Satellites help archaeologists discover ancient sites
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In 1992, a team supported by NASA used Landsat satellite imagery and radar from the space shuttle to investigate ancient routes in Oman, a country in the Arabian Peninsula.
The researchers focused on the area near Shisr and ultimately discovered a fortified trading site linked to the ancient city of Ubar. The work demonstrated that satellites could detect large-scale patterns over vast areas, helping archaeologists pinpoint locations for further investigation. This approach did not involve photographing buried cities directly.
Instead, the team used remote sensing to find unusual features, compared them to existing historical and environmental data, and then confirmed their findings through on-the-ground excavation. The success in Oman established a model still used today for archaeological work with satellites. Researchers first observe areas from space, identify potential anomalies, analyze them in context, and then verify their interpretations with fieldwork. This process allows them to efficiently search large regions and focus resources on promising sites.
