ne XXXIX-B4, 2012 
T SYRIA 
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ogleEarth-Syria.php) and 
the Syrian Desert. This is 
1idying the relationship of 
ons did the ancients have 
ning satellite data sources, 
round. Landsat as well as 
cape models and fly-over 
ase camp for early hunter- 
eological finds, the inter- 
tinued by pastoral nomads 
in cognitive thinking and 
ty of hunter-gatherers and 
nomena appearing in the 
:nvironment. In this paper 
| study present landscapes 
order to understand what 
the ancients had and how 
present paper tries to seek 
ng satellite data sources in 
2) consulting related 
andscape theory. Cultures 
| way are affected by them 
1995). The reconstruction 
, geomorphology (Butzer, 
auna are studied. 
landscapes of Jebel Bishri, 
of M. Llobera (2001) 
ption by using GIS have 
1 Bishri the understanding 
inence, which Llobera has 
ortant in the mountain 
s and generally undulating 
ena for such studies. 
  
hri, a mountain in Central 
lite image. Mapping by M. 
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensin 
g and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B4, 2012 
XXII ISPRS Congress, 25 August — 01 September 2012, Melbourne, Australia 
By illustrating the landscapes of the region in 3D one is able to 
display and study topographical features between the highland 
and lowland areas as well as human inter-action between those 
areas; the 3D provides a multi-dimensional aspect to study the 
landscape context of cultural development. The two areas on the 
ground developed in this dimension throughout the past, and 
now the modern technology provides us with tools to capture 
and experience different kinds of dynamic landscape visions for 
experimental use. 
The area of Jebel Bishri has had a continuous human occupation 
for hundreds of thousands of years, and mobile subsistence 
economies have played a central role among various groups. 
The archaeological data tells us about the types of human 
groups, their subsistence economy and cultures which have 
lived in this marginal habitat. (Lónnqvist et al, 2011). Early 
people in the Mediterranean and the Near East must have had 
"mental maps" of their landscape surroundings, which affected 
the treatment of the environment. Therefore we need both 
geosciences as well as archaeology for approaching and 
understanding landscape development. (Barker and Bintliff, 
1999), 
Archaeology is the only discipline that can study the interaction 
of humans with their environment from a long-term perspective. 
The environmental and landscape reconstructions illustrate and 
add to the knowledge of archaeology and elucidate possible 
conditions which prevailed in the area that has been desert and 
steppe for millennia. The climate change is not solely a modern 
phenomenon but has been a reoccurring state of equilibrium in 
the surroundings of early humans as well. A major change 
happened when the previous ice age ended. It meant changes in 
human exploitation of the nature. During the previous 
Pleistocene era humans were only living by hunting and 
gathering. The reason for continuing mobility in the region of 
Jebel Bishri during the following Holocene period has been the 
aridity, which does not support continuous agriculture without 
imigation. (Cauvin, 2000). Initial agriculture in the region, 
however, seems to have enjoyed the benefit of river fans, 
natural flooding and oasis environment. Beside the Euphrates 
sites such as Abu Hureyra and Mureybet (Moore et al., 2000) 
first steps towards agriculture were taken in the oases 
surrounded by mountains, such as Jericho, El Kowm and Aswad 
(the Damascus region ) in the Levant. (Cauvin, 2000). 
2. GEOMORPHOLOGY AND 
ITS 3D ILLUSTRATION 
L1 Reconstructing Environment 
and Landscape Views in 3D 
The area of the Palmyrides is a northern continuation of the 
larger Arabian platform in geological terms. Jebel Bishri, which 
belongs to the Palmyrides, is a block mountain that reaches ca. 
867 m above sea level (Wirth, 1971) and follows the Euphrates 
iver. Its table-like form with sharp edges in the skyline has 
been encountered and wondered by ancient and modern people 
living in the region. The mountain which belongs to arid zones 
basically consist of gypsum, sandstone, lime stone and marble 
beside basalt. Playas, salt plains, are common on the western 
Dimon area. (see e.g., Besançon et al., 1981; Lónnqvist et al, 
011). 
In the ste 
n ppic and desert landscape of the mountain some 
Striking el 
ements were identified on the ground and from 
atellite Imagery. Volcanic activity has created basaltic areas 
and natural asphalt emerging in the region which also contains 
oil resources. At the northern edge there protrudes the basaltic 
peninsula of Halabiya (Fig. 2.), and in the central district of the 
mountain rises a basaltic formation known as Jebel Hemet el- 
Quebiba (Lónnqvist et al., 201 1). 
In the Finnish project landscape models have been created using 
Landsat satellite image data (MSS: 80 m in resolution, TM: 30 
m in resolution and ETM: 30 m in resolution, the panchromatic 
channel resolution being 15 m), QuickBird (0.6 m in resolution) 
and SRTM mission data (90 m and 30 m in resolution) as well 
as ASTER image data (30 m in resolution, see Fig. 2.), the latter 
sources providing radar data for 3D landscape scenes. In 
addition, available topographical maps have been utilized. 
(Lónnqvist ef al. 2011). 
  
  
  
Figure 2. Jebel Bishri, the Euphrates trough and the oval 
volcanic and basaltic outcrop known as the peninsula of 
Halabiya visible on ASTER images. Compiled and coloured by 
M. Tôrmä 2012. 
  
Figure 3. A3D landscape reconstruction of Jebel Bishri and the 
Euphrates valley seen from N. The image is displaying the 
geomorphology, such as caused by the run-off mechanism 
leading waters coming from the mountain into the valley. 
Constructed by M. Tórmà 2003. 
The SRTM mission data has been used by our project since the 
year 2003 for building up a model of the Euphrates channel 
following the mountain edge and by approaching the mountain 
from different geographical directions. The Landsat data has 
been used as a reference source, and its data has also been fused 
with SRTM data (Fig. 3.). 3D models and fly-over simulations 
have been produced with ERDAS Imagine (see video-clips: 
www.helsinki.fi/hum/arla/sygis). A cross-section of the river 
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