Sarah Parcak: Archaeology from Space

Sarah Parcak discusses her new book, Archaeology From Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past.

Praise for Archaeology From Space

“This book is so much more than the memoir of a dedicated archaeologist—it’s an open invitation for all of us to become explorers. She has pioneered crowd source archaeology, and shows how we can join her on the adventures of discovery that we’ve always dreamed about.” —Peter Jackson, Academy Award-winning director

“Divining clues about what’s hidden beneath the earth from satellites high above, Parcak takes the reader on a worldwide adventure through our shared and ancient past. With delightful wit, infectious wonder, and a big dose of wisdom about where we’re headed, she offers anyone with a computer the chance to become a virtual Indiana Jones.” —Juli Berwald, author of Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone

“Part memoir, part pop-history, Sarah Parcak’s writing bursts with enthusiasm and illuminates her pioneering research that seems more like science fiction than the hard science it is. Reading this book makes me want to become a space archaeologist!”—Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh paleontologist and author of the New York Times bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

About Archaeology From Space

National Geographic Explorer and TED Prize-winner Dr. Sarah Parcak welcomes you to the exciting new world of space archaeology, a growing field that is sparking extraordinary discoveries from ancient civilizations across the globe.

In Archaeology from Space, Sarah Parcak shows the evolution, major discoveries, and future potential of the young field of satellite archaeology. From surprise advancements after the declassification of spy photography, to a new map of the mythical Egyptian city of Tanis, she shares her field’s biggest discoveries, revealing why space archaeology is not only exciting, but urgently essential to the preservation of the world’s ancient treasures.

Parcak has worked in twelve countries and four continents, using multispectral and high-resolution satellite imagery to identify thousands of previously unknown settlements, roads, fortresses, palaces, tombs, and even potential pyramids. From there, her stories take us back in time and across borders, into the day-to-day lives of ancient humans whose traits and genes we share. And she shows us that if we heed the lessons of the past, we can shape a vibrant future.