Satellite Images Reveal Lost Eqyptian Sites

A new satellite survey of Egypt using infrared sensors with submeter resolution has revealed thousands of tombs and settlements that are buried under silt in the Nile Delta region. A team, led by Egyptologist Dr. Sarah Parcak, Ph.D. is using the imagery to locate future excavation sites. The infrared band of the spectrum enables analysts to distinguish building materials from the surrounding soil. This image forms a streetmap of the ancient city of Tanis - a much larger city than many people expected to see.

Is that the world's first expressway cloverleaf in the northwest corner?

For a regional perspective use this BBC map.

The imagery also reveals where and when sites have been looted so authorities can be on the lookout for antiquities that appear for sale. More details and a video can be found on the BBC and a program, Egypt's Lost Cities will be aired Monday on BBC One. 

Map of the Week 112-Happy Valentines Day from Egypt!

I was working on a google maps project for my job when I started drifting off to other areas of the world. I got mesmerized by the aerial view (bottom right) of a section of the Nile River near Luxor (Al Uqsur) near the bottom of the map below. I decided to try making a quilt a la Nikolas Schiller. The quilt came out OK but on further review, I decided it would make a nice Valentine's Day heart. So enjoy this content-free Valentine's card from Map of the Week!

Map of the Week 111- Anchors Away!

Last Wednesday off the coast of Egypt, a ship's anchor severed some cables limiting internet access to 75 million people, primarily in Egypt, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This has had significant impacts on the high tech economy in India and on western companies that have outsourced their tech support there. This story appeared in the Guardian along with the map below of undersea internet connections and lots of hand-wringing about the world's fragile infrastructure.


If you want an even more detailed map of the world's internet infrastructure and feel like spending $250 then take a click on the map below.