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"Space Archeology" Uncovers Lost Pyramids

Posted by samzenpus on from the goodbye-mr.-jones dept.

krou writes "A new technique dubbed 'space archeology' using satellites and infra-red imaging has helped uncover 17 new pyramids in Egypt, as well as some 1,000 tombs, and 3,000 ancient settlements. The mud bricks used to build Egyptian structures means it has a different density to the surrounding soil, and thus shows up in the images. Dr Sarah Parcak, who pioneered the technique, said that 'Indiana Jones is old school, we've moved on from Indy, sorry Harrison Ford.'"

23 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. goodbye-mr.-jones dept by oztiks · · Score: 3, Funny

    should be goodbye-dr.-jones dept

    1. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by mjwx · · Score: 3, Funny

      should be goodbye-dr.-jones dept

      He belongs in a museum.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    2. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Funny

      You think that's the worst mistake in the article? If you were ever exposed to "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" you'll already know that Dr. Jones is well up on his "space archaeology" already.

      If anything this is another instance of life imitating art, even if it is some of the most atrocious "art" you've ever had the misfortune to witness.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    3. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by Canazza · · Score: 2

      Well, they may have moved away from Indiana Jones, but they've moved on to Han Solo.

      --
      It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
    4. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by gilleain · · Score: 2

      Und zis is how ve say gutbye in Germany, Dr Jones!

    5. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by jo_ham · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure what was worse: shoehorning Shia LeBoef into it, in a manner that can only be described as "high school play-quality" acting, the "super magnetic bones" or that we've displaced "jumped the shark" with "nuked the fridge" as a comment.

      Indiana Jones always had an element of the supernatural about it - look at some of the key plot elements in Temple of Doom, and especially Last Crusade, so aliens are not an enormous stretch away from the norm. I can stay engaged in the story if it's presented in a plausible fashion (for the story), but doing things like the fridge scene just pull me right out of the story and go "well, that was crappy, even for a fantasy film... oh, I'm watching a film" and completely breaks the mood.

      I know it's common in films (like characters shrugging off beatings that would hospitalise normal people without even causing bruises, and seemingly being immune to bullet wounds that don;t affect the use of their limbs at all etc), but sometimes it's pushed beyond suspension of disbelief. There were so many things wrong with the fridge scene it was as if they were intentionally trying to piss us all off.

    6. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I still think the fridge scene would make for a great Mythbusters episode. Obviously, they can't detonate a nuclear device (Jamie want BIIIIIIIG boom!), but they could put Buster with some shock discs in a fridge and drop it from the approximate height that Indy fell to simulate how much he'd have been hurt from the fall. They could also go back to the place that they ran the "Cockroaches survive nuclear bomb" experiment and put the fridge in the chamber with some equipment inside to test for radiation. Of course, the finale would be burying some explosive (C4?) under the fridge with shock-disc-enabled Buster inside and blowing the whole thing up.

      I'm pretty sure the whole scene would be Busted, but it would turn that awful scene into something that was actually fun to watch!

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    7. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by onepoint · · Score: 2

      Well, "space archaeology" has been around a while. I recall national geographic speaking about it back in the late 80's when talking about finding Mayan ruins. I also recall it being mentioned as far back as early 80's when used in passing about some straight lines that are man made, carved and marked from Mexico into the USA, Some sort of walking journey and they discovered more of these lines that people could walk.

      it's also been useful in finding old settlements where rivers once existed

      --
      if you see me, smile and say hello.
    8. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2

      I propose a new term for ever to be known as "Lucased", roughly meaning "ruining a good series by milking(sic) a dead bull(sic)"

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    9. Re:goodbye-mr.-jones dept by elrous0 · · Score: 2

      Lucas (verb) -- see Rape

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. New? Hardly. by DerekLyons · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Dr Sarah Parcak should study her history - because she's "pioneered" a technique first used in the 30's from aircraft and more recently from any number of orbital platforms.

  3. Real archaeology by fremsley471 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Talk about old and buried- NASA Archeological Remote Sensing. Adobe PageMill 2.0!

  4. kali ma... kali ma!!! ....KALI MA!!!!!!! by lewko · · Score: 2, Funny

    She won't be so smug when Mola Ram is trying to rip her heart out or she awakens Imhotep and people like Indiana Jones and Rick O'Connell have been put out of a job.

    --
    Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au
  5. No imagination... by Battal+Boy · · Score: 2

    'Indiana Jones is old school, we've moved on from Indy, sorry Harrison Ford.'

    I'm calling bullshit on this. Once the sites have been pinpointed from space someone still has to go in and do the dirty work. If fact, it sounds like the ideal sequel:

    'Dr Jones, you probably heard we've located a previously unknown ancient settlement using satellite technology. However, what you probably haven't heard is that this settlement displays a very unusual feature that has completely flummoxed our scientists...'

    --

    A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist...
  6. Re:New? Hardly. by tqk · · Score: 2

    Archeologist Dr. Sarah Parcak should study her history. I saw what you did there :)

    I didn't. WTF are you saying?!?

    Damn, I hate you AC posers.

    --
    "Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit ..." -- Pink Floyd.
  7. Re:New? Hardly. by jamesh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So... the technology has existed for 80 years and yet she and her team are the ones who are finding the pyramids? I think they deserve just a little kudos... i'm betting that they had to do a bit of work to make the technology be able to find the pyramids they found.

  8. Re:New? Hardly. by pnot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dr Sarah Parcak should study her history - because she's "pioneered" a technique first used in the 30's from aircraft and more recently from any number of orbital platforms.

    Absolutely! She should, for example, read the 28-page historical introduction and 32-page bibliography of the excellent book Satellite remote sensing for archaeology by... oh look, it's by Dr Sarah Parcak. Turns out she literally wrote the book on this stuff. Seriously, do you think she's spent a scientific career doing this work without bothering to check what's been done before? If someone is a "Dr", they have written a doctoral dissertation, which means they know how to review literature.

    Yes, the BBC article (not the researcher) used the word "pioneered". I imagine there must be some pioneering about work that located several thousand hitherto unknown structures and seventeen pyramids. (If it's all old hat, why didn't someone find them "in the 30's from aircraft?") Even if it's not "pioneering", the fault is with the reporter who chose to use that word.

    Sure-fire recipe for a snarky Slashdot reply: if it's successful work building on previous accomplishments, say "huh, that's not new, she's just repeating what someone else did". If it's groundbreaking work previously unachieved by anyone else, say "huh, that's just ivory-tower tinkering, nobody's replicated it and it'll never work in the real world".

  9. Re:Think about the future... by Punko · · Score: 2

    Many new finds will have portions of the find left unexcavated/unopened for the explicit reason that better techniques may be available in the future, so they leave them alone until then.

    --
    If only we could fall into a woman's arms without falling into her hands
  10. She's just jealous. by Chas · · Score: 2

    Because she'd look silly in a fedora and she can't handle a whip.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  11. pffft by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

    indiana jones had a gem that could turn regular sunlight into a bright ruby laser and pinpoint hidden artifacts on a miniature city made of legos

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  12. Re:New? Hardly. by grandpa-geek · · Score: 2

    There have been other discoveries of significance. For example, Israeli scientists used satellite imagery to find a canal that figures in the story of the Exodus. The canal runs from Lake Balah to Lake Timsah, and was probably built as a military earthwork. According to the scientists, the south end of Lake Timsah qualifies today for the name "Yam Suf" (Sea of Reeds, the place name often erroneously translated as "Red Sea") and the place where pharoah's army was destroyed is Pi Hachirot, literally "mouth of the canal."

  13. Re:New? Hardly. by Abstrackt · · Score: 2

    I agree. They found something that wasn't known to them before, the fact that it's not brand new technology shouldn't detract from that accomplishment. Even if the extent of the work was just saying "hey, let's use those satellites to look for pyramids!" and spending years filling out all the requisite paperwork I'd still be impressed.

    --
    They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
  14. NASA's Indiana Jones by boley1 · · Score: 2

    If someone wanted to do a real life Space Age Indiana Jones documentary, they should check out the life and times of Dr. Tom Sever, of NASA. I was lucky enough to sit in on some informal debriefs, after he had returned from jungle adventures in the 80's and 90's. He discovered "lost" cities using satellite imagery, and managed to stay one step ahead of treasure hunters and guerillas - most of the time. One technique used was to detect foot paths from hundreds to thousands of years ago that all came together at a central location. There was much concern within NASA and archeological circles of keeping the sites secret, to avoid looting. Best I remember, he estimated it would take hundreds of years to investigate each of the sites discovered (by then) using all available archeologists.