Among her many roles, Sarah Parcak is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, founding director of the Laboratory for Global Health Observation (LGHO), and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. As an Egyptologist, Parcak studies the archaeology—culture and history—of ancient Egypt, a civilization in northeastern Africa lasting from 3200 BCE to about 400 CE. Since her research includes the use of satellite imagery and remote sensing/GIS (geographic information system) technologies to locate and map her study sites, she is also known as a satellite, or space, archaeologist. The scientific field of space archaeology is fairly new and one that Parcak helped pioneer. She is credited with being the first Egyptologist to use satellite imaging to identify new archaeological sites in Egypt. By mapping the past more quickly and at a higher resolution (more detailed) and broader scale, archaeologists are better equipped to find, study, and preserve ancient sites and the human history they contain.
GIS and remote sensing methods, including satellite and infrared imaging, are used to gather and display information about the Earth's surface from a distance. Satellite imaging makes use of the properties of different types of light waves, which occur along a spectrum according to their wavelengths and energy. Visible light waves are those that humans can see with the unaided eye. Infrared light waves have longer wavelengths and lower energy than visible light waves, so humans cannot see them without specialized equipment. In satellite imaging, the amount of infrared and visible light energy reflected back from the surface of Earth is recorded and then converted into an electronic signal used to produce a visual or thermal image. By analyzing the information contained in these images, scientists like Parcak can interpret and map what lies on and just below the Earth’s surface.
As an Egyptologist, Parcak’s focus is on using these satellite images to locate buried temples, tombs, roads, and even entire cities that were once part of ancient Egyptian civilization. By using satellite imaging technology, Parcak can survey archaeological sites on a much broader scale and focus her excavation efforts, which saves her team money, time, and resources. Parcak’s data predict that less than one percent of ancient Egypt has been discovered and excavated. According to Parcak, the technologies of the future (GIS, remote sensing, satellite imaging) are essential tools for mapping the past and saving ancient history before it is gone. This is why Parcak approaches her career as an archaeologist with such passion. She wants to help reveal and preserve human history to help humans better understand who they are and why they are here.
