In the ever-advancing field of archeology, innovative technology and the use of archaeological theory are reshaping archaeology and the way we understand history.
Technologies such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), radiocarbon dating, and 3D scanning and printing help make the discovery and inspection of artifacts less complicated and invasive to the land by using computer models instead of active digging and excavation. Finding the artifacts is just the beginning because the actual interpretation is key to understanding the ancient civilizations or animals they belonged to, according to National Geographic. Using archaeological theories such as processual archeology, the scientific method, objective analysis, and Marxist archaeology, which allows for an accounting for class struggles and social relations of ancient times, has allowed archaeologists and anthropologists to interpret different aspects of the lives of the beings to which the artifacts or fossils belonged.
In the past ten years, archaeologists and anthropologists have made discoveries that have allowed humanity to understand more about ancient civilizations, according to Archaeology Magazine. In January 2025, archaeologists confirmed the existence of a labyrinth of tunnels stretching for miles underneath the Peruvian city of Cusco, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Using technologies such as GPR, archaeologists were able to confirm the whereabouts of the labyrinth without breaking the earth. David Brockhoff, a Planet Earth teacher at LASA, explained how GPR works and its uses in the field of archaeology.
“It essentially allows archaeologists to explore the subsurface without disturbing it at all,” Brockhoff said. “Its potential uses include locating artifacts or structures that may be impossible to access, or preventing any kind of damage from happening.”
LASA World Geography and AP Human Geography teacher Cody Moody explained how another archeological technology, Geographical Information System (GIS), can be useful for archaeologists. According to Moody, the system downloads data from various sources such as satellite imagery and scanned maps, often made using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. The data is then converted into digital formats, which allow for analysis and visualization.
“LiDAR discoveries and other important archeological findings can be plugged into a GIS and can allow researchers to find and analyze spatial patterns and relationships with the data expressed in various map layers,” Moody said.
Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, Ronald Alan Covey, explained his process when interpreting a recently uncovered artifact. While there are different ways to interpret artifacts when one is uncovered, many archaeologists rely on archaeological theory, Covey described that the framework helps these scientists interpret the culture and give explanations for past events of the ancient civilizations.
“I will consider any theory that has a sort of material patterning that could be used to test it,” Covey said. “We really remember that we don’t want to project our way of thinking onto data that really is kind of ambiguous. We can’t always assume that science is going to answer all the questions with what the material record offers us centuries after the fact.”
In October 2024, archaeologists discovered ancient Mayan city ruins in the Southeastern state of Campeche. The ruins were found by accident, according to a report by the BBC. A team of archaeologists attached LiDAR to the bottom of a plane that was flown over uncharted areas. The data was processed, and an ancient city, which may have housed over 30,000 people, was found.
Covey explained the use of LiDAR in archaeological sites and how it works. He mentioned how many artifacts have been found through this technology, as it allows archaeologists to see things they may not have been able to before.
“So you take a plane and you put the LiDAR, maybe on the belly of the plane, fly back and forth over the region, and it shoots all of this light down,” Covey said. “99 percent of that bounces off the forest and backs the plane. 1 percent maybe bounces down to what’s below that and goes back to the plane, and then you clean off all that vegetation and you get the roads, pyramids, and population centers that literally couldn’t be seen.”
According to Covey, through the use of technologies such as these, the field of archaeology is becoming more efficient and less invasive. Additionally, they assist archaeologists in reconstructing ancient civilizations and allow humanity to increase its understanding of the past.
“I think it is important to understand ancient societies, at the base level, to satisfy our curiosity as humans,” Brockhoff said. “I’m sure there are many things we can learn from studying human history, from different technologies we have lost over time, like roman concrete, to different ways of thinking or pieces of art, but more importantly than that, we just have a desire to understand what the heck has been going on in human history.”
