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TED Talks, Sarah Parcak: Archeology from space

Sarah Parcak: Archeology from space

When I was a child growing up in Maine, one of my favorite things to do was to look for sand dollars on the seashores of Maine, because my parents told me it would bring me luck. But you know, these shells, they're hard to find. They're covered in sand. They're difficult to see. However, overtime, I got used to looking for them. I started seeing shapes and patterns that helped me to collect them.

This grew into a passion for finding things, a love for the past and archaeology. And eventually when I started studying Egyptology, I realized that seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn't enough. Because all of the sudden in Egypt my beach had grown from a tiny beach in Maine to one eight hundred miles long next to the Nile, and my sand dollars had grown to the size of cities. This is really what brought me to using satellite imagery. For trying to map the past, I knew that I had to see differently.

So I want to show you an example of how we see differently using the infrared. This is a site located in the eastern Egyptian delta called Bendix. And the site visibly appears brown, but when we use the infrared and we process it, all of the sudden, using false color, the site appears as bright pink. What you are seeing are the actual chemical changes to the landscape caused by the building materials and activities of the ancient Egyptians.

What I want to share with you today is how we've used satellite data to find an ancient Egyptian city, called Itjtawy, missing for thousands of years. Itjtawy was ancient Egypt's capital for over four hundred years, at a period of time called the Middle Kingdom about four thousand years ago. The site is located in the Faiyum of Egypt and site is really important because in the Middle Kingdom there was this great renaissance for ancient Egyptian art, architecture and religion. Egyptologists have always known the site of Itjtawy was located somewhere near the pyramids of the two kings who built it, indicated within the red circles here, but somewhere within this massive flood plane. This area is huge -- it's four miles by three miles in size. The Nile used to flow right next to the city of Itjtawy, and as it shifted and changed and moved over time to the east, it covered over the city.

So, how do you find a buried city in a vast landscape? Finding it randomly would be the equivalent of locating a needle in a haystack, blindfolded wearing baseball mitts. So what we did is we used NASA topography data to map out the landscape, very subtle changes. We started to be able to see where the Nile used to flow. But you can see in more detail -- and even more interesting -- this very slight raised area seen within the circle up here, which we thought could possibly be the location of the city of Itjtawy.

So we collaborated with the Egyptian scientists to do coring work, which you see here. When I say coring, it's like ice coring, but instead of layers of climate change you're looking for layers of human occupation. And five meters down, underneath a thick layer of mud, we found a dense layer of pottery. What this shows is that at this possible location of Itjtawy, five meters down, we have of layer of occupation for several hundred years dating to the Middle Kingdom, dating to the exact period of time we think Itjtawy is. We also found work stone -- carnelian, quartz and agate that shows that there was a jewelers workshop here. These might not look like much, but when you think about the most common stones used in jewelry from the Middle Kingdom, these are the stones that were used.

So, we have a dense layer of occupation dating to the Middle Kingdom at this site. We also have evidence of an elite jewelers workshop, showing that whatever was there was a very important city. No Itjtawy was here yet, but we're going to be returning to the site in the near future to map it out. And even more importantly, we have funding to train young Egyptians in the use of satellite technology so they can be the ones making great discoveries as well.

So I wanted to end with my favorite quote from the Middle Kingdom -- it was probably written at the city of Itjtawy four thousand years ago. "Sharing knowledge is the greatest of all callings. There's nothing like it in the land." So as it turns out, TED was not founded in 1984 AD. (Laughter) Making ideas actually started in 1984 BC at a not-lost-for-long city, found from above. It certainly puts finding seashells by the seashore in perspective. Thank you very much. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause)

Sarah Parcak: Archeology from space سارة باركاك: علم الآثار من الفضاء Sarah Parcak: Archäologie aus dem Weltraum Sarah Parcak: Archeology from space Sarah Parcak : L'archéologie vue de l'espace サラ・パルカック宇宙からの考古学 Sarah Parcak: Arqueologia a partir do espaço Сара Паркак: Археология из космоса Sarah Parcak: Arkeologi från rymden 莎拉·帕卡克：太空考古学 莎拉·帕卡克：太空考古學

When I was a child growing up in Maine, one of my favorite things to do was to look for sand dollars on the seashores of Maine, because my parents told me it would bring me luck. But you know, these shells, they're hard to find. They're covered in sand. They're difficult to see. However, overtime, I got used to looking for them. I started seeing shapes and patterns that helped me to collect them.

This grew into a passion for finding things, a love for the past and archaeology. And eventually when I started studying Egyptology, I realized that seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn't enough. E, finalmente, quando comecei a estudar egiptologia, percebi que ver apenas a olho nu não bastava. Because all of the sudden in Egypt my beach had grown from a tiny beach in Maine to one eight hundred miles long next to the Nile, and my sand dollars had grown to the size of cities. This is really what brought me to using satellite imagery. For trying to map the past, I knew that I had to see differently.

So I want to show you an example of how we see differently using the infrared. This is a site located in the eastern Egyptian delta called Bendix. And the site visibly appears brown, but when we use the infrared and we process it, all of the sudden, using false color, the site appears as bright pink. What you are seeing are the actual chemical changes to the landscape caused by the building materials and activities of the ancient Egyptians.

What I want to share with you today is how we've used satellite data to find an ancient Egyptian city, called Itjtawy, missing for thousands of years. Itjtawy was ancient Egypt's capital for over four hundred years, at a period of time called the Middle Kingdom about four thousand years ago. The site is located in the Faiyum of Egypt and site is really important because in the Middle Kingdom there was this great renaissance for ancient Egyptian art, architecture and religion. Egyptologists have always known the site of Itjtawy was located somewhere near the pyramids of the two kings who built it, indicated within the red circles here, but somewhere within this massive flood plane. 埃及古物学家一直都知道 Itjtawy 的遗址位于建造它的两位国王的金字塔附近的某个地方，在这里用红色圆圈表示，但在这个巨大的洪水平面内的某个地方。 This area is huge -- it's four miles by three miles in size. 这个区域很大——四英里乘三英里。 The Nile used to flow right next to the city of Itjtawy, and as it shifted and changed and moved over time to the east, it covered over the city.

So, how do you find a buried city in a vast landscape? Finding it randomly would be the equivalent of locating a needle in a haystack, blindfolded wearing baseball mitts. Encontrá-lo aleatoriamente seria o equivalente a localizar uma agulha em um palheiro, de olhos vendados, usando luvas de beisebol. So what we did is we used NASA topography data to map out the landscape, very subtle changes. We started to be able to see where the Nile used to flow. Começamos a ver onde o Nilo costumava fluir. But you can see in more detail -- and even more interesting -- this very slight raised area seen within the circle up here, which we thought could possibly be the location of the city of Itjtawy. 但是你可以更详细地看到——甚至更有趣——在上面的圆圈内看到的这个非常轻微的凸起区域，我们认为它可能是 Itjtawy 市的位置。

So we collaborated with the Egyptian scientists to do coring work, which you see here. Então, colaboramos com os cientistas egípcios para fazer o trabalho de retirada do núcleo, que você vê aqui. When I say coring, it's like ice coring, but instead of layers of climate change you're looking for layers of human occupation. Quando digo retirada, é como retirada de gelo, mas em vez de camadas de mudanças climáticas, você procura camadas de ocupação humana. 当我说取芯时，它就像取冰芯，但你不是在寻找气候变化的层次，而是在寻找人类占领的层次。 And five meters down, underneath a thick layer of mud, we found a dense layer of pottery. What this shows is that at this possible location of Itjtawy, five meters down, we have of layer of occupation for several hundred years dating to the Middle Kingdom, dating to the exact period of time we think Itjtawy is. 这表明，在 Itjtawy 这个可能的位置，在五米以下，我们有数百年的占领层可以追溯到中国王国，可以追溯到我们认为 Itjtawy 存在的确切时间段。 We also found work stone -- carnelian, quartz and agate that shows that there was a jewelers workshop here. Também encontramos trabalho em pedra - cornalina, quartzo e ágata que mostra que havia uma oficina de joalheria aqui. These might not look like much, but when you think about the most common stones used in jewelry from the Middle Kingdom, these are the stones that were used.

So, we have a dense layer of occupation dating to the Middle Kingdom at this site. Portanto, temos uma densa camada de ocupação que data para o Reino do Meio neste site. We also have evidence of an elite jewelers workshop, showing that whatever was there was a very important city. No Itjtawy was here yet, but we're going to be returning to the site in the near future to map it out. And even more importantly, we have funding to train young Egyptians in the use of satellite technology so they can be the ones making great discoveries as well. E ainda mais importante, temos fundos para treinar jovens egípcios no uso da tecnologia de satélite, para que eles também possam fazer grandes descobertas.

So I wanted to end with my favorite quote from the Middle Kingdom -- it was probably written at the city of Itjtawy four thousand years ago. Então, eu queria terminar com minha citação favorita do Reino do Meio - provavelmente foi escrita na cidade de Itjtawy, quatro mil anos atrás. "Sharing knowledge is the greatest of all callings. "Compartilhar conhecimento é o maior de todos os chamados. “分享知识是所有召唤中最伟大的。 There's nothing like it in the land." 这片土地上没有这样的东西。” So as it turns out, TED was not founded in 1984 AD. (Laughter) Making ideas actually started in 1984 BC at a not-lost-for-long city, found from above. (Risos) A criação de idéias realmente começou em 1984 aC, em uma cidade não perdida por muito tempo, encontrada de cima. （笑声） 创造想法实际上始于公元前 1984 年，在一个从上方发现的未长期消失的城市。 It certainly puts finding seashells by the seashore in perspective. Certamente coloca em perspectiva encontrar conchas à beira-mar. 它无疑使人们能够正确看待在海边寻找贝壳的问题。 Thank you very much. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause)