Archeology from space | Sarah Parcak

Translator: Jenny Zurawell

Translator: Alan Watson Reviewer: Ben Kwan

When I was a child growing up in Maine,

我從小喺緬因州長大

one of my favorite things to do

細個嗰時我最愛做嘅一件事 就係到海邊執海錢

was to look for sand dollars on the seashores of Maine,

because my parents told me it would bring me luck.

因為父母話執到海錢會帶嚟好運

But you know, these shells, they're hard to find.

但要知道海錢好難搵

They're covered in sand, they're difficult to see.

佢哋畀沙遮住，好難被發現

However, over time, I got used to looking for them.

只不過，一段時間之後 我已經識點樣搵到佢哋

I started seeing shapes

我開始憑形狀同紋理嚟搵佢哋

and patterns that helped me to collect them.

This grew into a passion for finding things,

我因此開始熱愛尋寶

a love for the past and archaeology.

亦迷上咗研究事物嘅過去同學習考古學

And eventually, when I started studying Egyptology,

終於，喺我開始埃及古物學的研究之後

I realized that seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn't enough.

我發覺齋用肉眼搵嘢係唔夠

Because all of the sudden, in Egypt,

因為喺我去到埃及之後

my beach had grown from a tiny beach in Maine

我研究嘅沙灘忽然間

由緬因州一個好細嘅沙灘 變成一條八百英哩長嘅尼羅河沙灘

to one eight hundred miles long,

next to the Nile.

And my sand dollars had grown to the size of cities.

而我要搵嘅嘢亦都由海錢變咗古城

This is really what brought me to using satellite imagery.

亦因為咁，我開始利用衛星圖片

For trying to map the past, I knew that I had to see differently.

我知道如果要將事物的過去完整地呈現出嚟

就要用第二種方法去觀測

So I want to show you an example of how we see differently

所以喺呢度，我會畀大家睇睇

我哋用紅外線進行觀測

using the infrared.

This is a site located in the eastern Egyptian delta

呢個係尼羅河三角洲東部嘅 Mendes

called Mendes.

And the site visibly appears brown,

呢個地方就咁睇起嚟係啡色

but when we use the infrared

但如果我哋用紅外線去睇呢個地點

and we process it, all of the sudden,

using false color,

the site appears as bright pink.

再加上假色 , 突然變成鮮粉紅

What you are seeing

宜家你哋睇到嘅

are the actual chemical changes to the landscape

係古代埃及人嘅建築材料 同活動對地表造成嘅化學影響

caused by the building materials and activities

of the ancient Egyptians.

What I want to share with you today

今天我想同各位分享嘅係 我哋點樣利用衛星資料

is how we've used satellite data

to find an ancient Egyptian city,

搵到一座消失咗幾千年嘅 埃及古城伊塔威

called Itjtawy,

missing for thousands of years.

Itjtawy was ancient Egypt's capital

伊塔威屬於四千幾年前 古埃及中王國時期

for over four hundred years,

at a period of time called the Middle Kingdom,

做過超過四百年首都

about four thousand years ago.

The site is located in the Faiyum of Egypt,

伊塔威位於埃及嘅法尤姆市

and the site is really important,

伊塔威非常重要

because in the Middle Kingdom there was this great renaissance

因為喺中王國時期，古埃及曾經有過

藝術、建築同宗教方面嘅重大嘅文藝復興

for ancient Egyptian art, architecture and religion.

Egyptologists have always known the site of Itjtawy

埃及學家早就知道伊塔威嘅大概位置

was located somewhere near the pyramids of the two kings who built it,

約莫位於兩個法老所起嘅呢個城嘅 金字塔附近

indicated within the red circles here,

就係圖中紅色圈裡邊

but somewhere within this massive flood plain.

即係喺呢個廣闊沖積平原嘅某處

This area is huge --

呢個區域非常寬廣 長同闊有成四英哩乘三英哩

it's four miles by three miles in size.

The Nile used to flow right next to the city of Itjtawy,

尼羅河曾經流經伊塔威西面

and as it shifted and changed and moved over time to the east,

但後嚟流經東面

it covered over the city.

於是覆蓋咗成個城市

So, how do you find a buried city

我哋係點樣喺咁大嘅平原裏面 搵一座埋喺地底嘅城市？

in a vast landscape?

Finding it randomly would be the equivalent

漫無目的咁搵有如大海撈針

of locating a needle in a haystack,

blindfolded, wearing baseball mitts.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So what we did is we used NASA topography data

因此我哋用太空總署嘅地形資料 繪製出地形同細微嘅變化

to map out the landscape, very subtle changes.

We started to be able to see where the Nile used to flow.

我哋開始見到尼羅河曾經流過嘅地方

But you can see in more detail, and even more interesting,

我哋覺得紅色圈圈裏面 呢個微微拱起嘅地方

this very slight raised area

seen within the circle up here

which we thought could possibly be the location of the city of Itjtawy.

好有可能係伊塔威嘅位置

So we collaborated with Egyptian scientists

於是我哋同埃及科學家合作

to do coring work, which you see here.

進行岩層採樣，就好似呢張咁

When I say coring, it's like ice coring,

岩層採樣就好似冰層採樣咁

but instead of layers of climate change,

唔同嘅係，冰層採樣 在於搵出氣候變化

you're looking for layers of human occupation.

而岩層採樣只係 搵唔同時代人類嘅活動

And, five meters down,

喺厚厚嘅泥層之下、地面五米之下

underneath a thick layer of mud,

we found a dense layer of pottery.

我哋搵到咗一層布滿陶器嘅岩層

What this shows is that at this possible location of Itjtawy,

即係話，喺伊塔威嘅潛在位置 嘅五米深地方

five meters down,

we have a layer of occupation for several hundred years,

我哋搵到一層有著 幾百年人類活動痕跡嘅岩層

dating to the Middle Kingdom,

時間仲可以追溯到中王國時期

dating to the exact period of time we think Itjtawy is.

即係伊塔威嘅存在時間

We also found work stone --

同時我哋都搵到工藝石材 光玉隨、石英同瑪瑙

carnelian, quartz and agate

that shows that there was a jeweler's workshop here.

顯示呢度曾經有一間珠寶工坊

These might not look like much,

雖然呢啲石頭睇上去唔係好似

but when you think about the most common stones

但當你諗返中王國時期 製造珠寶時最常用嘅石材

used in jewelry from the Middle Kingdom,

呢啲石頭就係嗰啲石材

these are the stones that were used.

宜家我哋發現咗一層有著 好多人類活動痕跡嘅岩層

So, we have a dense layer of occupation

dating to the Middle Kingdom at this site.

呢層岩層仲可以 追溯到中王國時期

We also have evidence of an elite jeweler's workshop,

我哋都有證據顯示呢度曾經有 一間大師級嘅珠寶工坊

showing that whatever was there was a very important city.

證明咗呢度曾經有座非常重要嘅城市

No Itjtawy was here yet,

雖然伊塔威嘅遺址未顯露出嚟

but we're going to be returning to the site

但我哋會返去嗰度重塑佢嘅原貌

in the near future to map it out.

And even more importantly,

更重要嘅係

we have funding to train young Egyptians in the use of satellite technology

我哋獲得經費，訓練埃及嘅年輕人 利用衛星科技去探索古蹟

so they can be the ones making great discoveries as well.

So I wanted to end with my favorite quote from the Middle Kingdom --

最後，我想用我最愛嘅 古埃及中王國時代名言收結

it was probably written at the city of Itjtawy

呢句說話寫喺大約四千多年前嘅伊塔威

four thousand years ago.

"Sharing knowledge is the greatest of all callings.

「世上最偉大嘅使命 莫過於同他人分享知識」

There's nothing like it in the land."

So as it turns out, TED was not founded in 1984 AD.

TED 只不過喺公元 1984 年之後成立

(Laughter)

（ 笑聲）

Making ideas actually started in 1984 BC

但公元前 1984 年

喺一座消失咗唔係好耐嘅城市裏面

at a not-lost-for-long city, found from above.

發展想法呢樣嘢已經一早開始萌芽

It certainly puts finding seashells by the seashore in perspective.

佢亦證明咗喺海邊執貝殼係有用嘅

Thank you very much.

多謝各位

(Applause)

（ 掌聲）

Thank you.

多謝

（ 掌聲）

(Applause)