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‘Over 90% of India’s heritage lies buried and space archaeology can help unearth it, using satellite


American archaeologist and Egyptologist Sarah Parcak, who teaches at the University of Alabama, is a new age Indiana Jones harnessing the power of satellites to discover archaeological sites. She has now tied up with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to use remote sensing to map archaeological sites. Manimugdha S Sharma picks her brain:

What is space archaeology?

It’s a term that describes how archaeologists use diverse remote sensing datasets – from lasers to space-based imaging systems – to map partially to totally invisible ancient features, from small walls to entire cities. Other terms are ‘satellite archaeology’, ‘satellite remote sensing’. You become an archaeologist first.

Why is it needed in India?

India has such an extraordinary and rich heritage, with many thousands of years of occupation. There have been archaeologists using satellites already in India, proving their effectiveness in site detection. They allow sites to be detected rapidly and over large areas, which is an advantage as India’s landscapes are varied and massive. With so many archaeological sites likely to be detected from space, satellites will allow archaeologists to gain an accurate count of sites across India and the modern threats to them, and hopefully some exciting new discoveries.

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