UAB archaeologist Sarah Parcak wins $1 million TED Prize to fight looting with satellites

UAB archaeologist Sarah Parcak is sometimes described as a modern day Indiana Jones. 

However, instead of a whip, satellites are Parcak's weapon of choice for protecting the world's cultural treasures from looters.

Parcak's innovative work has now won her a 2016 TED Prize and with it a $1 million grant to develop the program of her choice.

"Sarah Parcak has helped locate 17 potential pyramids in Egypt. She's also identified 3,100 forgotten settlements and 1,000 lost tombs, plus made major discoveries throughout the Roman Empire,"' the award citation states.

"Parcak will reveal a big idea to take her work to the next level on February 16, 2016 at the annual TED Conference. In a session that will be broadcast for free to the world, she'll reveal a wish to allow curious minds everywhere to play a part in preserving our global heritage. It's a wish about the wonders of archaeological discovery and our connection to the past."

It will be the next step in a career that has thrust her onto the international stage.

"A satellite archaeologist, Parcak analyzes infrared imagery collected from far above the Earth's surface and identifies subtle changes that signal a manmade presence hidden from view. She aims to make invisible history visible once again — and to offer a new understanding of the past," the TED website states.

"By satellite-mapping Egypt and comparing sites over time, she's noted a 1,000 percent increase in looting since 2009 at major ancient sites. It's likely that millions of dollars worth of ancient artifacts are stolen each year. Parcak hopes that, through mapping, unknown sites can be protected to preserve our rich, vibrant history."

Parcak, the founder of UAB's Laboratory for Global Observation, told The New York Times in an article that appeared on Sunday that the theft of artifacts is increasingly tied to other crimes, such as drug trafficking, and is even funding terrorism.

Ali Ahmed, director general of the repatriation department of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, told The Times Parcak's work has helped uncover the extent of looting there and what has been lost.

"Through the work of Sarah we try to record the looting sites on satellite imagery to support our inquiries. We have many examples of artifacts that were already saved and cataloged from right near the looted sites — so we know what kinds of artifacts are being looted, and we are starting to list them in a database," Ahmed said.

Parcak in 2014 explained to TED Ideas how space archaeology works and why it is so important.

"Archaeologists have used aerial photographs to map archaeological sites since the 1920s, while the use of infrared photography started in the 1960s, and satellite imagery was first used in the 1970s," Parcak said.

"Today, space archaeology is fairly standard practice. Conventional excavation and survey are crucial to confirm any satellite imagery findings, but analyzing the images saves time and money and allows projects to focus on specific locations at archaeological sites....

"I don't think there is one single thing I've found that I consider spectacular. But what I do think is amazing is that the imagery analysis has shown us that we only know about a tiny fraction of sites and features in ancient Egypt.

"Think about all of the huge questions we have not been able to ask due to a dearth of data: about the rise and collapse of ancient Egypt or how and why the Nile River changed over time. Our entire picture of ancient Egypt will be totally different in 25 years."

The grant is only the latest recognition of Parcak's work.

In 2011, her work was spotlighted in a BBC documentary, "Egypt's Lost Cities." In 2012, she was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and a TED fellow.

Source: UAB archaeologist Sarah Parcak wins $1 million TED Prize to fight looting with satellites