Archaeology was a pretty rough and tumble business when it began. In Herculaneum, the local nobility destroyed irreplaceable papyri so they could have snatches of Greek to show to their friends. In Troy, the amateurish excavations of the German explorer Heinrich Schliemann unalterably damaged the delicate layers of civilization entombed beneath the ground. In Athens, the most beautiful friezes of the Parthenon were hacked off and absconded with to Britain, where they remain to this day.
Thankfully, methods and methodologies have improved. In their work today, archaeologists meticulously photograph, document, and analyze a site to create a timeless record of it as it was before excavation, as it appears during work, and how it is conserved afterwards. Beautiful examples of human ingenuity such as artwork and pottery no longer end up in private hands, but in museum collections. And the measure of success is no longer written in dollars, but in the accolades of the world community.
There’s something more radical afoot, as well. With the field increasingly turning towards high-tech solutions to map old cities or discover new ones, the archaeology of toothbrushes and fieldwork is becoming only one piece in a much bigger puzzle. Indeed, it’s even becoming a minor one: before the first shovel is thrust into the ground, a site can be mapped, analyzed, and catalogued with the newest technology. This week, we take a look at some of the modern technology that’s revolutionizing the field in this new age of exploration.
1. Mobile Technology
Since the launch of the iPhone in the mid-aughts, smart phones and their associated apps have become essential – and inseparable – parts of our daily lives. With apps that can track health metrics, balance checkbooks, and provide entertainment, it seems like there’s no end in sight for the promise of app technology. So, why shouldn’t archaeology be a part of the picture?
For example, mySoil provides comprehensive information on soil properties throughout Europe, and comes with social sharing options that allow users to submit information to further refine the database. Theodolite digitizes an archaeologist’s toolkit, making a smartphone into a viewfinder with GPS, compass, inclinometer, geonavigator, and other essential functionalities.
Global Heritage Fund has joined in, too. We’ve partnered with multiple international conservation agencies to aid on-the-ground conservation efforts with new mobile-based technology. Check out our AMAL in Heritage program, a comprehensive new system that will help conservators and interested parties conduct Rapid Impact Assessments (RIAs) of heritage sites in conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
2. Space Archaeology and LIDAR
Sarah Parcak, a professor of archaeology at University of Alabama Birmingham, reminisces in a 2012 TED Talk about the difference between finding sand dollars in Maine and mapping cities in Egypt. “Seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn’t enough. All of a sudden, in Egypt, my beach had grown… to one 800 miles long, next to the Nile. And my sand dollars had grown to the size of cities. This is what really brought me to satellite imagery.”
Using satellite-based topographic imagery from NASA, Parcak and her team were able to map the historical shifting of the Nile River, and through that, discover the purported site of what was once Ancient Egypt’s capital city, Tanis. The technology behind space archaeology, known as LIDAR, works by tracking the surface density of specific areas by bombarding specific areas with millions of laser pulses. The satellite then detects how long it takes for each pulse to hit the ground and return to the sensor. The resulting images combine data from multiple spectrums of light, with individual colors representing the density of different layers of sediment. A trained eye can spot evidence of human dwelling, such as houses, streets, public bathhouses, and even city quarters based on social class.
While Parcak uses LIDAR to map long-lost cities, the technology is also useful for mapping areas too dangerous or remote to access with traditional techniques. The archaeologists Damian Evans and William Saturno used it to map the Angkorian capital of Lingapura, while Jason Ur used it to map 1,200 archaeological sites in Iraq cut off from the scholarly community by war and land mines.
Global Heritage Fund has used LIDAR to map the precincts of Banteay Chhmar, a well-preserved temple complex in the far north of Cambodia. This technology has helped us to both document the damage that has taken place in the 800 years since Banteay Chhmar was built, and to develop frameworks for how to best conserve the site.
3. Soil Resistivity
Many people had a chuckle when they learned that Richard the III, the deposed king in the medieval War of the Roses, was found buried under the site of a proposed car park in Northern England. They had no idea, however, that he was only found because of soil resistivity tests.
These tests, now routinely done in the course of construction, involve passing an electrical current through a section of earth in order to detect how much water is in the soil. Because the current will pass more or less easily depending on the water content, conducting an electric resistivity test is a comprehensive way to know the composition of what’s beneath the ground. Higher resistivity levels indicate the presence of denser materials, such as stone building blocks, while lower resistivity levels correspond to less dense substances, such as human remains.
Remote sensing techniques have been instrumental in our work as well. At our project site in El Mirador, we’ve used ground-penetrating radar to look for cavities in the pyramids there. Through such diagnostics, we determined the interior architecture of the pyramids, and whether they housed the tombs of Mayan kings.
4. Drones
They’re not just for spying, warfare, or Silicon Valley CEOs anymore. Drones are becoming more mainstream and less expensive, allowing archaeologists to do everything from discovering new sites, monitoring looting and environmental threats, and combatting mismanagement.
Dr. Luis Castillo, the vice minister of cultural heritage in Peru, uses his fleet of helicopter drones to “map, monitor and safeguard his country’s ancient treasures,” according to the New York Times. It’s a need made palpable by the encroachment of land developers, looters, and other malefactors all over the world. Referring to damage at a remote site in Jordan, DePaul University professor Morag Kersel says of the drones that “aerial survey… is allowing for the identification of new looting and pits and determinations of whether any of the looters’ holes had been revisited.”
The drone appeal is about more than criminal surveillance, however. Before acquiring a fleet of the machines, Dr. Castillo said he spent thousands of dollars and two months to map a remote hillside. Now, he can cover the same area with a cost-effective budget and, “in less than 10 minutes.” He says “the faster we produce the maps, the more parts of the site we’re going to be able to save.”
Global Heritage Fund has used drones to map difficult-to-access sites during our work in Ciudad Perdida. Much like the experience of Dr. Castillo, our use of drones has reduced the costs and efforts of thorough documentation, allowing for rapid and cost-effective mapping. You can see some of the beautiful pictures taken from a drone’s-eye view on our website.
As cultural heritage sites become threatened and the number of people with the capacity to protect them shrinks, we can expect to hear the soft buzzing hum of a drone’s rotors grow louder.
5. Robots
Robots traipse across the silver screen, defuse bombs in war zones, and help detect illnesses. Beyond their many roles in modern society, you can add one more: archaeological heavyweights. Whether photographing shipwrecks far beneath the surface of the sea or capturing topographical data from high in the sky, robots are playing an increasingly big part in the archaeology scene where humans can’t.
And their uses are only limited by the pace of technological innovation. One archaeologist uses a robotic arm to help him simulate how Stone Age-era humans would use the tools they made. Another team uses robotic snakes to explore pyramids where crawl spaces are too tight for even the lithest human explorers.
6. Virtual Technology
Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Google are hard at work creating virtual reality platforms that, they promise, will revolutionize the way we consume media. However, though they’re promising the stars, the British Museum has beaten them to the punch right here on the ground.
According to The Telegraph, “The British Museum is to introduce virtual reality headsets for teenagers, as it acknowledges that the traditional way of looking at objects in display cabinets no longer holds sufficient appeal for the young.” To create a fully immersive experience, the museum is setting up a physical reconstruction of a Bronze Age-era roundhouse filled with representative artifacts from the period. They’re hoping that this new type of experience will draw in not only teenagers, but also future generations that will be dependent on smart technology.
Though Global Heritage Fund currently has no plans for implementing a virtual reality program, we are watching the industry’s developments with excitement.
The information age has pervaded every aspect of our lives, and archaeology is no exception. Forming a now-essential part of the field, computers and sophisticated programs are used to write reports, analyze data, virtually model sites, and much more.
Global Heritage Fund is keeping up with these new technological developments. Check out our projects and programs to learn more about how we’re using the power of technology to empower communities, preserve heritage, and build a world that’s beyond monuments.