Tuttle standing at the southwest corner of the interior, smaller platform, looking north. (Photo by Q. Tweissi)
The BASOR article by TED Prize winner Sarah Parcak and CAORC Executive Director Christopher Tuttle about the discovery that has made headlines is now available to the public! By becoming a Friend of ASOR for free, you’ll get access to the full article on the monumental structure that hid in plain site near Petra.
This article describes the discovery and mapping of a large, previously unknown monumental structure at Petra, Jordan, using Google Earth, WorldView-1 and WorldView-2, and drones. Petra represents one of the most well-known and surveyed archaeological parks in the world; yet significant structures within range of its central city remain to be discovered. This article discusses the significance of the new discovery in relationship to Petra and its cultural landscape as well as the potential of WorldView-1, -2, and -3 satellite sensors for other archaeological projects in similar geographic areas.