Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology

Sarah H. Parcak

Mar 2009 · Routledge

About this ebook

This handbook is the first comprehensive overview of the field of satellite remote sensing for archaeology and how it can be applied to ongoing archaeological fieldwork projects across the globe. It provides a survey of the history and development of the field, connecting satellite remote sensing in archaeology to broader developments in remote sensing, archaeological method and theory, cultural resource management, and environmental studies. With a focus on practical uses of satellite remote sensing, Sarah H. Parcak evaluates satellite imagery types and remote sensing analysis techniques specific to the discovery, preservation, and management of archaeological sites.

Case studies from Asia, Central America, and the Middle East are explored, including Xi’an, China; Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Egypt’s floodplains. In-field surveying techniques particular to satellite remote sensing are emphasized, providing strategies for recording ancient features on the ground observed from space. The book also discusses broader issues relating to archaeological remote sensing ethics, looting prevention, and archaeological site preservation. New sensing research is included and illustrated with the inclusion of over 160 satellite images of ancient sites.

With a companion website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415448789) with further resources and colour images, Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology will provide anyone interested in scientific applications to uncovering past archaeological landscapes a foundation for future research and study.

Ratings and reviews

Hopelessly out-of-date and filled with technical errors on the fundamentals of remote sensing. The book's author is a first class archaeologist, but is not a remote sensing expert by any measure. There are far too many errors of omission (i.e., LIDAR) and commission (i.e., infrared) to mention here. The book is also filled with unnecessary photographs and the paperback version has black and white satellite images which are useless as half-tones. The author stresses the value of ground verification of satellite imagery, yet she ignored her own advice. She announced that she'd "discovered" 17 pyramids and thousands of tombs and buried settlement in Egypt before she had any solid physical evidence. There are many more up-to-date texts on remote sensing applications in archaeology available and most are written by experts in remote sensing.