Photo: Google Earth, Satellite Maps Boost Armchair Archaeology

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


The outline of an ancient Roman villa can be seen clearly in a farmer's field in this 1979 aerial shot. The complex's stone and cement walls are about 23 inches (60 centimeters) below the surface, but their presence affects crops' ability to grow in the soil above them.

Such "negative crop marks" are just one of the clues experts and amateurs alike can now seek from the comfort of their computer desks when viewing satellite images via the popular desktop globe Google Earth.

Photograph courtesy Scott Madry

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.