Have you ever dreamed of being an archaeologist? Now you can, from the comfort of your home, thanks to GlobalXplorer, an online platform that lets you analyze high-resolution satellite images to spot signs of ancient civilizations from your PC.
The site was conceived by National Geographic Fellow and satellite archaeologist and winner of the 2016 TED Prize, Sarah Parcak, who hopes that all internet users can discover unknown archaeological sites around the world and help us better understand our connection to the past. Below is a tutorial video showing you how to detect the main features associated with lost civilizations.
The First Expedition in Peru
GlobalXplorer went live in early February and already counts more than 29,000 volunteers carrying out the first expedition in Peru, home of Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines. This group is reviewing tiles across a 200,000-square-kilometer region that makes up the country. With the help of National Geographic, the organization is also collaborating with experts and local communities to inspect and protect newly discovered sites, thereby preventing artifacts from being looted and later sold on the black market.
Eventually, the team wants to create a global network of citizen explorers, open field schools focused on archaeological preservation on the ground, and even launch satellites designed with archaeology in mind to search for ancient sites. So far, Dr. Parcak’s techniques have helped locate 17 potential pyramids, as well as 3,100 potentially forgotten settlements and 1,000 possible lost tombs in Egypt, in addition to making significant discoveries in the Viking world and the Roman Empire. With the help of citizen scientists from around the world, she hopes to uncover much more through this new platform. If you're interested in reviewing satellite imagery, head over to GlobalXplorer to register and start the search for lost civilizations from your PC.
