Geophysical Survey at the early Christian complex of Son Peretó (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain).

Abstract

Rural basilicas are the most important evidence of Christianization of the countryside on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). Recent investigations of rural landscape transformations suggest that some churches were built along communication routes and linked to pre-existing settlements. To obtain new data that could support this hypothesis, a geophysical survey has been carried out at the early Christian complex of Son Peretó, one of the most emblematic sites for the understanding of Late Antiquity on the island. The objective was to better define the site that is undergoing excavation, and to investigate the possible presence of other constructions further than the Christian complex. The geophysical survey was carried out combining magnetometry and groundpenetrating radar. For the magnetic investigation of large site areas, a 7-probe fluxgate gradiometer array LEA MAX was used. GPR was used to examine the areas nearby the remains already excavated and to better define areas where magnetometry revealed interesting anomalies. GPR was developed by means of the IDS GPR system, which was based on the Fast-Wave module. The results revealed both the presence of architectural remains beneath the soil that help define the early Christian complex, as well as other remains that suggest the church was part of a larger settlement.