Satellites are racing against looters to find Peru's hidden history
In short: Archaeologists are using space-based technology to identify hundreds of thousands of lost ancient sites before they can be destroyed. By analyzing subtle changes in topography and plant life, researchers can map entire civilizations in months—a task that would take ground teams several lifetimes to complete.
Space archaeology leverages remote sensing to detect what the human eye cannot see from the ground. Sarah Parcak, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, utilizes satellite imagery to identify invisible differences in geology and vegetation. This method has already yielded massive results in Egypt, where her team identified more than 3,000 ancient settlements, over a thousand lost tombs, and the city grid of Tanis.
The strategy is now expanding to Peru through a citizen-science initiative called GlobalXplorer. This platform, launched following Parcak's 2016 TED Prize, trains volunteers to use satellite data to locate heritage sites. Peru was chosen as the primary focus because its arid highlands and coastal deserts provide exceptional preservation for artifacts, such as mummified macaws and tattooed priestesses discovered in the last decade.
The project serves a dual purpose: discovery and protection. While the Peruvian government is motivated to stop the looting of cultural artifacts, they require data to effectively police the landscape. By identifying sites remotely, researchers can create a protective map of the country's diverse history—ranging from 4,200-year-old astronomical observatories to the famous Nazca lines—before looters can reach them.
One notable example of Peru's ancient sophistication is a temple found in 2006 near Lima. This 4,200-year-old observatory was designed to align with the sunrise and sunset on the solstices of December 21 and June 21, marking the harvest season. GlobalXplorer aims to find similar structures across the vast Peruvian wilderness, turning the 'invisible past' into a catalog of preserved history.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Hunting for Peru's lost civilizations -- with satellites | Sarah Parcak
- Also: Space Archaeologist Sarah Parcak Uses Satellites to Uncover Ancient Egyptian Ruins
- Also: Sarah Parcak: Hunting for Peru's lost civilizations -- with satellites | TED Talk
- Also: Finding the legendary lost cultures of ancient Peru |
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