TIME-TRAVEL TECH

1910

GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR

A transmitter sends electromagnetic waves into the ground and measures the reflection, to build up a picture of what lies beneath. It means wide-ranging surveys are possible, research can be done without disturbing the remains, and excavations can be targeted to areas of particular interest.

1925

METAL DETECTORS

A detector was hastily invented in 1881 by Alexander Graham Bell, to search for a bullet that had wounded US president, James Garfield. That didn’t work, but by 1925 a patent was granted to Gerhard Fisher for the first portable metal detector. For info on responsible metal detecting, see ncmd.co.uk

1946

RADIOCARBON DATING

American physical chemist Willard Libby proposed a method for dating organic materials by measuring the 14C content – a newly discovered radioactive isotope of carbon that decays at a known rate. The technology transformed archaeology.

1970s

ISOTOPE ANALYSIS

Based on the principle that ‘you are what you eat’, scientists measure levels of naturally occuring versions (isotopes) of elements such as carbon, oxygen and strontium in a skeleton’s bones and teeth. This signature can indicate where they grew up, what age they were weaned and what foods they ate.

1980s

LiDAR

Laser was invented in the 1960s, but it was only with accurate GPS systems that archaeological LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) could really take off. With lightweight drones, 5G networks and smartphones, researchers can now conduct cutting-edge research in real time in the field. Literally.

2010s

PHOTOGRAMMETRY

Thousands of digital photographs are used to create an accurate 3D model and then map the detail of the surface, creating an exact virtual replica. Check out some models here: sketchfab.com/tags/ photogrammetry-archaeology