Usually in the relics distributed areas, there are no obvious differences in soil, vegetation and physiognomy because of human activities and cultivations that have been lasting forhundreds or even thousands of years, therefore it is difficult to
interpret distinct anomalies in ordinary images.
Previous remote
sensing archaeologies were only effective for the sites where
ground remnants existed. If there were no ground remnants,
remote sensing didn't have great advantages actually (Liu 2006).
What archaeologists expect most is a new effective
archaeological remote sensing technology for archaeological
sites without any ground traces existing. So the latter is of more
practical significance in remote sensing archaeology.
From 2003 to 2006, funded by a key project of National High
Technology Research and Development Program of China (863
Program) and National Historical Museum of China, the authors
carried out application research on hyperspectral remote sensing
archaeology about the Mausoleum of the Emperor Qinshihuang
(MEQ) (259-210 BC) and Shenhe loess tableland in Chang'an
county (20km south of Xi'an city), Shaanxi province. Important
discoveries were acquired.