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talkpolitics
Indiana Jones used the Sun to discover the lost Ark of the Covenant
New technologies and Science has made it much easier and less dangerous.
While Indiana Jones used the Sun in a Tanis map room to find long lost treasures, Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama in Birmingham has developed new techniques using satellite imagery and software that's completely opened a vast expanse of history that's been lost for centuries; and in the process has jump-started excavations in areas not even suspected of containing important finds. Dr. Parcak's goal is to use these new technologies to create a brand new map of ancient Egypt, steering researchers to unknown areas, saving them decades of time. Despite the find of King Tut's tomb in 1922, and several other large finds (including King's Valley), there are ENORMOUS gaps in Egypt's history. Zahi Hawass (Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs) has stated several times, less than 1 percent of Egypt's artifacts has been recovered, with most of the Egyptian pharaonic tombs/pyramids undiscovered, and in a majority of instances, other than their names, we know absolutely nothing about them.
Sarah Parcak
Dr. Parcak is an archaeologist who has developed techniques of using extremely high resolution satellite images (the satellites can pick up objects as small as a meter on the ground using spy satellite technology developed during the Cold War) and using software created for this project, is able to rediscover long lost cities and artifacts. Her techniques have discovered an astonishing 1000 potential tombs, 3000 settlements, and over 17 previously unknown pyramids: all of which could potentially contain the pharaoh that built them.
You can get a sense of how dramatic these discoveries are: here is what the ancient city of Tanis (yes, the very same city that's used in Raiders of the Lost Ark) looks at ground level. You'd have no sense of what was under all that sand, right?
And it's not like you get a better image when viewed from space:
But when Dr. Parcak uses her techniques on the images: behold the ancient city:
Despite the large image here, and it maybe not too clear (Dr. Parcak is using HUGE monitors that are 10000s of pixels wide), but there are hundreds of streets viewable with buildings hidden, including houses and possible temple complexes. All in areas never considered by specialists. For the first time: we have a street map of the very city that Indiana Jones was standing near, except this one is for real!
In a specific example: Dr. Parcak suggested that a pyramid / temple complex was near Saqqara based on her analysis of a satellite image. This would have been a Middle Kingdom pyramid (which means the structures were more detailed, but not nearly as tall with a maximum height of 60 feet) built during the 13th dynasty. Of the 60 kings that ruled during this dynasty, only one or two tombs are known, and we don't even have all of their names (only one complete list survives: a badly damaged papyrus document that had crumbled into 160 pieces and was painfully reconstructed). Based on her suggestions, Dr. Hawass started a test excavation, and the discoveries were phenomenal. A large retaining wall has been unearthed, along with a chapel nearby, and a very unusual feature: curved walls in the temple complex. Dr. Hawass stated categorically that up to this point, it's one of the most important finds and will take nearly 50 years to excavate properly. Hawass said that prior to the satellite imagery, this site had no interest to him on any level, and wouldn't have thought of it as having been so important. Here is a CGI recreation of the newly discovered temple complex:
Dr. Parchak has also rediscovered the temple complex known as "The Labyrinth" which impressed Herodotus as one of the world's most beautiful buildings he had ever seen (for a guy who had visited the Athenian Parthenon, that's pretty impressive). The Labyrinth was of ancient Egypt's most spectacular buildings. And by the time Herodotus visited 1000 years after its construction the Labyrinth was a major ancient tourist attraction. Inside the temple complex, visitors would have walked through a maze of hallways and rooms dedicated cults serving the dead King buried there, and sacred crocodiles. And the complex was surrounded by a builders' town, priest quarters and administrative buildings. Based on her satellite imagery this is a recreation of the Labyrinth:
But all this promising preliminary work has been put on hold due the Egyptian revolution. Looting was apparently much worse than initially reported when the Egyptian military and police were distracted by the protests. Dr. Parcak alerted Egyptian authorities that several large sites were looted using the very same technology that allowed her to unearth these great finds. Dr. Hawass has himself been caught up in the turmoil: he was arrested and tried on land fraud and was sentenced to hard labor (he's free on bail, pending an appeals hearing).
The implications of all this is a quantum leap, and not just for Egypt. Imagine this being used on the vast plains of Africa to discover long lost cities, or on the Russian steppes, or South America, the American Southwest, China, Burma. The mind reels at the potential discoveries. Egypt was in one sense a very important cradle of civilization: mathematics, geometry, astronomy, architecture, metallurgy were all started in this special country. We as a world owe so much to them. On a cool side bar, several archaeologists involved in this project were all inspired by the Indiana Jones movies, and I think that's pretty awesome.
“What I hate is ignorance, smallness of imagination, the eye that sees no farther than its own lashes. All things are possible… Who you are is limited only by who you think you are.”
— Egyptian Book of the Dead
For those wanting to dig deeper:
Sarah Parcak's official website.
The website for the satellite enhancement map project of ancient Egypt.
Want to learn Hieroglyphs?
John Williams' music for the map room scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark "Dawn."
(no subject)
Date: 12/6/11 22:18 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/6/11 22:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/6/11 23:08 (UTC)Go you!!!!
Date: 13/6/11 00:06 (UTC)I shall bookmark this for the links later :D
Right now I think I may go reread the first 2 Kane Chronicals or the Amelia Peabody series :D (not all tonight of course)
Re: Go you!!!!
Date: 13/6/11 05:19 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 01:21 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 01:54 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 14:35 (UTC)Absolutely brilliant read.
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 03:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 05:02 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 05:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 03:09 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 04:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 05:29 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 06:30 (UTC)Nowadays, Michael Giacchino fills the spot for "eagerly anticipated film scores" that Williams once did for me. Perhaps not quite as grandiose as Williams, but in many ways more inventive and willing to break from previous works but always in service to the story being told, while remaining just as exciting to the senses. If you haven't already, I cannot recommend more highly his 12 min. credits work for Cloverfield titled "ROAR!" on itunes, especially if you like music that builds like a slow burn into a raging fire.
Sorry for digressing into what is probably best left for Friday free-form, but you've touched a nerve (in a good way) of a score freak :)
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 13:36 (UTC)Huge fan right here
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 03:25 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 04:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 13:40 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 14:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 18:25 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 18:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 19:16 (UTC)Yay! A race to the top and not to the bottom! I loves it!
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 18:38 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 18:40 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 19:05 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 13/6/11 20:49 (UTC)Nowadays of course, you'd have to stay completely sealed up in a lightproof soundproof and internetproof room to avoid something like that.