When I was a child growing up in Maine, one of my favorite things to do was to look for sand dollars on the seashores of Maine, because my parents told me it would bring me luck. But you know, these shells, they're hard to find. They're covered in sand, they're difficult to see. However, over time, I got used to looking for them. I started seeing shapes and patterns that helped me to collect them.
我從小在緬因州長大 兒時我最愛做的一件事就是到海邊撿拾沙海膽(海錢) 兒時我最愛做的一件事就是到海邊撿拾沙海膽(海錢) 因為我爸媽說撿拾它們會帶來好運 但想也知道這些貝殼很難找 它們被埋在沙子裡,很難發現 無論如何,久而久之我就抓到訣竅了 我開始依據它們的形狀和圖案 幫助我找尋沙海膽
This grew into a passion for finding things, a love for the past and archaeology. And eventually, when I started studying Egyptology, I realized that seeing with my naked eyes alone wasn't enough. Because all of the sudden, in Egypt, my beach had grown from a tiny beach in Maine to one eight hundred miles long, next to the Nile. And my sand dollars had grown to the size of cities. This is really what brought me to using satellite imagery. For trying to map the past, I knew that I had to see differently.
我對尋寶的熱愛也就此產生了 我迷上了與過去有關的事物和考古學 終於,在我開始研究埃及古物學後 我發現光用肉眼探尋是不夠的 因為在埃及,我眼中的沙灘忽然間 從緬因州的小沙灘變成了一條八百英哩長的尼羅河沙灘 從緬因州的小沙灘變成了一條八百英哩長的尼羅河沙灘 從緬因州的小沙灘變成了一條八百英哩長的尼羅河沙灘 而我的沙海膽也變得和城市一樣巨大 而我的沙海膽也變得和城市一樣巨大 就是因為這樣,我才開始使用衛星影像 如果想把過去完整的呈現出來,我就得從不同的角度看事情
So I want to show you an example of how we see differently using the infrared. This is a site located in the eastern Egyptian delta called Mendes. And the site visibly appears brown, but when we use the infrared and we process it, all of the sudden, using false color, the site appears as bright pink. What you are seeing are the actual chemical changes to the landscape caused by the building materials and activities of the ancient Egyptians.
所以我想舉個例子,讓各位知道我們是如何用紅外線來進行另類觀測 所以我想舉個例子,讓各位知道我們是如何用紅外線來進行另類觀測 這是尼羅河三角洲東部的邦狄克斯 這是尼羅河三角洲東部的邦狄克斯 這個地點看起來呈現褐色 但如果我們用用紅外線加工處理 並加上假色影像 這個地點瞬間變成了亮粉色 現在你們看到的 是古代埃及人築屋的建材和活動對地表造成的化學轉變 是古代埃及人築屋的建材和活動對地表造成的化學轉變 是古代埃及人築屋的建材和活動對地表造成的化學轉變
What I want to share with you today is how we've used satellite data to find an ancient Egyptian city, called Itjtawy, missing for thousands of years. Itjtawy was ancient Egypt's capital for over four hundred years, at a period of time called the Middle Kingdom, about four thousand years ago. The site is located in the Faiyum of Egypt, and the site is really important, because in the Middle Kingdom there was this great renaissance for ancient Egyptian art, architecture and religion. Egyptologists have always known the site of Itjtawy was located somewhere near the pyramids of the two kings who built it, indicated within the red circles here, but somewhere within this massive flood plain. This area is huge -- it's four miles by three miles in size. The Nile used to flow right next to the city of Itjtawy, and as it shifted and changed and moved over time to the east, it covered over the city.
今天我想和各位分享的 是我們如何藉由衛星資料 找到了一座消失了幾千年的埃及古城---伊塔威 找到了一座消失了幾千年的埃及古城---伊塔威 找到了一座消失了幾千年的埃及古城---伊塔威 伊塔威曾是古埃及的首都 維持了超過四百年之久 這段時間大約在四千多年前古埃及的中王國時期 這段時間大約在四千多年前古埃及的中王國時期 伊塔威的地點位於埃及的法尤姆市 它的位置非常重要 因為在中王國時期,曾有一次偉大的古埃及文藝復興 包括藝術、建築和宗教層面 埃及學家早就知道伊塔威的大概位置 約莫位於某兩任法老所建的金字塔群附近 也就是圖中的紅色圈圈裡 在這廣大沖積平原中的某處 這個區域非常的寬廣 長寬各為四英哩和三英哩 尼羅河曾流經伊塔威旁邊 但後來改變了流向並往東移 覆蓋了整座城市
So, how do you find a buried city in a vast landscape? Finding it randomly would be the equivalent of locating a needle in a haystack, blindfolded, wearing baseball mitts.
我們該如何在寬廣的平原中尋找一座埋藏在地底的城市呢? 我們該如何在寬廣的平原中尋找一座埋藏在地底的城市呢? 漫無目的的尋找只會像大海撈針一樣不切實際 漫無目的的尋找只會像大海撈針一樣不切實際 漫無目的的尋找只會像大海撈針一樣不切實際
(Laughter)
因此我們採用太空總署的地形資料
So what we did is we used NASA topography data to map out the landscape, very subtle changes. We started to be able to see where the Nile used to flow. But you can see in more detail, and even more interesting, this very slight raised area seen within the circle up here which we thought could possibly be the location of the city of Itjtawy.
繪出地表景物上極細微的變化 由此可見尼羅河曾經流過的地方 你會發現更多的細節,更有趣的是 紅色圈圈中這個微微高起的區域 很有可能是伊塔威的所在位置 很有可能是伊塔威的所在位置
So we collaborated with Egyptian scientists to do coring work, which you see here. When I say coring, it's like ice coring, but instead of layers of climate change, you're looking for layers of human occupation. And, five meters down, underneath a thick layer of mud, we found a dense layer of pottery. What this shows is that at this possible location of Itjtawy, five meters down, we have a layer of occupation for several hundred years, dating to the Middle Kingdom, dating to the exact period of time we think Itjtawy is. We also found work stone -- carnelian, quartz and agate that shows that there was a jeweler's workshop here. These might not look like much, but when you think about the most common stones used in jewelry from the Middle Kingdom, these are the stones that were used.
於是我們和埃及科學家合作 進行岩層採樣,就像這張圖 岩層採樣就像研究不同時期氣候變遷的冰層採樣 只是我們關注的是岩層中人類活動的遺跡 向下延伸五公尺 在厚厚的泥層下 我們找到了一層布滿陶器的岩層 這表示此地可能是伊塔威的所在位置 往地下延伸五公尺的地方 我們找到了這片藏有數百年前人類活動遺跡的岩層 時間可追溯到中王國時期,伊塔威存在的確切時間 時間可追溯到中王國時期,伊塔威存在的確切時間 同時我們也找到了工藝石材 光玉隨、石英和瑪瑙 顯示這裡曾經有一間珠寶工坊 這些石頭看上去或許不太相符 但想想中王國時期製造珠寶最常用的石材 但想想中王國時期製造珠寶最常用的石材 這些石頭也包含其中
So, we have a dense layer of occupation dating to the Middle Kingdom at this site. We also have evidence of an elite jeweler's workshop, showing that whatever was there was a very important city. No Itjtawy was here yet, but we're going to be returning to the site in the near future to map it out. And even more importantly, we have funding to train young Egyptians in the use of satellite technology so they can be the ones making great discoveries as well.
現在我們有了一片富藏人類遺跡的岩層 它的年代追溯到了中王國時期 我們也有證據顯示這裡曾有一間高檔的珠寶工坊 這表示,這裡曾經存在著一座非常重要的城市 雖然目前伊塔威的遺址尚未完整考掘 但我們近期內將會回到那裏,並重現它的完整樣貌 但我們近期內將會回到那裏,並重現它的完整樣貌 更重要的是 我們募款訓練年輕的埃及人 教他們如何利用衛星科技 這樣他們也能成為探索偉大秘密的一員
So I wanted to end with my favorite quote from the Middle Kingdom -- it was probably written at the city of Itjtawy four thousand years ago. "Sharing knowledge is the greatest of all callings. There's nothing like it in the land." So as it turns out, TED was not founded in 1984 AD.
最後,我想用我最愛的名言來為我的演講做結 這句話來自古埃及中王國時代 大約誕生於四千多年前的伊塔威 "世上最偉大的使命莫過於與他人分享知識" "世上最偉大的使命莫過於與他人分享知識" 很顯然,TED不是在西元一九八四年時成立的
(Laughter)
[ 笑聲 ]
Making ideas actually started in 1984 BC at a not-lost-for-long city, found from above. It certainly puts finding seashells by the seashore in perspective.
西元前一九八四年的一座城市中,創造想法早已開始萌芽 而這座城市才消失不久,也被我們從空中找到了 它證明了在海邊撿貝殼的方法是可行的
Thank you very much.
謝謝各位!
(Applause)
[ 掌聲 ]
Thank you.
謝謝!
(Applause)
[ 掌聲 ]