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Pyramid structure discovered near Caral Peru
- folli 2y agoHas anyone worked on AI/ML approaches for detecting ancient structures in LiDAR data? Given that training data for identifying remnants of man-made structures (e.g., Roman or medieval ruins) is quite sparse, how would you approach this problem? Some initial thoughts: - Data Augmentation: Using synthetic or simulated LiDAR data from known structures to improve training. - Few-Shot Learning / Transfer Learning: Training models on better-documented archaeological sites and applying them to new areas. Would love to hear thoughts from people with experience in remote sensing, computer vision, or archaeology!
- archaeoscape 2y agoWe work on exactly that, in application to ancient Khmer civilization (9th to 15th century). In fact, data is not that sparse, but it's hard to get it. Archaeologists just don't share data as much. The basic answer is that you have to have at least some data to be able to do anything. We found that in the data regime augmentation works a little bit, transfer learning much less so. What really works is simply sitting down and annotating the data, with on-the-ground surveys and follows ups.
- folli 2y agoAnything you can share? Papers? Examples?
- archaeoscape 2y agoSure, you can check our paper where we describe the data scarcity issue, propose a dataset and some baselines: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05203 https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05203 Here's also an interesting LiDAR segmentation paper for Maya settlements. Smaller scale, but you can see what people are trying: https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.03163 https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.03163 Here's another curious recent LiDAR paper, no computer vision, but shows the importance of the proper data processsing: Auld-Thomas L, Canuto MA, Morlet AV, et al. Running out of empty space: environmental lidar and the crowded ancient landscape of Campeche, Mexico. Antiquity. 2024;98(401):1340-1358. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.148
- timmg 2y agoHave there been any recent books that try to reconstruct what pre-Columbian South America was like? I know that 1491 was a pretty good book about this. But it's like 20 years old now. And Lidar seems to have really opened up new insights in the past decade or so.
- bboygravity 2y agoIf you mean visually, there's this: https://tenochtitlan.thomaskole.nl/ https://tenochtitlan.thomaskole.nl/
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- thrownblown 2y agoNot South America, but the story of Moncacht-Apé (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncacht-Ap%C3%A9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncacht-Ap%C3%A9) is a fascinating—if slightly dubious—primary source describing his journey across North America immediately prior to European contact. I found a copy of his account as told to a French colonial officer on Amazon, and it looked like it was printed on a laser printer. Cabeza de Vaca spent 1528–1536 wandering through the Southwest, living with multiple indigenous tribes. His experiences ranged from enslavement to becoming a medicine man. His firsthand account, Naufragios, is available, but I highly recommend A Land So Strange by Andrés Reséndez for a more accessible read. De Vaca also had a second adventure in South America, but it’s not as well-documented. Another great read is River of Darkness by Buddy Levy, which covers Francisco Orellana’s journey down the Amazon. His expedition was roughly contemporary to Cabeza de Vaca’s own jungle survival story—though Orellana was a bit more conquistadorial than De Vaca. I’d also love to see a proper follow-up to 1491 (1493 doesn’t count!). The closest thing we have might be America Before by Graham Hancock, which incorporates recent LiDAR discoveries—but it leans more into speculation than hard archaeology.
- zubiaur 2y agoThere is so much to discover in that region. On a geology class field trip, a few hours south of Lima, our instructor stopped and pointed out a mound that would not have caught my eye at all. Then he explained how it makes no sense for a geological feature like that to be there. It was a covered structure. A Huaca. Lima has quite a few in the middle of the city. A stark reminder that we’ve been there ,intermittently, for millennia.
- KurSix 2y agoCivilizations rise, fall, and get buried over time, yet traces of them still shape the landscapes we live in today
- PyWoody 2y agoIf you're a New Englander, Tom Wessels has a great series on YouTube on how to read the landscape to track prior use by humans, hurricanes or thunderstorms from hundreds of years ago, animal migrations, etc. in New England. Even if you're not a New Englander, it's really well presented and worth a watch. Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape [Part 1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcLQz-oR6sw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcLQz-oR6sw [Part 2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L81Ihhqe0gY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L81Ihhqe0gY [Part 3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEAfFq3gb30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEAfFq3gb30
- stevage 2y agoHuh, I had not heard of Caral. This culture is apparently much older than the Incas. Like, 2000 BC rather than 1500 AD.
- RajT88 2y ago> Chupacigarro I love it when a plan comes together.
- rburhum 2y agoMost people will not understand how awesome your comment is, and if I could, I would triple vote you up.
- vincentpants 2y agoI will assist in your endeavour. Art must be preserved!
- gambiting 2y agoCan you explain it for those of us who don't understand the reference?
- barnickel 2y agoLook up When a plan comes together meme. Chupacigarro translates to puffing on a cigar.
- vincentpants 2y agoI had trouble writing this sentence due to all the laughing. Bravo.
- KurSix 2y agoThe fact that a pyramid was hidden for so long, just a kilometer from Caral, makes you wonder what else might still be buried in the region
- lofaszvanitt 2y agoalien fortresses under our nose :)
- KurSix 2y agoJokes aside, it's wild how much history is still hidden beneath the surface