Archaeology: New tools for an old art: Thermoluminescence, magnetometers, satellite photography, and other techniques and instruments aid the archaeologist

The impact of modern science and technology on archaeology has been remarkable. Modern methods for dating human events, which have been developing over the past 30 years, are altering the whole framework of man´s history as we now understand it. Aerial and satellite photography now help archaeologists select sites of potential value for eventual excavations. In the field, sophisticated instruments that sense minute changes in the earth´s magnetism have been successfully employed to pinpoint old buried structures, whereas sensitive sonar devices help underwater archaeologists locate shipwrecks. And these are but a few of the areas where this impact has been felt.