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Mysterious New Structures Discovered At Angkor Wat
The mysterious world of the ancients has once again surprised us! As our technology improves, scientists and archaeologists can explore prehistoric buildings, ruins and learn more about their purpose and civilizations that lived in the region.
Credit: Michael Coe
Lidar, laser with radar can be especially helpful. Lidar does not actually penetrate or ‘see through’ vegetation but itsends out a laser pulse, which is then reflected back to the instrument by any object or surface that the laser beam encounters.
Now for the first time ever, using a radical new imaging technique, Sydney archaeologists have uncovered a network of unknown temples and an entire city beneath the foliage surrounding Angkor in Cambodia.
“The laser scanner, or ‘lidar’, had the potential to see through a dense forest canopy and reveal traces of the civilisation remaining on the forest floor, but no-one was entirely sure that it would work, or that there would be anything much to see even if it did.
Angkor Wat
As a map derived from four billion laser measurements of Angkor slowly unfolded on the screen of a high-performance computer, however, we watched in awe as entire cities were revealed for the first time beneath the jungle of northwest Cambodia, and realised that the age of the machete had just drawn to a decisive close,” said leader of the team archaeologist Damian Evans of the University of Sydney, Australia.
Philosophers stone – selected views from the boat
http://philosophers-stone.co.uk
Source: http://philosophers-stone.co.uk/wordpress/2013/09/mysterious-new-structures-discovered-at-angkor-wat/
