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LIDAR data offer an unprecedented accurate new interpretation tool for detecting terraced landscapes. The boundaries of terraced areas in Slovenia cannot be clearly defined without the help of a field survey even when the configuration of the terrain makes surveys difficult. The segmentation of point cloud data into various classes of foliage, ground, buildings, and so on makes previously hidden earthwork structures (including abandoned terraces) instantly recognizable. The conceptual shift is that the LIDAR slope analysis layer is more revealing and instructive for discovering terraces areas than orthophoto images ever were. Although LIDAR data are a new tool in the search for terraced areas, orthophotos remain important but are nevertheless only a contextual aid. A quantitative comparison between the old and new methods shows no difference in three pilot areas, shows only a minor difference in two cases, and reveals major differences in three pilot areas. The quantitative differences in some of the pilot areas are compelling. However, the most significant feature of the new method is its reliability for detecting the exact boundaries of terraced areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]