southern Italian regions. Before discussing Republican agricultural practice, it is necessary to frame the environment in which rural activities were taking place. Landscape variation leads to differences in agricultural exploitation, due not just to topography, but also soil quality and drainage capability. From the Early to Late Republic, Italy employed a huge variety of exploitation strategies adapted to unique local environments and socio-economic conditions.

Crossing Borders: A Multi-Layer GIS Mapping Framework For The Cultural Management Of The Mundo Maya Region

Visual Heritage in the Digital Age, 2013

Adventures in Agriculture: Experimental Modelling for Economic Analysis (CAA-UK 2015)

Quantifying Roman Agricultural Production

Computing Cato: Quantitative Approaches to the Roman Countryside

Field Survey and the Agricultural Landscape of Late Republican Italy

Modelling Roman demography and urban dependency in central Italy

The Productive Potential of the Middle Tiber Valley

Predicting land productivity

Modelling agriculture in the Middle Tiber Valley

Resistance Survey at Torpel Manor Field, July 2014

by Steve Ashby and Helen Goodchild

This report outlines a geophysical survey of the medieval settlement site of ‘Torpel Manor’ in Ba... more This report outlines a geophysical survey of the medieval settlement site of ‘Torpel Manor’ in Bainton CP, in the City of Peterborough. The work was conducted as part of a programme of archaeological research being undertaken on the site of Torpel Manor Field, Bainton, Cambs, led by the authors.

Gradiometry Survey at Torpel Manor Field, August 2013

by Steve Ashby and Helen Goodchild

This note reports a geophysical survey of the medieval settlement site of ‘Torpel Manor’ in Baint... more

Establishing Collaborative Postgraduate Research Programmes and Integrated Teaching Agendas Using The Access Grid

Cyrene Archaeological Project. Field Survey, GIS and Assessment

Mapping the City, Sustaining the Environment. A Programme of 3D Scanning, Geophysical Survey and Geomorphological Assessment at the World Heritage Site of Cyrene.

Geophysical and Topographical Survey of the Theatre at Ancient Sparta

Geophysical Survey at Aggersborg, North Jutland

Technical report for the magnetometry and GPR survey of the viking age ring fortress at Aggersbor... more

Scaning and geophysical survey at the World Heritage Site of Split and in the Cetina Valley

by Ante Milošević, Helen Goodchild, branko kirigin, and Armin Schmidt