Thanks to new research tools, archaeologists have made incredible discoveries in several deserts.
What is hidden in the desert? It’s hard to know: research with surveys on the ground is long and costly. The extreme conditions of this environment also make it a complicated workplace. But you should know that new technologies have been developed in recent years to allow to explore under the sand dunes and they prove to be paid. Opening synthetic radars, remote sensing technology that creates high -resolution images, penetrating obstacles such as ice, vegetation but also sand, are thus used.
These images are then analyzed by AI algorithms, which will recognize specific characteristics of human constructions buried for example, thanks to the data already recorded and from sites previously discovered. This assembly makes it possible to detect unexplored sites.
This technique was experienced in the Dubai desert. The Rub ‘Al Khali is so extensive, 650,000 km², and inhospitable that it was only little explored. If the city is known for its modernity and extravagance, not far from it hides a completely different secret. Researchers at Khalifa University of Abu Dhabi, whose results were published in Geoscienceshave discovered traces of human activity dating back 5000 years. These were in particular former establishments and roads that were uncovered by this technology. Excavations are then planned in the identified areas to confirm the speed of radars.
In Mongolia, in the Gobi desert, thousands of potential medieval sites, which would have been difficult to find in the field, were also identified along the Silk Road. Archaeologists can also map old commercial networks. These results show that old civilizations manage to make deserts of dynamic activity centers and therefore to adapt to this hostile environment. This also proves that the Arabian Peninsula was populated at the Bronze Age.
“Discovering these sites without excavations is like opening hidden chapters of history. It offers new exciting perspectives on the way in which ancient civilizations have adapted to these conditions,” commented Maria Gonzalez, archaeologist participating in the project. The use of this radar and AI is complex and costly but represents an impressive time saving and can promote the exploration of deserts around the world.