From Surface to Subsurface: Mapping the Chalcolithic Cucuteni Settlement of Muntenii de Jos (Eastern Romania) Using Remote Sensing Techniques

While the site of Muntenii de Jos – La Biserică (Vaslui County) was first documented in 1910 based on surface finds, archaeological investigations were limited to a single field walk in 1976 that vaguely dated the settlement. In 2025, our team initiated a comprehensive non-invasive research project to map the planimetry, function, and chronology of this archaeological site. The investigation integrated guided drone flights for obtaining an orthomosaic, and a Digital Surface Model (DSM), while also conducting a detailed magnetometer survey using a 5-sensor gradiometer. Fieldwalking confirmed the site’s relative chronology to the Cucuteni A-B phase (4050-3800 BC). The combination of aerial and geophysical data within a GIS environment provided us with a high-resolution subsurface map of the settlement’s organization, which will prove vital for its future research and preservation.