How Crowdsourced Archaeology Could Help Solve the Mysteries of Peru
How Crowdsourced Archaeology Could Help Solve the Mysteries of Peru
Posted by Sarah Parcak of National Geographic Fellows Program in Explorers Journal on June 27, 2016
Help Decipher Ancient Secrets of Peru on Your Coffee Break
Satellite archaeologist and National Geographic Fellow Sarah Parcak wants to train a 21st-century army of global explorers to help find and protect ancient sites using a cutting-edge citizen science platform called Global Xplorer. When Global Xplorer launches in late 2016, participants will start with Peru. Here’s why it’s the perfect place to begin.
By Sarah Parcak
Archaeologists have studied the ancient city of Petra for more than 200 years. So I didn’t feel wildly hopeful about finding anything unknown when I did a satellite survey of the site in 2012. But then, there it was: a massive monumental platform. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of unknown archaeological sites around the world, and new technology is helping us locate them. (See archaeologist Damian Evans’ recent LIDAR scan of Cambodia, which revealed multiple medieval cities in the jungle, each between 900 and 1,400 years old.)
I’m thrilled that Global Xplorer, the citizen science platform my team is developing with the 2016 TED Prize, will launch later this year. We’ll use the power of the crowd to locate unknown sites. But where to begin? There’s an entire world out there! I knew I wanted to start somewhere with a rich history. Somewhere where we could partner with key archaeologists to help explore what we find on the ground. Somewhere with breathtaking landscapes.
I’m excited to announce that Global Xplorer will launch in the country that’s the home to Machu Picchu, the Lord of Sipán, and the Nasca Lines: Peru. My team has started looking at high-resolution satellite imagery, and we’re already seeing potential sites, including what could be a new cemetery in the Nasca region. That’s four people looking for a few days. Imagine setting loose the world and having them look for months!
Below, four reasons why Peru is the perfect place to start this work.
More:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/27/how-crowdsourced-archaeology-could-help-solve-the-mysteries-of-peru/
Anthropology:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12292728