Submitted by: Ayana. K.

Registration No: 1201010342

CHS, M.A, ANC, Semester 2

Subject: Theories, Methods and Practices in Archaeology

Course Instructor: Supriya Varma

Date of Submission: 26/4/2020

Discuss the multiple facets of the still

evolving field of satellite archaeology.
 The Archaeology with the study of past remains accommodate numerous fields ranging
from the levels of social sciences to the sciences for the better understanding of the culture. A
pre- notion existed among the scholarly circle that zoned the particular science for the ancient or
medieval period. In contrast to that the studies are also made based on the formation of the
modern landscapes. The requirement for the physical study made this particular field inspirable
for a bunch of adventurists. The style of excavation changed overtime with the use of available
technology and also by the coordination of experts from numerous specializations. An
archaeological item is not only the object of material value but also the indicator of the cultural
evolution of a particular culture and thus helps raising the new questions. The science is
witnessing a revolutionary stage by the use of satellites, Global Positioning system and the
remote sensing technology. The application of these technologies had helped in the development
of archaeology in numerous ways along with the reconstruction of a particular site by the 3D
technology. Although there are certain factors which contributed to the bad effects such as
looting and the establishment of black markets for artefacts in the international level. This
tutorial is to explain regarding the multiple facets of the still evolving Satellite Archaeology.

The application of the satellites in Archaeology evolved from a series of developments.

The initial phase witnessed the photography of a terrain using the cameras fixed in air Balloons
and it was transformed into satellite photography. The development in Satellite and the Remote
sensing techniques developed independent from the field of Archaeology and later integrated to
the subject. Different features that was present in the terrain is used to detect the presence of the
material remains underneath. The cropmarks that is the variations in the growth of the crops,
chemical composition etc. are widely used. These different features underneath earth from the
satellite imagery can be detected by using different kind of lights in these photos and assessing
the reflection. The advantages and the disadvantages of a particular satellite imagery varies from
one another. The most widely used Satellite types are the Landsat, Aster, Ikonos and Quick bind
Imagery, LIDAR and the different kind of thermal sensors. Acknowledging the peculiar
disadvantages, the archaeological study might be done by the merging of the Aerial photography
with the satellite imagery.

The natural and the human made landscapes determines the excavation and the
archaeological study of the social complexities of a particular region. The majority of
archaeological remains and features are hidden from view, whether buried underground by
environmental processes (e.g. ancient river courses, old lakes, field boundaries), covered over by
modern towns (e.g. Rome or in Greece), or by modern vegetation (e.g. forests covering
settlements in Europe) (Parcak 2009: 1). Thus the archaeology allowed the holistic landscape
reconstruction, by enabling the detection and assessment of invisible sites and features (Parcak
2009: 5). There are numerous factors that influenced the landscape. Every landscape is different,
depending on weather, climatic conditions, population density, seasonality, and innumerable
additional environmental and anthropogenic factors. Similar things affect satellite imagery
(Parcak 2009: 113) which also led to the categorization of the landscapes based on factors like
Settlements, linking features, water management systems, features temporary and border,
installations, agricultural features, mortuary features, religious structures, and ceremonial
installations (Parcak 2009: 116). The surveys in the urban areas face major challenges due to the
presence of the remains from modern construction like layers of concrete, piping, and wires
(Parcak 2009: 120). The difficulties and the problems of the archaeological survey using the
satellites varies from one type of landscape to another and the appropriate satellite type is used
according to this issues and more than two satellite types are used in the transition zone between
two landscapes. For an example, different types of satellites are used in the region which shows
the composite features of the rural are and the urban area. The material durability and the
material used for a particular construction is also another important element that helps in the
detection of a particular archaeological remain. A mudbrick structure preserved in an ancient
layered settlement in Egypt above the floodplain will be easier to detect from space than the
same type of structure in a still-active, low-lying floodplain area (Parcak 2009: 132). The LIDAR
is used in the Mayan civilization and the dense forest landscape and was successful in the
mapping of more than 60,000 previously unknown buildings (Parcak 2019). The Remote sensing
technique in the study of the sites associated with Indus Valley Civilization has helped in the
discovery of the lost Gagger Hakhra River. The study of the early ancestors from the Turkana
Basin in Kenya is initially mainly depended upon the fossil remains that was the result of the
erosional processes. Although with the aid of high-resolution maps, created by hyperspectral
cameras, showing exactly where other fossils might emerge, would better target their search
(Parcak 2019). The underwater Archaeology is the field in which need to emphasize due to the
importance in the study of submerged cultures and various ship wrecks. There are certain
complications in the use of satellites in the underwater archaeology due to the reflection of light
from the water surfaces and the movement of water. Although certain developments in the
underwater archaeology like the ocean drones like the OpenROV, 72 a briefcase-sized machine
that anyone can purchase and use (Parcak 2019) helps in the study of the deeper waters for
wrecks and sites submerged as the result of earthquakes or higher water levels (Parcak 2019).
The question of the decline of different cultures is one of the important question elaborately
explained by the Archaeologists. The content of iron is used to detect the water availability of a
particular period. A series of deep core samples revealed a lens of iron hydroxides, mineral
residues left by intense dryness in floodplain soils. Plants absorb iron to grow, but in a period of
drought, the struggling vegetation cannot absorb nutrients, and the iron remains in the soil
(Parcak 2019). Thus by studying the material remains from different layers, the material and
cultural peculiarity of a particular period is assessed along with the resource management
according to the natural conditions.

The cost of the archaeology is an important topic for discussion while studying the satellite
archaeology. The funding for most of the archaeological project comes from the government,
Non- profit organizations and private sponsors. There are certain economic limitations faced by
archaeologists due to the lack of funding. The use of Remote sensing Techniques in Archaeology
will lead to both contradictory situations. At first, the use of satellite imagery will help the
Archaeologist to reduce the surface area for the excavation. There will be high chances of
identifying the accurate portion for the excavation. Although at the same time, certain satellites
are costly comparing to other satellite types. These high costly satellite imageries make it
impossible for the projects which lacks adequate financial funding. Sarah Parcak in her studies
discuss about the Norse settlements in America elaborate about an example in which the initial
findings gave evidence of a possible Norse settlement. Although later from a more specialized
research it turned out be a peculiar kind of soil formation. Thus the satellite imagery is not that
accurate. So that an intensive ground survey is necessary in order to avoid the forthcoming losses
in human efforts and material prospects. The use of new technology and more advancement
might help to resolve this issue.

The extensive use of technology in the survey of the site might also help the looters to
detect more sites and also the further looting. UNESCO with the help of certain archaeologists
and collaborating with certain government agencies are working for the preservation and
conservation of particular sites from looting. The Shuttle Radar Topography and certain online
platforms are used to identify the sites that are destroyed by looting. The extent of looting is
depended upon the political and the economical characteristics of a country of a particular site.
The war and the insecurity emergency issues that was formed due to the condition play an
important role in the looting and the presence of demand in international market accelerate this
process. Until heritage is a global priority, and the international illegal antiquities markets are
shut down in Switzerland, Japan, and in well-known international auction houses, the destruction
of archaeological and cultural remains will remain an unfortunate byproduct of war (Parcak
2009: 217). For an example, during the period of Arab Spring Egypt witnessed a very serious
threat of looting. In order to eliminate this material depreciation there should be an ethical
understanding regarding the hierarchies that exists among the different layers of looting. There
should be proper awareness programs among the surrounding areas. For an example, the towns
like Luxor is considered to be friendly for the Archaeological excavations. Monuments People, a
force of millions, of all ages, across the globe, mapping high-resolution imagery, finding sites,
identifying looting, and sharing that data with governments and archaeologist (Parcak 2019). The
establishment of a tourist town with the economic benefits for the local population encourages
the natives to protect the cultural heritage. Although the regions like Egypt with a large number
of archaeological sites gives the evidence of tourists who are more interested in large important
sites which will lead to the concentration of the tourist activities only to certain areas. Although
the establishment of market groups and the self-help groups will help in the alleviation of the
poverty. The collaboration can be made between the archaeologists and the public with the help
of the interaction of technology and the satellite imagery to help in the discovery of new
archaeological sites and the extent of looting. The vast tract of land and the numerous cross-
checking makes these archaeological works complicated to the archaeologists. Thus the game
like simulation will simplify the archaeological research with the aid of public. The platforms
like Global Explorer is an example. By building an online citizen-science platform and training a
21st-century army of global explorers, we’ll find and protect the world’s hidden heritage, which
contains clues to humankind’s collective resilience and creativity (Parcak 2019).

As an academic field, Satellite archaeology have the challenges just like any other field.
The gender conflicts exists in a field like archaeology in which that is mostly limited to the male
gender. Although due to the transformations in the earlier conventions had led to the increase in
the number of females in the field along with a more serious study in the gender archaeology.
The class is the other challenge. The access to the archaeology along with the satellites imagery
is mainly limited to the economically privileged group from the first world countries. In order to
solve this issue, initiative should be taken among the young population of the third world
countries with the technological support to a more intensified learning about the exploration and
excavation of the regional archaeological sites with the help of satellite imagery. The political
condition of a country also influences the Archaeology of a region. The emergency and the war
like conditions in the countries will encourage the native population for looting in order to cope
up with the impoverishments. These political sensitive regions impose restrictions upon the use
of satellite imageries in the military occupied regions. There are some zones which is reserved as
the areas not permitted to the excavation activities due to the military reasons. These are some of
the challenges faced by the Archaeology using the satellite technology.

The technological advancement is influencing and revolutionizing the most of streams and
the use of modern technology in archaeology is recent one. The technological advancement is a
dynamic phenomenon rather than a static one. This application will lead to new questions in the
field of archaeology. The collaboration between the genetic studies and the robotics will ease the
time and the human capital spent for the archaeology. Although use of robotics in Archaeology
may affect the employment opportunities available in these countries which may also triggers the
looting. Altogether the study of Archaeology by acknowledging and applying had revolutionized
the study of the past and antiquities. The remote sensing techniques and the development is used
in the surveying and the exploration of the past remains. The Next development in the satellite
archaeology will be done with the aid of the researches undertaking in the fields of genetics and
artificial intelligence. This will help in the surveying with the reduced material and human
capital. Although a research method and the ethics should be constructed with the help of the
analysis of class, regional and political characteristics of a particular region. The major
developments can also be witnessed to visualize a particular site in 3D with the help of satellite
imagery and the integration of all the information in sites like the Harvard 3D sites like Digital
Giza.

Bibliography
Parcak, S. H. (2009). Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology. London and New York: Routledge.

Parcak, S. H. (2019). Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes our Past. New York: Henry Holt.