Space Technology vs. Tomb Robbers in Central Turkey


  • This talk will describe the use of NASA technology to study the ancient site of Gordion, home to the legendary King Midas. The technologies used include 50 cm resolution satellite images, ground-penetrating radar, magnetic surveys, and GPS. Gordion was inhabited from c. 1200 BC up through Roman times. The site includes an ancient city and over 100 tumuli or burial mounds, some rather large. The talk will describe interrupting tomb robbers on one large tumulus, an inspection of their efforts, including a hidden entrance, and the efforts of archaeologists to rescue scientific information from the site.