This DATSETNAMEreadme.txt file was generated on 2021-09-02 by Michelle de Gruchy


GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Title of Dataset: Khandaq Shapur [dataset]

2. Author Information
	A. Principal Investigator Contact Information
		Name: Michelle de Gruchy
		Institution: Durham University
		Address: Archaeology Department, South Road, Durham, UK DH1 3LE
		Email: michelle.de-gruchy@durham.ac.uk

	B. Associate or Co-investigator Contact Information
		Name: Jaafar Jotheri
		Institution: Al-Qadasiyah University
		Address: Department of Archaeology, University of Al-Qadisiyah , Diwaniyah, Iraq
		Email: jaafar.jotheri@qu.edu.iq

	C. Alternate Contact Information
		Name: 
		Institution: 
		Address: 
		Email: 

3. Date of data collection (single date, range, approximate date): 2017-05 to 2019-02

4. Geographic location of data collection: Iraq

5. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: Research and fieldwork was funded by a pilot project grant from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq (https://www.bisi.ac.uk/)


SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION

1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: CC-BY 4.0 International

2. Links to publications that cite or use the data: none yet

3. Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: none

4. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: none

5. Was data derived from another source? yes
	A. If yes, list source(s): a pre-existing, unpublished shapefile of the Khandaq Shapur visible in figure 2 of

Lawrence, D. and Wilkinson, T.J. "The Northern and Western Borderlands of the Sasanian Empire: Contextualising the Roman/Byzantine and Sasanian Frontier" Sasanian Persia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 99-125.

6. Recommended citation for this dataset: 
de Gruchy, M.W. and Jotheri, J  (2021):  Khandaq Shapur.  Durham University.  (dataset)  DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15128/r19k41zd540


DATA & FILE OVERVIEW

1. File List: KhandaqShapur.kmz - a Google Earth file of the course of the Khandaq Shapur/Nahr al-Alqamy

2. Relationship between files, if important: not applicable

3. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: GPS points were collected as part of the ground truthing survey.

4. Are there multiple versions of the dataset? no
	A. If yes, name of file(s) that was updated: 
		i. Why was the file updated? 
		ii. When was the file updated? 


METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION

1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: 
This file was created using a pre-existing, unpublished shapefile mapping the course of the Khandaq Shapur produced for Lawrence and Wilkinson (2017, fig.2). This initial map was extended through remote sensing using a combination of imagery available in Google Earth and Corona imagery from the 1960s, particularly mission 1050 conducted 14 December 1962. This work was then groundtruthed by two field surveys: (1) northern survey focused on the section slightly north of Karbala to Najaf conducted by Michelle de Gruchy and Jaafar Jotheri, and (2) a southern survey from Najaf to Basra conducted by Jaafar Jotheri and Raheem Alabdan. The file was finalised in early 2019.

2. Methods for processing the data: 
The file was created, modified, and edited in both ArcMap 10.6 and Google Earth. In ArcMap 10.6, the coordinate system used was GCS_WGS_1984.

3. Instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the data: 
A kmz file can be read directly by Google Earth or imported into many GIS platforms, including ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, or QGIS.

4. Standards and calibration information, if appropriate: 

5. Environmental/experimental conditions: 

6. Describe any quality-assurance procedures performed on the data: 
This map of the Khandaq Shapur has been groundtruthed by two field surveys. A nothern survey focused on the section slightly north of Karbala to Najaf conducted by Michelle de Gruchy and Jaafar Jotheri, and a southern survey from Najaf to Basra conducted by Jaafar Jotheri and Raheem Alabdan.

7. People involved with sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission: 
Dr. Michelle de Gruchy (Durham University), 
Dr. Jaafar Jotheri (Al Qadasiyah University, and
Dr. Raheem Alabdan (Thi-Qar University)


DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: KhandaqShapur.kmz

1. Number of variables: one

2. Number of cases/rows: not applicable

3. Variable List: Khandaq Shapur

4. Missing data codes: none

5. Specialized formats or other abbreviations used: none
