Surveying Europe’s heritage preventively, field after field.
Arkhia is a programme of systematic ground prospection carried out with ground-penetrating radar.
Our goal: to methodically explore the lands of Europe, parcel by parcel, non-destructively and entirely lawfully.
The project runs as a background effort with the aim of assisting archaeologists, through robotics and artificial intelligence.
A high-density map of the subsoil
The IGN’s LiDAR HD programme transformed our view of the surface by mapping it in three dimensions, point by point.
Arkhia carries that ambition to what lies beneath: high-density ground-penetrating radar that reveals buried structures such as foundations, ditches, ancient paths or remains.
A systematic survey at French and European scale
Arkhia follows in the lineage of major European systematic survey programmes, such as the German SESAM project (Systematic Recording of Coins in Saxony-Anhalt).
We propose its equivalent for geophysical prospection: the Systematic Survey of European Soils. A methodical exploration of the territory, parcel by parcel, to build a shared archaeological memory of the continent.
Agricultural Area of the European Union
The Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA) of the EU-27 totals 156.2 million hectares. France holds nearly a fifth of it, a considerable field of study for systematic ground-penetrating radar prospection.
- France · 27,2 Mha (17,4 %)
- Spain · 23,5 Mha (15 %)
- Germany · 16,6 Mha (10,6 %)
- Poland · 14,6 Mha (9,3 %)
- Romania · 12,6 Mha (8,1 %)
- Italy · 12,4 Mha (7,9 %)
- Other EU countries · 49,3 Mha (31,6 %)
Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA), 2023. EU Total: 156.2 million hectares. Source: Eurostat.
Arkhia’s missions
The Arkhia project is a multi-purpose mission. The ground-penetrating radar data it collects is not reserved for a single audience: it feeds a community marked by great diversity of disciplines and territories. It brings together archaeologists, soil agronomy specialists, engineers in civil engineering and underground networks, hydrogeologists, and stakeholders in environment and risk prevention.
One survey, several readings: the systematic prospection of the subsoil becomes a shared resource, open to heritage institutions and local authorities, to research laboratories and planning operators alike.
- Archaeology — 30 %
- Agronomy & soils — 25 %
- Civil engineering & networks — 20 %
- Hydrogeology — 15 %
- Environment & risks — 10 %
Fields of application of Arkhia’s ground-penetrating radar data (indicative breakdown).
The Arkhia programme in figures
- 6years of programme
- 180 000hours of prospection
- 30ground-penetrating radar carts in the fleet
- 120women and men mobilised
- 13petabytes of data
- 38million euros of estimated budget