Aerial archaeology reaches new heights

BBC : Over the past three years, Jason Ur of Harvard University and Björn Menze of MIT have developed a computer program to scan satellite images of Earth for early human settlements. Among the signs of prehistoric civilization are soil discoloration and mounds caused by the collapse of mud-brick settlements. From the data gathered, the pair have created an enormous map that shows widespread human occupation of the planet over the past 7000–8000 years. Such aerial images allow the researchers to cover more area than they could on foot and to study countries, such as Syria, whose political turbulence makes them too dangerous to explore on the ground. One of Ur’s goals is to identify important heritage sites before they are lost to further human development. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Menze and Ur have published their results on the landscapes of the Near East.