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Satellites Reveal Hundreds of Undiscovered Sites in Egypt
(BAR & CNN)

An unusual alliance between archaeologists and satellite technology has revealed just how much history has yet to be uncovered. In an analysis of satellite images taken of Egypt from space, hundreds of as-yet-unexcavated sites have been identified in the regions of the eastern Nile River Delta and Middle Egypt. The results are causing archaeologists to reconsider the complexity of layering of the ancient sites, and the enormity of the work that is still left to do. It is estimated that the sites recorded so far represent a small fraction of archaeological sites in Egypt.

Sarah Parack, an archaeologist who directs the Laboratory for Human Health at the University of Alabama, has pioneered the project that has used space technology to reveal the past. According to Parack, the use of satellite technology allows scientists to see much more than traditional archaeological methods would allow. “We can see patterns in settlements that correspond to the [historical] texts,” she says, “such as if foreign invasions affected the occupation of ancient sites. We can see where the Romans built over what the Egyptians had built, and where the Coptic Christians built over what the Romans had built.” While archaeologists needn’t relinquish their trowels anytime soon, this technology, says Parack, “gives us information about broader ancient settlement patterns, such as patterns of city growth and collapse over time, that excavations do not.”

CNN reports on the partnership of satellites and archaeology.