MAPS

Mapping Ancient Egyptian Sites With Gps And Imagery

C. Jason Smith is an associate professor at the City University of New York, LaGuardia and founder of the freelance writing collective Discipline & Publish. Visit www.yale.edu/egyptology/ ae.htm for more information on Yale’s archaeological activities in Egypt.

Hundreds of viper trails covered the sand before them. The Egyptologists could only hope that the serpents themselves were long gone as they made their way off the ancient desert road towards the limestone cliffs.

First to reach the wall, Dr John Coleman Darnell of Yale University, was surprised to find the surface covered with rough hieroglyphic inscriptions in apparently random patterns. What did they mean?

His past experience in the field led Darnell to think the markings were graffiti. The wall was close enough to an ancient campsite to serve as the common latrine for drivers, merchants and guards. The inscriptions, over 500 counted so far, were the ancient equivalent of writing on the bathroom wall. Darnell was the first person to see that graffiti in possibly 5000 years.

Using standard archaeological methods to measure, record and interpret the inscriptions on this wall could be the work of an entire career, by itself. But Professor Darnell’s plan wasn’t to use conventional techniques in this survey. His team was packing a technological edge that would make quick work of this fascinating new find.

When most people think of Egypt, the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, Queen Cleopatra, King Ramses II and, of course, the boy king Tutankhamen, spring to mind. In the popular imagination, thanks to explorers like John Carter and classic films such as The Ten Commandments and Cleopatra, Egypt is renowned as an ancient land of mystery whose roots run back to the foundations of human civilisation. It is the Egyptologists who dedicate themselves to uncovering the hidden past of this glorious land.

An author of several books on Egyptology, including Tutankhamun’s Armies, with Colleen Manassa (J. Wiley and Sons, 2007), Professor Darnell is the co-director of the joint Thebian Desert Road Survey and Yale Toshka Desert Survey.

Darnell’s team is working in a harsh environment in the Western Desert, which lies to the west of the Nile in Egypt, Libya and north western Sudan. About 700,000 square km in area, the temperature can rise to over 40 degrees in the midday heat and drop towards zero at night.

The varied terrain includes shifting sand dunes in the Great Sand Sea that can reach hundreds of metres high, and vast, featureless plains of rock and stony plateaux, some reaching 2000 metres.

Although easy to lose yourself in the vastness of the Western Desert, modern satellite imaging and mobile GPS locators mean it is very unlikely to stray completely off ‘mapped’ terrain. However, Professor Darnell says the archaeological map for the region is still quite bare.

Archaeologists are the most meticulous and versatile of explorers, covering vast distances in a few days or mere inches in a month. Their discoveries can vary from massive temples or burial sites to shards of pottery scattered across an endless desert plain. With enough patience, they might be able to construct a complete urn.

A good archaeologist has lots of patience. Although often backbreaking work on hands and knees with shovels and trowels, or lying on the ground for hours searching for tiny shards of pottery amidst pebbles, bits of bone and offal cast away millennia ago, it can provide a goldmine of information about a past world.

The measuring and recording of sites is one the most tedious jobs for an Egyptologist. Typical methods take an inordinate amount of time and meticulous record keeping, both on-site and in the office. Intensive surveys, for example, involve teams of archaeologists walking slowly side-by-side across a site marking each find with a small flag. Each one is then individually recorded and described in detail. The records are then sent off for later review and interpretation.

The on-site work is only part of the vast machine that records, analyses, and archives thousands of observations, measurements and locations. A massive web of record keeping work surrounds each field expedition and binds them together with the larger archaeological record. Without this detailed work, pieces of the puzzle could be misplaced or misinterpreted resulting in whole sites lost in the vastness of the desert.

A few archaeological expeditions have turned up finds that cannot be placed in the historical record because of unclear record keeping. On the other hand, searching through even the most meticulous of records can be a daunting project.

One such example is the legendary City of Troy records of the Heinrich Schliemann, Wilhelm Dörpfeld, and Carl Blegen expeditions, where new date is still being found since its discovery over 70 years ago.

Archaeologists have to think in three dimensions, which make things more difficult. Generally, the deeper into the ground you go, the further back in history you are seeing. For centuries that work has been accomplished with the same basic technologies: rulers, plum-bobs, photographs and maps.

Lost sites have been rediscovered years later, most recently the King Menkauhor pyramid, relocated after 166 years (German archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius’ reported discovery in 1842 went unconfirmed.)

Darnell was hoping industrial GPS technology could help speed up the process and accuracy of their work.

One logical concern was the learning curve. The professors and their graduate students needed to be able to use the equipment with limited support in the field, as they are the ones who have spent the majority of their lives learning about former cultures and ‘dead’ languages. They’re not professional engineers or surveyors, however their fieldwork does require a specialised understanding of surveying techniques.

In the event, the team went into the field with a Topcon GPT-2005 reflectorless total station. Professors and students underwent training essential to prepare the group for their upcoming expedition.

The team uses the equipment in three ways. First, a lot of time is spent mapping the ancient desert caravan roads that run from Thebaïd to Kharga Oasis. But surveying the road doesn’t only involve drawing lines on the map.

There are ancient campsites and military outposts, some dating back 5000 years, to be identified. That means finding buildings and lots and lots of potshards. Darnell explains: ‘Broken pots were seldom recovered by their original owners, as they were un-reusable. They left them where they fell.’

With the total station, Darnell’s team could place-capture potshards almost instantly. There was no more need for the meticulous record keeping on-site, with GPS technology, a simple point-and-shoot process replaced an immense record keeping apparatus and allowed the Egyptologists to get results very quickly.

They also used the total station to situate the ancient graffiti site – which they named Kom Hefaw, meaning ‘mound of serpents’ – and the specific inscriptions at the sites (over 500 inscriptions so far).

The ability to produce a 3D record, again with a simple point-and-click, saved countless hours of measuring, situating and recording the inscriptions. And they can find their way back to an exact inscription easily.

The total station transformed the archaeologists’ efforts, from laborious manual measurements with tape and plum-bob, allowing for precise measurements in a fraction of the time. They were able to lay in their own specific grid pattern of the site. Even more significantly, the site could be revisited at any later date. This allowed for future expeditions to carry on with the efforts of previous groups.

Darnell has facilitated computerised surveying equipment since 2003. In 2007, he began using a total station – a GPT-7005i – that provides a digital image to correspond with points shot on the ground or a vertical surface, such as a building. It became possible to combine digital imagery and measurement for the first time.

On the ground, the difference was obvious immediately. At Tudenab, the team located an ancient deep well and could produce a 3D digital plan of it practically on-site.

The well was not a complex project, but they had another surprise coming. After assembling their data from the Ghueita Temple site, they were able to generate a 3D model of the temple that could be examined from any angle, whilst sitting in a hotel room in Cairo.

‘We were really surprised,’ said Darnell. ‘We knew it was possible to use the software that way but really never imagined it would be so easy. In the models, you can “walk” right through the building and see the placements of all the major architectural elements. It’s really impressive.’

Using the 3D images – combined with satellite linkages and other technologies – archaeologists from around the world will soon be able to work simultaneously ‘on-site’ from any internet connection.

In the future, Darnell hopes that the GPS technology will continue to help us understand our past and, in so doing, better understand ourselves.

About the Author

Michiel Van Kets writes articles about Surveying & Mapping News for ASM mag. The website offers news on GNSS, spatial info and surveying technologies for mapping ancient sites.

4-06 B North Wall of Bethla Garrison, Final Fantasy Tactics (fft)

Vintage Cram’s Pull Down School Wall Map of North America VIBRANT COLORS $75.00

1839 LARGE WALL MAP NORTH & SOUTH CAROLINA $29.95

New Wholesale Lot 96 Set 2 Maps Posters North & South America Wall Decor $151.47

NORTH+SOUTH TWIN LAKE wood 3d map wall art carving Vilas Co Phelps Wisconsin WI $109.00

NORTH+FAWN LAKE wood 3d map wall art carving gift Sawyer Co Hayward Wisconsin WI $99.00

The Kingfisher Student Atlas: With Wall Map of North America by Philip… $18.98

NORTH DAKOTA GEOLOGY LARGE WALL MAP Coal Petroleum Natual Gas $7.50

1899 BRITISH NORTH BORNEO BRUNEI LARGE WALL MAP $29.95

Vintage National Geographic Wall Map NORTH AMERICA 1998 $5.44

1752 Postlethwayte Wall Map of North America $3,300.00

1855 Jacob Monk Wall Map of North America and the United States $2,750.00

Universal Map Essential Wall Map -North America 28544 $163.99

AUSTRALIA SOUTH NORTH 1904 original antique WALL MAP $28.99

Civil War National Geographic Wall Map USA History America North South teacher $10.99

North America in the Age of the Dinosaurs National Geographic Wall Map Teacher $10.99

North American Indian Native National Geographic Wall Map Teacher Learn history $10.99

Peopling of the Americas National Geographic Wall Map USA histroy North Learn $10.99

Western Migration 1841-1869 National Geographic Wall Map Learn teach North $10.99

Natural hazards of North America National Geographic Wall Map Disasters Teach $10.99

The Two Koreas National Geographic Wall Map Learn Korea North South Teacher $10.99

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $15.78

North Europe Countries Flags-Maps-Wall hanging or Cling $20.52

USA Placemat $4.00 These BrainyMats are designed to teach children more advanced lessons on topics such as U.S. Presidents, state flags, and world geography….

Earth 3D (clouds&topography Maps Come from Earthobervatory/nasa) – 36H x 33W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $51.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

Compass Windrose – 24H x 21W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $33.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

Compass Rose – 18H x 18W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $30.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

United States of America Laminated Wall Map (45 1/4 x 37 1/2) [Wall Map] [Map] $14.91 Crisp, clear text with vibrant colors this laminated map features cities, national boundaries, national capitals, flags and much more. 45 1/4″ x 37 1/2″…

Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of NEW AMSTERDAM MAP, 1661. A description of New Amsterdam, as it was in September from Granger Art on Demand $24.99 Photo Puzzle, NEW AMSTERDAM MAP, 1661. A description of New Amsterdam, as it was in September. NEW AMSTERDAM MAP, 1661. A description of New Amsterdam, as it was in September 1661. Color wood engraving after the original of 1664. Chosen by Granger Art on Demand. 10×14 Photo Puzzle with 252 pieces. Packed in black cardboard box of dimensions 5 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 1 1/5. Puzzle image 5×7 affixed to box to…

North America Primary Classroom Wall Map The North America wall map has a laminated surface, which is markable and washable. The map measures 54-inches by 69-inches and features color coded countries. Details include national capitals, national boundaries, cities, latitude and longitude lines, and mountain peaks. The area of coverage ranges north to the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, south to the Pacific Ocean, Panama, east to the Atlantic Oce…

Universal Map 16783 North and South Carolina Wall Map Roller $226.91 The North and South Carolina StateDetailed Wall Map features durable lamination that is both markable and washable indexing on the face of the map. Details data and information found with this map are:. All state and federal highways. Major waterways. Military installations. Major airports. State universities. Cities and towns. State and parks. Wildlife areas. Colorcoded counties. Points of interest. Dimensions: 67 x 42 .

Universal Map 28544 North America Essential Wall Map Backboard $181.35 The Essential Wall Maps are clear and concise with an enhanced legend and pictorial landform illustrations for intermediate level use. It also shows deserts and wetlands. The inset map locator illustrates the location of each continent in the world. Ideal for fourth though eighth grade the Continent Essential Map Series feature physical features and political boundaries national capitals cities major waterways and latitude / longitude lines. Shaded relief highlights physical features. A world inset map shows the location of each continent. All classroom wall maps are made from heavy duty paper and are laminated with a washable surface and mounted on pulldown spring rollers for convenient classroom storage. These maps are a great way to further students comprehensive view of the world. The North America Continent Map has choice of convenient rails for easy hanging and grip roller for storage and backboard for support. Choice of rails roller or roller with backboard. Laminated. Markable with a dry erase or water soluble marker. Detailed labeling of bodies of water and land mass. Detailed legend and color coding. Includes inset map of the Carribean. Made especially for fourth to eighth grade. Perfect for any wall. Dimensions: 69 x 54 .

Universal Map 16725 North Carolina Wall Map with Backboard $245.13 Colorful and easy to read these wall maps provide educators with a great geographical teaching aid. Color coded for easy reference these maps include hundreds of cities state highways interstate highways waterways mountain ranges and forests. Water based and dry erase markers can be used to enhance any lesson. All classroom wall maps are made from heavy duty paper and are laminated with a washable surface. These maps are a great way to further students comprehensive view of the United States. The State Wall Map is perfect for school or home. North California Wall Map with Backboard. Can be written on with water based or dry erase markers. Includes inset maps of point of interests. Has indexes of cities and counties. Details of cities state highways interstate highways waterways and a mileage chart. Perfect for any classroom. Maryland and Delaware not available on separate maps. Dimensions: 54 x 64 .

Universal Map 27954 North America Advanced Political Wall Map Backboard $181.35 The Advanced Political Map series provides a wealth of valuable information including country and state boundaries as well as capitals major waterways and major cities. Created with legibility in mind these brightly colored maps highlight the world its continents and the United States with detailed cartography. This high quality series is appropriate for grades six through twelve and includes content that meets national and state curriculum standards. Four thematic inset maps enhance the value of the main map. Thematic inset content includes: climate natural vegetation and environment population density per square mile and ethnic diversity and landforms and regions. All classroom wall maps are made from heavy duty paper and are laminated with a washable surface and mounted on pulldown spring rollers for convenient classroom storage. These maps are a great way to further students comprehensive view of the world. The North America map is perfect for school or home and comes on your choice of rails roller or roller with backboard. Choice of rails roller or roller with backboard. Laminated. Markable with a dry erase or water soluble marker. Detailed labeling of bodies of water and land mass. Detailed legend and color coding. Made especially for sixth to twelfth grade. Content meets national and state curriculum standards. Thematic inset maps. Perfect for any wall. Size: 54 x 64 .

Universal Map 24381 North America Primary Wall MapRoller $163.12 North America Primary continent wall map clearly identifies political country boundaries with shaded relief. Highlights physical features of the land. Shows major cities waterways plus longitude/ latitude lines are also included. Each continent map includes a World inset map locator showing the continents location. Durable laminated surface is markable and washable. Measures 54 wide x 69 long.

Universal Map 28543 North America Essential Wall MapRoller $163.12 North America political map; pulldown system mounted on heavy duty spring roller and includes metal backboard for easy wall mounting. This map includes physical features and political boundaries national capitals cities major waterways and longitude/latitude lines. Shaded relief on the map highlights physical features and landforms. Inset highlights location of the continent to World location. Size: 54 x 64 .

Universal Map 27953 North America Advanced Political Wall MapRoller $163.12 Political map of North America by Universal. Multicolored classroom pull down wall map that show political boundaries and national capitols for the continent of North America. New added panels for the political version maps showing thematic maps of Climate Natural Vegetation Populations and Landforms. All pull down maps are markable washable laminated surface. Size: 64 x 54 . Language: English.

Universal Map 26861 North Dakota Wall Map Backboard $245.13 Colorful and easy to read these wall maps provide educators with a great geographical teaching aid. Color coded for easy reference these maps include hundreds of cities state highways interstate highways waterways mountain ranges and forests. Laminated and averaging 54 x 64 water based and dry erase markers can be used to enhance any lesson. State Wall Maps include county and city indexes plus detailed maps of points of interests and a mileage chart. All classroom wall maps are made from heavy duty paper and are laminated with a washable surface. These maps are a great way to further students comprehensive view of the United States. The State Wall Map is perfect for school or home. There are choices of most fifty states combo states and several regions of the United States. Choice of most of the states Connecticut / Rhode Island / Massachussetts Maryland / Delaware North / South Carolina or Washington D.C. Comes on roller with backboard. Laminated. Color coded. Geographical teaching aid. Can be written on with water based or dry erase markers. Includes inset maps of point of interests. Has indexes of cities and counties. Details of cities state highways interstate highways waterways and a mileage chart. Perfect for any classroom. Maryland and Delaware not available on separate maps. Dimensions: 54 H x 64 W.

Universal Map 26087 North America Primary Wall Map Backboard $181.35 Ideal for Kindergarten though third grade the Continent Primary Map Series is perfect for any classroom. Students can easily identify political boundaries country borders landforms capitals major cities waterways and latitude / longitude lines. A world inset map shows the location of each continent. All classroom wall maps are made from heavy duty paper laminated with a washable surface and mounted on pulldown spring rollers for convenient classroom storage. These maps are a great introduction to more comprehensive view of the world. Choice of rails roller or roller with backboard. Laminated. Markable with a dry erase or water soluble marker. Basic labeling of bodies of water and land mass. Large print and bright colors. Made especially for Kindergarten to third grade. Perfect for any wall. Size: 69 x 54 .

Universal Map 16723 North Carolina Wall Map Roller $226.91 Includes all state highways all federal highways cities and towns major waterways major airports state parks state universities military installations points of interest and mileage chart. The map is printed in color and protected by a laminated material that is both markable and washable. Special features include color coded counties and a mileage chart between major cities plus a complete index. There are inset maps of the following: Charlotte Raleigh Fayetteville and WinstonSalem. Framing rails are available on top and bottom for easy wall mounting. Measures: 67 W x 42 H.

Universal Map 28794 North America Advanced Political Deskpad Map Set $209.57 The North America Political Deskpad Map Set (Set = 30) includes additional political detail compared to the Primary Deskpad map series four thematic maps on side B in addition to the testing map. Corresponds with Advanced Political Classroom wall Maps. Side B is unlabeled and perfect for classroom assignments and testing purposes. These heavyduty child friendly maps are laminated with a 5 mm thick durable surface that is markable with a dry erase marker or watersoluble pen. Ideal for public private parochial and home schools. Dimensions: 13 x 18 .