![]() ![]() The central part of Archaeology from Space is a mind-blowing tour of archaeological digs where remote sensing was involved. That moment arrived in the 2000s and everything has gone a bit crazy since then. But space archaeology had to wait until technological developments allowed for high-resolution images. More concerted efforts came in the 1950s with the development of infrared technology and the spy satellite programmes of the Cold War, and in the ’60s with NASA launching satellites. The rationale behind remote sensing is simple, says Parcak: Where do you begin? Given that, at the surface, many archaeological sites are covered under either sand, jungle, or modern infrastructure, how do you know what lurks beneath? And how do you even begin to decide where to dig? You would be surprised what you can see from the air.Įver since we had cameras, hot air balloons, and the first aeroplanes, aerial photography became a thing. You will have been hard-pressed to miss these findings making news headlines. I first touched on this topic in my review of Tropical Forests in Prehistory, History, and Modernity, which mentioned the use of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) to reveal the scope of jungle ruins. “ Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past“, written by Sarah Parcak, published by Henry Holt in July 2019 (hardback, 286 pages) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |