All around us, we experience the dizzying speed of technological development, including in the field of archaeology. While archaeologists are often thought of as men and women digging in ruins with a hand trowel, amazing new technologies have revolutionized the discipline in the twenty-first century. Foremost among them is remote sensing, the ability to use machines to see into the ground and observe the faintest traces of past civilizations.
In this book, thirty-one scholars contribute fourteen essays that tell us about the latest technical advances and equipment, and how they can be applied to archaeological research at sites throughout the United States. Case studies take us to Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, where the latest ground penetrating radar reveals underground features in the Chetro Ketl’s fields. In Florida, LiDAR images from high altitude aircraft reveal in great detail the composition of shell mound islands. Remote sensing with electrical resistivity tomography uncovers the contents of the largest mounds in Arkansas.
Remote sensing provides invaluable information without destroying archaeological features. It’s a tool that is growing in its utility every year, and this volume gives the reader the latest information on how it works.
