Articles by Ken Saito

This paper presents an integrated geophysical and UAV-LiDAR investigation of the Rusellae (Roselle) hinterland, carried out within the Emptyscapes framework aimed at moving beyond site-based approaches toward a continuous, landscape-scale reconstruction of settlement and land-use dynamics. While extensive field survey, aerial imagery and large-scale magnetometry are effective in the open agricultural portions of the Ager Rusellanus, densely vegetated hill slopes remain a major source of knowledge bias. To address this gap, we combined (i) new magnetic prospections (ca. 70 ha) in the south-western sector of the study area with (ii) a drone-based high-density LiDAR survey (ca. 550 ha) acquired with a RIEGL miniVUX-3 at low altitude and controlled speed, achieving an average density >700-800 pts/m². Point clouds were processed through a multi-level, multi-resolution semantic segmentation workflow, using a Point Transformer deep-learning architecture to classify ground, vegetation and above-ground structures and to produce high-resolution DTMs and DFMs for GIS-based analysis. Results reveal a markedly more structured landscape in wooded areas than previously documented, including extensive terracing systems, mobility corridors, funerary districts with rock-cut hypogea, and traces of later productive activities. The study highlights both the potential and the limits of high-density UAV-LiDAR and ML-based processing, stressing the need for targeted ground validation in Mediterranean under-canopy contexts.

The paper presents and discusses results from the integration of various methods of geophysical prospection on the plateau between the Via Appia and the Via Ardeatina on the ancient suburb of Rome. The use of large-scale magnetometry, georadar and electromagnetic survey in an area of particularly dense archaeological remains is a highly effective methodology for revealing important information on previously unknown archaeological features. Of particular interest in this case is the comparison between geophysical data and the results of previous excavations, and newly-targeted test investigations that suggest the survival of the documented but previously undiscovered basilica of Pope Damasus as well as unknown catacomb tunnels at San Callisto and elsewhere on the plateau.