Egypt: Seventeen lost pyramids have found in a new satellite survey of Egypt. More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings.
The work has been pioneered at the University of Alabama in Birmingham by US Egyptologist Dr Sarah Parcak. Her team analysed images from satellites orbiting 700km above the earth. Infra-red imaging was used to highlight different materials under the surface.
Dr Parcak said the most exciting moment was visiting the excavations at Tanis. “They’d excavated a 3,000-year-old house that the satellite imagery had shown and the outline of the structure matched the satellite imagery almost perfectly. That was real validation of the technology.”
The Egyptian authorities plan to use the technology to help – among other things – protect the country’s antiquities in the future.
Site: BBC
