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September 2011, Cover Stories, Discoveries

Archaeology's New Frontier

By Dan McLerran   Sun, Sep 11, 2011

Archaeology in space? It sounds a bit contradictory. They don't seem to mix. But recent developments show us otherwise, from discovering the outlines of ancient lost cities with the eyes of a satellite to efforts to secure the priceless material heritage of humankind's venture beyond the planet.

It has been over four decades since men first walked upon the moon. Tranquility Base, silent and untouched since the historic landing on July 20, 1969, remains exactly as it was left -- every footprint as pristine as it was when first made, every element of hardware in place exactly where it was left seconds after astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin launched from the lunar surface to return to lunar orbit. This is the legacy that the moon's vacuum bestows upon every object left behind on its surface. In time, if in the future people and machines continue to go to the moon, there could be hundreds of such sites pockmarking the lunar surface, physical remains frozen in time exactly as they were left, almost perfectly preserved for the view of space tourists visiting hundreds of years from now. It will be illegal for you to disturb any of this stuff, as it may also be illegal for future corporations to build new stations or other structures over these places, resulting in possible destruction. This might seem a little "out there" for some, but remember the science fiction works of Jules Verne? They were certainly "out there" when they were written in the 19th century. Not so much today.

Jumping to a different track........We read now about ancient lost cities, ancient canals, ancient roads and other structures being discovered through the remote sensing capabilities of satellites. These new eyes have become a revelatory and game-changing new tool in the hands of archaeologists and other scientists. Identifying sites and ancient landscapes from hundreds of miles up in space is becoming an important element in the archaeological survey process, as well as a tool in the hands of preservationists for the protection of endangered archaeological sites around the world.

So what does being careful about historic places on the moon and seeing hidden lost cities from two hundred miles up have in common? 

The common denominator, of course, is SPACE, and all things archaeological as they relate to this dimension may be coming together under a pioneering new field called Space Archaeology. It is legitimate. There is a whole division at the U.S. space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, under that heading. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to it. At least several articles related to the emerging new subject have been published recently in popular journals. But it is still in the process of being defined, and individuals may differ regarding what the field should entail. 


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By Dan McLerran

Dan McLerran

As Founder and Editor of Popular Archaeology Magazine, Dan is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in archaeology.  He studied anthropology and archaeology in undergraduate and graduate school and has been an active participant on archaeological excavations in the U.S. and abroad.  He is the creator and administrator of Archaeological Digs, a popular weblog about archaeological excavation and field school opportunities.  

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