A recent BrandeisNow article described the work of Alex Bazarsky ’23 and Professor Charles Golden (ANTH) in revealing the archaeological discoveries of the ancient Mayan civilization. Golden and Bazarsky employed drones to 3D scan a 20-mile sector of the Mayan civilization in Mexico. The 3D scanning technology allowed the team to make progress remotely during the summer of 2020 despite their original trip to Mexico being canceled due to the pandemic.
The team worked weekly, analyzing how the topology of the landscape and the different structures they found informed the patterns of human activity during the time of the Mayan civilization. Each member of the team was responsible for analyzing a particular area of the overall settlement.
During this process of studying incremental sections of the Mayan settlement, Bazarsky made an interesting observation about one particular region: “I noticed one area had been less inhabited despite having a suitable area for civilization. This sparked my curiosity. Why wasn’t anyone living here?” she asked, as written in the BrandeisNow article. Given preliminary data, Bazarsky hypothesized that conflict between multiple societies may have resulted in this settlement pattern. Ultimately, her work was published in the academic journal “Remote Sensing,” which documents progress in the diverse applications of 3D scanning technology.
Bazarsky learned about the applications of Lidar technology for her project with Golden’s team. Lidar technology, or light detection and ranging technology, is a method of capturing the Earth’s surface through remote sensing technology. Lidar technology primarily has three components: a laser, a scanner and a GPS. This allows scientists and researchers to map, record and store data regarding environmental and human-made surfaces. According to an article published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lidar technology is not only being used for archeological endeavors, but also to assist in producing “more accurate shorelines maps, [making] digital elevation models for use in geographic information systems, and to assist in emergency response operations.”
Previous research conducted by Golden and Professor Andrew Sherer from Brown University investigated the cause of the fall of the Mayan civilization. Golden’s primary research question was whether the demise was caused by drought or something else. Golden describes the commonly accepted narrative of the fall of the Mayan civilization, saying, “A severe, prolonged drought created an agricultural crisis that swept all of the Maya kingdoms into history.” However, their research contradicts this notion since the team found that the three kingdoms in the area had an abundance of crops and were functioning in distinct technological and social hierarchies. Using the same Lidar sensing technology, the team found that there were forts scattered through the different valleys in the region, indicating that there may have been conflict between rulers, control over trade routes and the best agricultural resources.
Bazarsky is double majoring in anthropology and Latin American studies with a minor in art history. The team is making continual progress towards uncovering more about the Mayan civilization in Mexico and will be able to dig and excavate novel findings on-site in Mexico this coming summer. Bazarksy plans to continue her senior research with Golden’s team.
