Google Earth Spots Remains Buried In Rome

Italiano = Quellí Della Bassa
http://www.quellidellabassa.org/?page_id=9

An Italian man using Google Earth spotted the signs of a buried Roman
villa near his home, the science journal Nature reported Wednesday.


By Gregg Keizer, TechWeb News
Sept. 21, 2005
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?
articleID=171000787



An Italian man using Google Earth spotted the signs of a buried Roman
villa near his home, the science journal Nature reported Wednesday.

Luca Mori, 47, from Sorbelo, noticed unusual shadings in the
satellite photographs used by Google Earth when he was viewing the
area around his own home. "At first I thought it was a stain on the
photograph but when I zoomed in I saw that there was something under
the earth," Mori told Nature.

Archaeologists who Mori contacted surmised that the rectangular shape
showing near an ancient river bed was of human origin. Officials from
the National Archaeological Museum of Parma then visited the site,
which is now farmland, and after finding traces of ceramic and stone,
confirmed that it's a villa from the reign of Caesar Augustus.

Google Earth is a free-of-charge stand-alone program which combines
local search with satellite images. It debuted in beta form in late
June.

Below From: http://www.nature.com
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v437/n7057/full/437307a.html
Enthusiast uses Google to reveal Roman ruins


CULTURAL MINISTRY EMILIA ROMAGNA

Analysis of a Google map led to the discovery of a Roman villa like
this one in Parma, Italy.
Using satellite images from Google Maps and Google Earth, an Italian
computer programmer has stumbled upon the remains of an ancient villa.

Luca Mori was studying maps of the region around his town of Sorbolo,
near Parma, when he noticed a prominent, oval, shaded form more than
500 metres long. It was the meander of an ancient river, visible
because former watercourses absorb different amounts of moisture from
the air than their surroundings do.

His eye was caught by unusual 'rectangular shadows' nearby. Curious,
he analysed the image further, and concluded that the lines must
represent a buried structure of human origin. Eventually, he traced
out what looked like the inner courtyards of a villa.

Mori, who describes the finding on his blog, Quellí Della Bassa,
contacted archaeologists, including experts at the National
Archaeological Museum of Parma. They confirmed the find. At first it
was thought to be a Bronze Age village, but an inspection of the site
turned up ceramic pieces that indicated it was a Roman villa. The
local authorities will have to approve any archaeological digs before
they can take place.


From: Quellí Della Bassa = Italian &
English
http://www.quellidellabassa.org/?page_id=9