Description
Book SynopsisPopular culture is rife with movies, books, and television shows that address our collective curiosity about what the world was like long ago. From historical dramas to science fiction tales of time travel, audiences love stories that reimagine the world before our time. But what if there were a field that, through the advancements in technology, could bring us closer to the past than ever before? Written by a preeminent expert in geospatial archaeology, Maps for Time Travelers is a guide to how technology is revolutionizing the way archaeologists study and reconstruct humanity's distant past. From satellite imagery to 3D modeling, today archaeologists are answering questions about human history that could previously only be imagined. As archaeologists create a better and more complete picture of the past, they sometimes find that truth is stranger than fiction.
Trade Review"[A] cogent survey of the geospatial technological advances over the last few decades. . . . [and] an engaging introduction, for the general reader, to the very nature of archaeological research." * Geography Realm *
"[An] impassioned study written to change popular perceptions of archaeology." * Nature *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Part I
1 Historical Curiosity
2 Finding Things Out
Part II
3 Views from Above
4 Scans of the Planet
5 Digital Worlds
Part III
6 Retracing Our Steps: Migration, Mobility, and Travel
7 Food and Farms: How Our Ancestors Fed Themselves
8 Living in the Past: Reverse Engineering Ancient Societies
Conclusion
9 Archaeology as Time Machine
Glossary
Notes
References
Index
