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Drones and Satellites Spot Lost Civilizations In Unlikely Places

Posted by samzenpus on from the all-the-better-to-see-you-with dept.

sciencehabit writes What do the Sahara desert and the Amazon rainforest have in common? Until recently, archaeologists would have told you they were both inhospitable environments devoid of large-scale human settlements. But they were wrong. Here today at the annual meeting of the AAAS, two researchers explained how remote sensing technology, including satellite imaging and drone flights, is revealing the traces of past civilizations that have been hiding in plain sight."

4 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. every few years by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Every few years we read about long lost civilizations that were found by aerial footage. I remember a handfull of years ago people were using google earth to locate some. Its always interesting when the news comes out. but 99% of the time once its "found" thats the end of it for us, no more news ever comes out. Hopefully this will lead to some new findings

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    1. Re:every few years by TWX · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Except that in both cases, evidence of civilization in both places has been established prior to satellites and aircraft, and anthropologists and archeologists have provided evidence, and climate scientists have provided us with theories for the end of that civilization in what's now the Sahara, in the form of the Sahara Pump Theory.

      Sure, aerial survey techniques can be used to help, and might even be able to establish evidence in other places, but for the moment it isn't quite as influential as the summary makes it out to be.

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  2. I came for pictures.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME CLICKING ON THIS ARTICLE!
    I came for pictures but all I got was teasers for conferences.

  3. Re:How can a civilization perish without AGW? by grey1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think the evidence suggests a longer-range climate cycle, rather than a man-made event, at least based on some of the material summarised in wikipedia on the Sahara:

    Sahara pump theory with long periods of increased rainfall

    Neolithic subpluvial with a wet phase from about 10000 years ago to about 5000 years ago

    and then a very specific paper from 1987, for those who like their research in detailed PDFs, describing the evidence (bones, different alluvial deposits etc) for the wet period

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