Using XVIII–XIX Cent. Maps and Modern Remote Sensing Data for Detecting the Changes in the Land Use at Bulgarian Fortified Settlements in the Volga Region

Abstract

This study uses modern and historic spatial data to analyze land use around 13th Century AD Bulgarian fortified settlements to examine the current state of these features and how changes in land use over the past two centuries have affected these features. Historic maps from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries AD were used alongside Landsat 8 images from 2015–2018 as a source of information about land use. Based on the results of archival map analysis and the classification of satellite imagery, the interpretation of land use around Bulgarian fortified settlements was possible. This method generated new data about land use dynamics near cultural heritage sites in the Volga Region. The diachronic study of sequential map data allowed researchers to further understand how anthropogenic factors have impacted the survivability of Bulgarian sites in the region. Among these, arable farming, hydro-electric power generation, and urban growth have had the greatest impact on these features.