6 Sep 2016

Discovering ancient tombs by computer

From Afternoons, 3:10 pm on 6 September 2016

Lost in the sands of time there are thousands of undiscovered ancient settlements, burial sites and even pyramids that may help unlock secrets of our past.

Dr Sarah Parcak is known around the world for making new archaeological discoveries and she does most of it from a computer in her office at the University of Alabama.

She's helped to catch grave robbers and antiquity thieves all from her computer at the University of Alabama.  

Using satellite technology she analyses infra-red imagery that sometimes reveal burial sites and settlements that have remained secret for thousands of years.  

With a $1 million TED Talk grant, she is using mapping technology to try and protect historical sites and catch looters - and is getting citizen scientists involved.