Relics uncovered: Mayan ruins in Guatemala.
Credit: Tom Sever
An answer from the skies
His work revolved around the ancient village of Cañales, settled around 2000 BC in the Arenal area of Costa Rica. The village was abandoned several times after volcanic eruptions. However, after every eruption the village was reoccupied once again. The question of who was reoccupying the village was perplexing: were they the original villagers or new people taking advantage of a prime location?
The answer came from above. Infrared images revealed faint lines stretching between Cañales and a cemetery around 11 km away. When Sheets arrived on the site, he found ancient footpaths – the oldest footpaths known. These had changed the soil texture, and hence vegetation, which showed up as the faint line in the infrared image.
The footpaths were deeply entrenched and found around many of the villages in the area. Sheets argues that they were part of a spiritual ritual for the ancient culture; after excavations, he realised they had been used continually – even after devastating volcanic eruptions.
"The path from the Cañales village to the cemetery was in use over a period of some 800 years, or possibly as long as 1,100 years, interrupted twice by natural disasters from Arenal volcano," he said. "The dominating reason for relocation probably was to re-establish contact with the spirits of their deceased ancestors in their distant cemetery."
Thermal clues
It is not always changes in vegetation that reveals a hidden structure. Every object in the universe continually emits electromagnetic waves, such as light and infrared. The wavelengths emitted depend on the material and the temperature of the object.
Sensitive detectors, on satellites or aircraft, can reveal slight differences in ground cover through tiny variations in temperature. So if a region contains more stone, water or wood than its surrounds, it will stand out in a multi-spectral image.
In August 2007, an international team of researchers used these methods to peel back the ground cover in Cambodia and reveal intricate waterworks around the famous temples of Angkor Wat, the capital of the Khmer empire that flourished between in the 9th and 14th centuries.
As well as iconic temples, Angkor has canals and reservoirs interspersed with small local temples, mounded areas, and ponds. Erosion, breaches in dykes, and evidence of ancient flooding suggest the inhabitants of Angkor were unable to maintain their vast irrigation system.
Archaeologists now suspect the demise of this massive settlement was environmental pressure due to overpopulation and deforestation.
Where are the links?
How can you post a story like this without and really links to google maps?
YUCK!
How can you post a comment
How can you post a comment like that?
AND REALLY !
hahaha
hahahaha
(Extra ha for emphasis.)
Check out the examples in
Check out the examples in http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/gis/ge/
The story is about google
The story is about google earth. Not google maps ! duh
kmz.links works in GE
Yes they're using GE but the authors can certainly upload a few .kmz files for us to check out.
The story is about neither
The story is about neither Google Maps nor Google Earth; it is about how satelite imagery has benefitted archaeological investigations. Google Earth, brief coverage of which appears in the article's closing, is merely presented as the current penultimate development on that path. doh!
Really? The penultimate
Really? The penultimate development? I thought it was presented as the final development - not the one before the final.... I must have missed something....
I think the closing
I think the closing paragraph of this article is cheesy and misleading. Archaeologists have never been like Indiana Jones, even back in the day. Come on. And asking if we're "ready for archaeologists who are more like Bill Gates" pigeonholes everybody who's used Google Earth to do more than waste time into the bogus category "People who are like Bill Gates".
Just who the heck is "like Bill Gates"?? This article demonstrates that people who use Google Earth and have a trained eye can discover ancient civilizations. That is amazing. It definitely does not demonstrate that people who make famous software can discover ancient civilizations. I thought we were past the point where people who can use computers get clumped into a category with Bill Gates. Sheesh.
Apart from that, this is a pretty cool way to find ancient ruins and whatnot. Whoever it was that decided to make a public and easily accessible database of aerial photos of everything on Earth, is a true visionary... and is perhaps Bill Gates or somebody like him.
Closing
If you re-read the last paragraph, you would find that not only is your direct quote wrong, so is your entire irate rant. The article says, "Will popular culture embrace a relic hunter who looks more like Bill Gates than Harrison Ford or Angelina Jolie?" The operative phrase there is "looks like", not, as you claim, "are like". Please read a bit more carefully before climbing onto that high horse again.