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When reading about archaeologists, many people imagine people in dusty boots with tassels in their hands. But now they are more like super spies with amazing gadgets. We talk about the latest technologies from their arsenal
LiDAR (lidar, light detecting and ranging) stands for “detection and ranging through light” – an analogue of a radar, only we are talking about light, not sound waves. Using this technology, scientists scan an area of the earth, study the reflection time of a laser pulse from the surface, and obtain a detailed three-dimensional virtual terrain model. Most often, the lidar is attached to the board of an aircraft, helicopter, or is part of an industrial drone. From above, lasers can locate ruins under dense forest canopies, pinpoint tiny surface anomalies such as burials, or map underwater terrain. So, in 2020, using lidar, more than 35 settlements dating back to 1300–1700 AD were discovered in the Amazon rainforest.
Isotopic analysis describing the life of ancient people
By the content of isotopes (atoms of the same chemical element with different masses of nuclei) in teeth, nails, hair and clothes, one can determine where a person lived, how he ate, what he was ill with and where he died. So, archaeologists have restored the lifestyle of a Bronze Age woman known as the “Girl from Egtved”: analysis showed that about 3 years ago, shortly before her death, she traveled a lot on the mainland, and sometimes there was a lack of protein in her diet.
Using the same methods, scientists described the diet and movements of the English king Richard III. For example, towards the end of his life, the amount of oxygen isotopes in his rib increased, but the king did not move during this time. The researchers suggest that the changes may be caused by frequent feasting and excessive drinking of wine.
Robots to explore dangerous places and ancient weapons
Stanford University engineers have developed a compact snake-like robot equipped with a camera Vinebot. It helps explore underground tunnels without disturbing ancient structures or endangering human lives. The robot can walk through narrow passages, increase its original length by 100 times, and even climb walls without contact with the surface.
Another curious device is the LBR iiwa robotic arm. It helps archaeologists determine how Stone Age tools might have been used. Previously, scientists did it manually: they took a copy of the tool and for several hours acted on it in dozens of different ways (beating, cutting, scratching, and so on). The sample was then placed under a microscope to compare the wear marks with the marks on the original. Now all this is done automatically by the LBR iiwa robot.
Archaeologists use robots not only to access difficult places or for routine tasks, but also to determine the gait of extinct animals. So, scientists from the EPFL laboratory in Berlin, using fossil and fossilized footprints, recreated the movements of orobats, herbivorous reptilian amphibians.
Artificial intelligence to study ancient games
Scholars often find elements of old board games, such as boards and figurines, but instructions are not included. For example, the ancient Egyptian game with the movement of chips “Senet” remained without clearly formulated rules. Historians have tried to piece together hieroglyphic clues and fundamental cultural knowledge, but mistranslations, transcription errors, and false assumptions have only spawned many conflicting speculations.
To solve this problem, scientists at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands have developed an algorithm that helps analyze and reconstruct ancient games. The process begins with the fact that the game is divided into ludems (units of game information) – the number of participants, the movement of the pieces, the criteria for winning. The researchers then look for similar components in already known rules, and then load all the collected ludemes into the Ludii program. The algorithm takes care of the routine part: it runs thousands of games over the course of several hours, testing the hypotheses of scientists. So, for example, the rules of the game “58 holes”, which was popular in the second and first millennium BC, became known.
Digital Twins to Protect Valuable Artifacts
Archaeologists create highly detailed 3D models of archaeological sites that can be viewed online and used to create replicas. The basis of the object is fixed with a 3D scanner, and the appearance of the “digital twin” is formed from high-quality images. Thanks to this technology, scientists from all over the world can download a replica of the artifact and study it without endangering the fragile and light-sensitive original. It also opens up access to virtual exhibitions. For example, back in 2017, the British Museum published a 3D model of the Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian stele with a sacred text carved on it, dated to 196 BC.
Neural networks that analyze fragments of images
In 1988, the French scientist Jan LeCun proposed a new type of neural network – a convolutional network. It is created in the likeness of the visual cortex of the brain and is able to effectively recognize images. Today, this mathematical model helps archaeologists quickly process huge amounts of data, such as analyzing thousands of satellite images of ruins and bone fragments, or detecting sunken ships from sonar images. Thus, archaeologist-researcher Gino Kaspari from the Swiss National Science Foundation used a neural network to search for Scythian tombs in the territory of modern our country, Mongolia and China.
The neural network sees the image as an array of pixels and assigns each of them a rating based on color and brightness. After that, the network analyzes the groups of pixels and looks for matches with the data on which it was trained. As a result, the Caspari program correctly recognized the tombs in the images in 98% of cases.
Another neural network learned to analyze fragments of pottery. The ArchAIDE app for tablets and smartphones allows archaeologists to take photographs of ceramics during excavations and compare them with images in printed catalogs of archives and libraries. This helps scientists quickly classify ceramic shape, style, and dies.