Google Archeology

by Fr. Dale A. Johnson

Today we know more about the ancient world than did the most educated and informed people in the ancient world because of the power of modern technology. Syriac history can benefit from modern technology that makes it possible for the average person to do important world class research. I remember 30 years ago when satellite photos were first becoming available to the academic community. Even then it was very expensive to get photos of the portion of the earth you wanted to see. I still remember the day I saw a satellite photo of San Francisco Bay in an office at Stanford University. Today, satellite imagery is available to everyone almost for free through Google Earth. 

I have taken imagery of the Tur Abdin region in southeast Turkey and studied a region from Midyat to Nisibis. We know there were many monasteries and Syriac communities in this region that have nearly been forgotten. I took a few maps and began to compare them to the satellite photos. The following is a photo of Mor Augin on Mt. Izla, a very important monastery that is off limits to the diocese of Tur Abdin because of security needs of the Turkish government.

I believe we have a tool available to everyone through the internet that can greatly enhance modern investigation of ancient sites. I believe there are five basic purposes to which we can put this technology to use: monitoring, property identification, discovery, effective field work, and measurement. 

Monitoring 

What is important about this technology is that it is possible to monitor important archeological sites without violating local law. One can periodically check the site to observe if any destruction, misuse, or vandalism is occurring. For example we can see when the village of Mor Bobo was confiscated by the Turkish government in the early 1990s that the government damaged many buildings. I personally inspected the village with many saddened and upset villagers. They might have been able to protest the destruction of their village if they had this technology at the time.


Identification of Property

Today many church and village sites are being confiscated by the Turkish government and local officials. The land is in dispute because it is difficult to establish title without occupation of the site. Many families have left for the diaspora and upon return often find squatters in their houses. With the use of Global positioning date, sites could be identified and registered with international courts and agencies. GPS data is available with every photo.

Discovery

Many monasteries and Christian archeological sites can be recovered through aerial investigation. The detail is enough to identify ancient foundations and structures.

Effective Field Work

If one looks closely at this photo you can see a large foundation structure near the center. Hints like this can be followed up with on the ground inspection. Inscriptions and architechtural elements can help identify the structure along with historical maps. By systematical and carefully studying a region such as Tur Abdin one can develop a list of sites to investigate and make field work extremely productive.

Measurement

On top of Mt. Izla is clearly a foundation. This dramatic type of imagery. Is combined with data that makes it possible to measure the structure sizes to within a meter. This data can be then compared with previous researhes. For example Gertrude Bell, Parry, Wigram and others often took measurements of buildings they ran across. Some of these building are difficult to find today and some consider them lost. Ariel recovery and verification of these sites is possible by comparing measurement data. Preliminary field work can be dome with this type of imagery without the expense of on site investigation.

Google earth is free through the internet at googl.eearth.com. You must download software in order to view any region on earth. Once you have the software you have the option of purchasing google earth plus, but this is not necessary. You will notice that the detail varies in each region. For serious academic work I would recommend google earth plus.