The site, which has been named Valeriana, owes its discovery to lidar technology — which involves pulses of light from a plane or helicopter and creating a 3D map based on how quickly the pulses return to the sensor.
It’s not quite an Indiana Jones adventure, and involves no encounters with secret agents and cursed treasure. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less thrilling. The discovery of a centuries-old city, mere minutes away from the Mexican town of Xpujil, has electrified archaeologists, not least because of the complete accident that led them to it. A PhD student was browsing online when he happened upon a survey conducted by a Mexican organisation for environmental monitoring. As he processed the data, on the screen before him opened up an entire city of the Maya civilisation.
The site, which has been named Valeriana, owes its discovery to lidar technology — which involves pulses of light from a plane or helicopter and creating a 3D map based on how quickly the pulses return to the sensor. Used widely in urban mapping projects and geological hazard management, in the last decade, Lidar has emerged as the tool of choice for archaeologists working in the thick jungles of Central America, enabling them to uncover ancient ruins within days — a far cry from when excavation meant long months, even years, armed only with machetes (to hack through the thick tangle of vegetation), trowels and shovels.
The circumstances in which Valeriana was discovered is important for another reason, as well. It vindicates all those who, through sheer boredom, spend hours on the internet, going through page after page of online content. Serendipity matters for seekers of ancient ruins and other treasures. Consider how the Lascaux cave paintings were discovered in 1940 by three teenagers who were simply exploring a hole in the ground with their dog. Or, how a Welsh farmer, digging his field, uncovered a Roman fort in August this year. In hours of ennui, when there is little to engage the mind, the story of the student who accidentally discovered an ancient city in the depths of a Google search result, can be just as inspiring.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 01-11-2024 at 01:30 IST
