On the spot. Archaeology and satellite imagery. Pleiades Archaeology Collection

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1 On the spot

2 With satellite imagery archaeology is enjoying a new golden age. The archaeologists now have an extensive and precise array of tools for detecting ancient remains. In addition to this support for scientific research, the satellite image also helps with the preservation and development of these often fragile sites. On emblematic sites around the world, the Pleiades Archaeology collection demonstrates how high-tech space applications can help us delve into the past and protect our heritage.

3 EGYPT. With the main temple dedicated to the Goddess Isis, the architectural complex on the Island of Philae was relocated to the neighbouring Agilkia island between 1974 and 1976, following the construction of the Aswan High Dam. On the Pleiades image, the new remodelled island lies alongside the old one, to the south-east, which is now simply an empty rocky outline.

4 CHINA. The outline of the Great Wall of China, following the ridge line, is clearly identifiable on the Pléiades image. Current estimates of the length of the military fortification, including the destroyed sections, stand at 21,196 km.. Image Pléiades

5 EGYPT. The Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, on the Giza Plateau, is rapidly being invaded by the rapid urban spread of Cairo and by tourism infrastructures. On the Pleiades image, the urban encirclement and irrigated areas are in glaring contrast to the aridity of the site.

6 KAMPUCHEA. Temples, palaces and waterworks form geometrical patterns on the Pleiades image. The ancient capital of the Khmer Empire draws more than a million visitors per year.

7 ETHIOPIA. The eleven monolithic churches hewn from the rock in the 13th century make up the monastic city and pilgrimage destination for the orthodox Christians of Ethiopia. Large square, angled roofs of white corrugated iron, built in 2004, contrast on the Pleiades image with the old city, spread across the mountainside at an altitude of 2,630 metres.

8 PERU. This ancient city, the pinnacle of Inca architecture, sits at an altitude of 2,438 m. The terracing and buildings can be seen through the play of light and shadow visible on the Pleiades image.

9 SYRIA. The sumptuous GrecoRoman city was nothing more than a village when the excavations began following the First World War. On the Pleiades image, the shadows from the high colonnades of the numerous public buildings bear witness to the splendours of the ancient city.

10 SUDAN. The sharply sloping pyramid tombs of the royal necropolis form a line in the burning desert under the watchful gaze of Pleiades. The excavations in what was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nubia in the 5th century BC, are proceeding slowly and immensely. About two hundred pyramids have been identified, along with numerous sanctuaries.

11 UNITED-KINGDOM. Tumuli, circles and alignments are visible on the Pléiades image around the megalithic complex at Stonehenge. This site was built over several periods of the Neolithic age and today attracts more than a million visitors per year.

12 ALGERIA. The, founded in the year 100 by Emperor Trajan, was built to control the recently conquered territory in the Aures mountains. On the Pléiades image, a modern amphitheatre dominates the entrance to the archaeological site. Since 2010, it has hosted an international music festival which until then was held in the ancient theatre.

13 MEXIQUE. On the Pléiades image, it is possible to count the levels of the 71 metre high Pyramid of the Sun and those of the 43 metre high Pyramid of the Moon. The Pre-Columbian city has been inhabited since the 7th century.

14 ITALIA. The first excavations began in the early 18th century on the city covered in ash by the Vesuvius eruption of the year 79 AD. The roofs protecting the houses containing statues and frescos are visible on the Pleiades image.

15 PERU. The lines and geoglyphs, sometime several kilometres long, or reporesenting stylised animals, were carved by the pre-inca Nazca civilisation between 300 BC and 800 AD. The Pléiades view from space is able to map the 500 km² of the site.

16 Geo Report - Airbus Defence and Space 2014 Satellite images: Pléiades - CNES Distribution Airbus DS - Spot Image Others images : Fotolia : Philipp Weiss, Shjmyra, elisape, PB, urosr, bluetrue, Jokari, antoine_ede, Le monde en photos, anekoho, manu_83, GP, Olga Fesko. Design : Jean-Yves Bonzon Graphic layout : Laurent DEMAY Publication coordinator : Pascal MICHEL Airbus Defence and Space - Geo-Intelligence 5, rue des Satellites BP F Toulouse cedex 4 France Phone : +33 (0) Fax : +33 (0) Web: Contact Us