A study for pyramids exploration by using satellite data and the discovery of the ancient Egyptian remains

• Published in: Journal of the Japan society of photogrammetry and remote sensing Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 41 - 53
• Main Authors: SAKATA, Toshibumi, ETAYA, Masahiro, YOSHIMURA, Sakuji, KONDO, Jiro, HASEGAWA, So, TSUBOI, Kiyotari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 1997
• ISSN: 0285-5844; 1883-9061
• DOI: 10.4287/jsprs.36.6_41

Previously unknown ancient remains were detected in the Memphite necropolis of Egypt by the analysis of satellite data. As one of the result, a brick architecture with a small pyramid of the new kingdom was discovered at Dahshur which is some 20km south from Giza. It was the first discovery in Egypt using this new method. This study is being done in cooperation with Tokai University Research & Information Center and The Egyptian Culture Center of Waseda University. The main purpose of this study is to detect undiscovered pyramids in Egypt with the aid of satellite remote sensing technology and ecological analysis of the Egyptian dynastic period. Satellite remote sensing technology is expected to be a powerful tool for a wide range observation in the field of archaeological study. Multiple satellite data, i. e., Landsat-TM, SPOT-PAN, SPOT-XS, KVR-1000, JERS 1-SAR, EERS 1-SAR and maps based on archaeological research, were used for this study. The discovery of the remains was made in the process of the study. The result of this study clearly shows that satellite remote sensing technology is a very useful in archaeological observation.