PhD Student Discovers Lost Maya City Valeriana Using Google Search
Google discovery: PhD student found a lost Maya city while scrolling through page 16 of Google
Image: The Times Of India
Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student at Tulane University, discovered Valeriana, a significant ancient Maya city, while searching through Google for LiDAR data. This city, located in Campeche, Mexico, challenges previous assumptions about Maya urbanization and highlights the potential of digital datasets in archaeology.
- 01Valeriana, located in Campeche, Mexico, was identified using LiDAR technology, revealing thousands of structures including pyramids and residential complexes.
- 02The city is believed to have flourished between AD 750 and 850, with an estimated population of 30,000 to 50,000 people.
- 03The discovery underscores the importance of digital data in archaeology, as the LiDAR dataset had been publicly available but overlooked for years.
- 04Valeriana's existence challenges the notion that many Maya sites were isolated, suggesting they were part of a larger, interconnected urban landscape.
- 05The findings indicate that significant archaeological sites may still be hidden beneath dense vegetation across Central America.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
The discovery of Valeriana, a large ancient Maya city in Campeche, Mexico, was made by Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD student at Tulane University, while searching through Google for LiDAR datasets. This technology, which uses laser pulses to penetrate forest canopies, revealed thousands of structures, including pyramids and residential complexes, indicating that Valeriana was a major urban center during the Late Classic period from AD 750 to 850. Estimates suggest a population of 30,000 to 50,000, making it one of the most densely populated Maya cities known. The finding challenges previous assumptions about Maya civilization, which often depicted these areas as sparsely populated. Auld-Thomas's work highlights the growing reliance on digital data in archaeology and raises questions about how many more ancient cities remain undiscovered beneath the forest cover in southern Mexico and Central America.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
The discovery of Valeriana could lead to increased archaeological interest and research funding in the region, potentially uncovering more historical sites.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Reader Poll
What do you think about the use of technology in archaeological discoveries?
Connecting to poll...
Read the original article
Visit the source for the complete story.