0:00:01.226,0:00:02.732
As an archaeologist,

0:00:02.732,0:00:05.830
I'm most often asked[br]what my favorite discovery is.

0:00:06.657,0:00:08.980
The answer's easy:

0:00:08.980,0:00:10.537
my husband, Greg.

0:00:10.537,0:00:11.587
(Laughter)

0:00:11.782,0:00:14.045
We met in Egypt on my first dig.

0:00:14.324,0:00:18.847
It was my first lesson in finding[br]unexpected wonderful things.

0:00:20.077,0:00:23.226
This began an incredible[br]archaeological partnership.

0:00:24.610,0:00:26.111
Years later,

0:00:26.111,0:00:29.775
I proposed to him in front of our[br]favorite pair statue

0:00:29.775,0:00:32.959
of the Prince and Princess[br]Rahotep and Nofret,

0:00:32.959,0:00:34.296
in the Cairo Museum,

0:00:34.296,0:00:36.414
dating to 4600 years ago.

0:00:36.414,0:00:37.440
I mean, look at them,

0:00:37.440,0:00:38.444
they're incredible.

0:00:38.444,0:00:41.013
I think they should be[br]everyone's favorite pair statue.

0:00:41.013,0:00:42.013
(Laughter)

0:00:42.354,0:00:47.354
I thought, if I was going to ask Greg[br]to spend the rest of this life with me

0:00:47.354,0:00:49.102
that I should ask him

0:00:49.102,0:00:53.357
in front of two people who had pledged[br]to be together for eternity.

0:00:54.945,0:00:56.348
These symbols endure

0:00:56.348,0:00:57.993
because when we look at them,

0:00:57.993,0:00:59.791
we're looking at mirrors.

0:00:59.791,0:01:01.652
They are powerful reminders

0:01:01.652,0:01:04.798
that our common humanity has not changed.

0:01:06.450,0:01:11.879
The thrill of archaeological discovery[br]is as powerful as love

0:01:11.879,0:01:17.221
because ancient history is the most[br]seductive mistress imaginable.

0:01:17.666,0:01:20.234
Many archaeologists[br]have devoted their lives

0:01:20.234,0:01:22.686
to unraveling the mysteries of the past

0:01:22.686,0:01:27.426
under hot suns and Arctic winds,

0:01:27.426,0:01:29.579
and in dense rainforests.

0:01:30.209,0:01:31.656
Many seek,

0:01:31.656,0:01:32.660
some discover,

0:01:32.660,0:01:35.860
all worship at the temple of possibility

0:01:35.860,0:01:39.026
that one discovery might change history.

0:01:40.258,0:01:41.852
On my first day in Egypt,

0:01:41.852,0:01:44.865
I worked at a site[br]in the Northeast Egyptian Delta

0:01:44.865,0:01:46.420
at a site called Mendes,

0:01:46.420,0:01:49.679
dating to 4,200 years ago in a cemetery.

0:01:49.679,0:01:50.902
That's a picture of me --

0:01:50.902,0:01:52.458
I'm just in my bliss.

0:01:52.771,0:01:56.722
On a dig surrounded by[br]emerald green rice patties,

0:01:56.722,0:01:59.591
I discovered an intact pot.

0:02:00.419,0:02:02.168
Flipping it over,

0:02:02.168,0:02:06.571
I discovered a human thumbprint[br]left by whoever made the vessel.

0:02:07.316,0:02:08.323
For a moment,

0:02:08.323,0:02:10.127
time stood still.

0:02:10.710,0:02:12.362
I didn't know where I was.

0:02:12.652,0:02:15.745
It was because at that moment I realized,

0:02:15.745,0:02:17.126
when we dig,

0:02:17.126,0:02:18.806
we're digging for people,

0:02:18.806,0:02:20.314
not things.

0:02:21.445,0:02:26.396
Never are we so present as when[br]we are in the midst of the great past.

0:02:27.254,0:02:32.095
I can't tell you how many times I've stood[br]in front of the Pyramids of Giza,

0:02:32.095,0:02:34.383
and they leave me speechless.

0:02:34.383,0:02:37.662
I feel like the luckiest[br]person in the world.

0:02:38.739,0:02:43.705
They're a monument to our human brilliance[br]and everything that is possible.

0:02:44.606,0:02:47.598
Many cannot process[br]their brilliance as human --

0:02:47.598,0:02:49.928
think that aliens built them --

0:02:49.928,0:02:51.569
but this is ridiculous.

0:02:52.032,0:02:55.332
All you need to do[br]is get up close and personal,

0:02:55.332,0:02:57.827
and see the hidden hand of man

0:02:57.827,0:03:01.697
in the chisel marks left[br]by the tools that built them.

0:03:02.913,0:03:06.732
The Great Pyramid of Giza[br]was built one stone at a time

0:03:06.732,0:03:10.075
with 2.3 million blocks

0:03:10.075,0:03:13.174
with incredible bureaucratic efficiency.

0:03:14.171,0:03:16.994
It is not the pyramids[br]that stand the test of time,

0:03:16.994,0:03:18.996
it is human ingenuity.

0:03:19.296,0:03:23.474
That is our shared human brilliance.

0:03:24.224,0:03:27.434
History may be cyclical,

0:03:27.434,0:03:29.951
but we are singular.

0:03:30.350,0:03:31.949
I love what I do

0:03:31.949,0:03:35.134
because I learn that we haven't changed.

0:03:36.243,0:03:40.450
I get to read about mother-in-law[br]jokes from Mesopotamia

0:03:40.450,0:03:42.265
from 3,500 years ago.

0:03:44.342,0:03:49.507
I get to hear about neighbors cursing[br]each other from 4,600 years ago

0:03:49.507,0:03:50.506
in Egypt.

0:03:50.506,0:03:52.057
And my absolute favorite,

0:03:52.057,0:03:55.109
from 3,300 years ago in Luxor,

0:03:55.109,0:04:00.573
an inscription that describes school boys[br]who cut class to go drinking.

0:04:00.929,0:04:02.318
(Laughter)

0:04:02.318,0:04:04.310
Kids these days.

0:04:04.310,0:04:05.634
(Laughter)

0:04:06.345,0:04:10.420
I get to see the most[br]incredible architecture,

0:04:10.420,0:04:12.573
see stunning sculptures --

0:04:12.573,0:04:15.623
I mean this is basically[br]a selfie in stone --

0:04:15.623,0:04:18.580
and see that we've always[br]rocked serious bling.

0:04:19.582,0:04:20.826
And also,

0:04:20.826,0:04:22.611
we've been posting on walls,

0:04:22.611,0:04:24.554
and obsessing about cats --

0:04:24.554,0:04:25.585
(Laughter)

0:04:25.585,0:04:27.122
for thousands of years.

0:04:27.122,0:04:28.153
(Laughter)

0:04:28.153,0:04:29.694
(Applause)

0:04:33.265,0:04:36.637
Archaeologists are the cultural[br]memory preservers

0:04:36.637,0:04:39.800
and the spokespeople[br]for billions of people

0:04:39.800,0:04:42.519
and the thousands of cultures[br]that came before us.

0:04:43.087,0:04:46.205
Good science, imagination[br]and a leap of faith

0:04:46.205,0:04:49.527
are the trifecta we use to raise the dead.

0:04:50.888,0:04:52.139
In the last year,

0:04:52.139,0:04:54.594
achaeologists have made[br]incredible discoveries,

0:04:54.594,0:04:56.225
including ...

0:04:56.225,0:04:59.521
new human ancestors from South Africa,

0:04:59.521,0:05:02.623
tools from 3.3 million years ago --

0:05:02.623,0:05:04.882
these are the oldest tools[br]ever discovered --

0:05:04.882,0:05:06.164
in Kenya.

0:05:06.164,0:05:07.320
And this,

0:05:07.320,0:05:12.709
from a series of medical implements found[br]from Blackbeard's ship from 1718.

0:05:13.033,0:05:18.074
What you're looking at is[br]a medical tool used to treat syphilis.

0:05:19.268,0:05:20.758
Ouch.

0:05:20.758,0:05:22.500
But how cool is that?

0:05:22.500,0:05:24.194
(Laughter)

0:05:24.194,0:05:25.560
For each of these,

0:05:25.560,0:05:28.928
there are thousands of other[br]incredibly important discoveries

0:05:28.928,0:05:30.459
made by my colleagues

0:05:30.459,0:05:32.306
that do not make headlines.

0:05:32.882,0:05:39.007
However, I believe that the most[br]important thing we do as archaeologists

0:05:39.007,0:05:42.854
is acknowledge that past people existed

0:05:42.854,0:05:45.262
and lived lives worth learning about.

0:05:45.859,0:05:49.358
Can you even imagine what[br]the world would be like today

0:05:49.358,0:05:53.005
if we acknowledged all[br]human beings in this way?

0:05:54.791,0:05:58.686
So, on a dig, you have a challenge:

0:05:58.686,0:06:00.569
it often looks like this.

0:06:00.569,0:06:02.381
You can't see anything.

0:06:02.582,0:06:04.419
Where are we going to start digging?

0:06:04.419,0:06:06.152
This is from a site south of Cairo,

0:06:06.152,0:06:08.409
so let's have a look from space.

0:06:08.683,0:06:10.643
Again, you can't really see much.

0:06:10.643,0:06:14.452
What you're looking at is[br]a WorldView-3 satellite image,

0:06:14.452,0:06:17.542
which has a [point three-meter] resolution.

0:06:17.542,0:06:18.942
That's 10 inches.

0:06:18.942,0:06:23.348
This means that you can zoom in[br]from 400 miles in space,

0:06:23.348,0:06:25.032
and see your tablets.

0:06:25.590,0:06:27.317
How do I know about this?

0:06:28.002,0:06:31.126
It's because I'm a space archaeologist.

0:06:32.162,0:06:33.527
Let me repeat that.

0:06:34.062,0:06:36.645
I am a space archaeologist.

0:06:36.854,0:06:38.229
This means --

0:06:38.229,0:06:39.230
(Applause)

0:06:39.230,0:06:40.512
Thank you.

0:06:41.102,0:06:43.332
This means that I use satellite images,

0:06:43.332,0:06:45.518
and process them using algorithms,

0:06:45.518,0:06:48.177
and look at subtle differences[br]in the light spectrum

0:06:48.177,0:06:50.596
that indicate buried things[br]under the ground

0:06:50.596,0:06:53.372
that I get to go excavate and survey.

0:06:53.597,0:06:54.652
By the way,

0:06:54.652,0:06:57.252
NASA has a Space Archaeology program,

0:06:57.252,0:06:58.537
so it's a real job.

0:06:58.761,0:06:59.876
(Laughter)

0:07:00.546,0:07:02.033
So let's have a look again.

0:07:02.033,0:07:04.141
We're back at the site[br]just south of Cairo.

0:07:04.141,0:07:05.847
You can't see anything,

0:07:05.847,0:07:09.180
so keep your eye on the red rectangle.

0:07:09.410,0:07:12.060
When we process the image[br]using algorithms --

0:07:12.060,0:07:15.669
think like a space-based CAT scan --

0:07:15.669,0:07:18.015
this is what you see.

0:07:18.284,0:07:21.913
This rectilinear form is an Ancient tomb

0:07:21.913,0:07:24.537
that is previously unknown[br]and unexcavated,

0:07:24.537,0:07:29.130
and you all are the first people[br]to see it in thousands of years.

0:07:29.702,0:07:31.536
(Applause)

0:07:35.416,0:07:38.266
I believe we have barely[br]scratched the surface

0:07:38.266,0:07:40.434
in terms of what's left to discover.

0:07:41.094,0:07:43.293
In the Egyptian Delta alone,

0:07:43.293,0:07:47.134
we've excavated less than[br][one-1000th] of one percent

0:07:47.134,0:07:49.847
of the total volume of Egyptian sites.

0:07:50.474,0:07:51.635
When you add to that

0:07:51.794,0:07:54.844
the thousands of other sites[br]my team and I have discovered,

0:07:55.003,0:07:58.509
what we thought we knew[br]pales in comparison

0:07:58.668,0:08:00.626
to what we have left to discover.

0:08:01.286,0:08:04.184
When you look at the incredible work[br]that my colleagues are doing

0:08:04.356,0:08:05.473
all around the world,

0:08:05.616,0:08:07.234
and what they're finding,

0:08:07.406,0:08:12.867
I believe that there are millions[br]of undiscovered archaeological sites

0:08:12.993,0:08:14.475
left to find.

0:08:14.717,0:08:17.260
Discovering them will do nothing less

0:08:17.411,0:08:20.994
than unlock the full potential[br]of our existence.

0:08:22.472,0:08:25.045
But we have a challenge.

0:08:25.428,0:08:26.899
Over the last year,

0:08:27.041,0:08:29.619
we've seen horrible headlines

0:08:29.789,0:08:34.079
of incredible destruction going on[br]to archaeological sites,

0:08:34.238,0:08:37.226
and massive looting by people like ISIL.

0:08:37.712,0:08:41.141
ISIL has destroyed temples at Palmyra.

0:08:41.307,0:08:43.163
Who blows up a temple?

0:08:43.600,0:08:46.285
They've destroyed the Tomb of Jonah,

0:08:46.458,0:08:53.615
and we've seen looting at sites so rampant[br]it looks like craters of the moon.

0:08:55.247,0:08:59.550
Knowing ISIL's desire to destroy[br]modern human lives,

0:08:59.693,0:09:03.827
it's a natural extension for them[br]to destroy cultural identity as well.

0:09:04.060,0:09:07.088
Countless invading armies[br]have done the same throughout history.

0:09:07.924,0:09:11.802
We know that ISIL is profiting[br]from the looting of sites,

0:09:11.921,0:09:14.064
but we don't know the scale.

0:09:14.239,0:09:19.079
This means that any object purchased[br]on the market today from the Middle East

0:09:19.189,0:09:21.999
could potentially be funding terrorism.

0:09:22.856,0:09:24.659
When a site is looted,

0:09:24.816,0:09:30.449
it's as if a puzzle already missing[br]90 percnet of it pieces

0:09:30.590,0:09:33.549
has had the rest obscured[br]beyond recognition.

0:09:33.873,0:09:36.283
This is ancient identity theft writ large.

0:09:36.800,0:09:39.170
We know that there are two kinds[br]of looting going on:

0:09:39.326,0:09:41.721
looting by criminal elements like ISIL,

0:09:41.910,0:09:47.467
which of course is something that we[br]can barely come to terms with,

0:09:47.618,0:09:51.667
and then more local looting[br]by those that are desperate for money.

0:09:51.917,0:09:55.142
We would all do the same[br]to feed our families.

0:09:55.295,0:09:57.341
I don't blame the local looters.

0:09:57.510,0:09:59.790
I blame the middlemen,

0:09:59.980,0:10:02.068
the unethical trafficers,

0:10:02.293,0:10:04.128
and an International art market

0:10:04.286,0:10:09.594
that exploits often ambiguous[br]or often completely nonexistent laws.

0:10:10.757,0:10:15.084
We know looting is going on[br]on a global scale and it's increasing,

0:10:15.252,0:10:18.336
but presently we don't have[br]any tools to stop it.

0:10:18.819,0:10:20.553
This is beginning to change.

0:10:20.943,0:10:25.486
My team and I have just completed a study[br]looking at looting in Egypt,

0:10:25.664,0:10:27.834
and we looked at open source data,

0:10:27.987,0:10:30.778
and mapped the entirety[br]of looting across Egypt

0:10:30.944,0:10:33.446
from 2002 to 2013.

0:10:34.005,0:10:36.151
We found evidence of looting[br]and site destruction

0:10:36.299,0:10:38.633
at 267 sites,

0:10:38.788,0:10:42.735
and mapped over 200,000 looting pits.

0:10:43.576,0:10:44.772
It's astonishing.

0:10:44.961,0:10:46.397
And putting that data together,

0:10:46.574,0:10:49.339
you can see the looting pits marked here.

0:10:50.111,0:10:51.363
And one site,

0:10:51.514,0:10:55.373
as the looting got bad[br]from 2009, 2011, 2012 --

0:10:55.566,0:10:57.507
hundreds of hundreds of pits.

0:10:58.379,0:10:59.238
Putting all the data together,

0:10:59.408,0:11:01.946
what we found is that contrary[br]to popular opinion,

0:11:02.140,0:11:07.024
looting did not start to get worse[br]in Egypt in 2011 after the Arab Spring,

0:11:07.147,0:11:09.109
but in 2009,

0:11:09.248,0:11:11.139
after the global recession.

0:11:11.357,0:11:13.923
Thus, we've shown with big data

0:11:14.074,0:11:17.889
that looting is fundamentally[br]an economic issue.

0:11:18.637,0:11:21.754
If we do nothing to stop the problem,

0:11:21.924,0:11:25.983
all of Egypt's sites will be[br]affected by looting by 2040.

0:11:26.375,0:11:29.506
Thus, we are at a tipping point.

0:11:29.692,0:11:33.888
We are the generation with all the tools[br]and all the technologies to stop looting,

0:11:34.040,0:11:37.093
but we're not working fast enough.

0:11:39.611,0:11:44.166
Sometimes an archaeological site[br]can surprise you with its resilience.

0:11:45.079,0:11:47.458
I am just back from the field

0:11:47.632,0:11:51.054
where I co-led joint mission[br]with Egypt's Ministry of Antiquites

0:11:51.203,0:11:52.867
at a site called Lisht.

0:11:53.085,0:11:57.907
This site dates to the middle[br]kingdom of Egypt between 2000 and 1750 BC.

0:11:58.243,0:12:00.709
The middle kingdom was Ancient Egypt's[br]Renaissance period.

0:12:00.851,0:12:03.488
After a time of intense internal strife,

0:12:03.668,0:12:04.852
and environmental challenges,

0:12:05.035,0:12:06.143
Egypt rebounded

0:12:06.311,0:12:10.998
with an incredible resurgence[br]of art, architecture and literature.

0:12:11.185,0:12:13.106
It's a favorite period of time[br]to study in Egypt,

0:12:13.272,0:12:15.373
because it teaches us so much

0:12:15.512,0:12:19.877
about how we can survive and thrive[br]after great disasters.

0:12:20.360,0:12:25.125
Now, at this site, we had already mapped[br]countless looting pits.

0:12:25.250,0:12:26.685
Lisht is a [royal] site,

0:12:26.819,0:12:28.279
there would have been thousands[br]of people buried there

0:12:28.412,0:12:30.344
who lived and worked[br]at the court of Pharoah,

0:12:30.572,0:12:32.212
and you can see this before and after --

0:12:32.379,0:12:33.975
you see dozens of looting pits.

0:12:34.285,0:12:34.963
North Lisht.

0:12:35.136,0:12:36.226
This is in South Lisht:

0:12:36.372,0:12:37.228
before ...

0:12:37.393,0:12:38.707
and after.

0:12:39.699,0:12:41.117
When we first visited the site,

0:12:41.306,0:12:43.837
we could see the tombs[br]of many high-ranking officials

0:12:44.005,0:12:45.363
that had been looted.

0:12:45.770,0:12:48.131
Let me put into perspective[br]for you what was taken.

0:12:48.564,0:12:51.265
Imagine a two meter-by-two meter area

0:12:51.451,0:12:55.397
full of coffins, jewelry[br]and incredible statuary.

0:12:55.902,0:12:59.096
Multiply that times over a thousand.

0:12:59.990,0:13:01.711
That's what was taken.

0:13:02.361,0:13:03.578
So when we started work,

0:13:03.738,0:13:04.737
my Egyptian co-director,

0:13:04.931,0:13:05.655
Mohamed Youssef,

0:13:05.824,0:13:06.846
approached me and said,

0:13:07.030,0:13:09.654
"We must work at this one particular tomb,

0:13:09.844,0:13:11.406
it's been attacked by looters.

0:13:11.589,0:13:12.649
If we don't do anything,

0:13:12.828,0:13:13.802
they'll be back."

0:13:14.054,0:13:14.964
Of course I agreed,

0:13:15.172,0:13:16.932
but I didn't think we'd find anything.

0:13:17.129,0:13:19.057
I thought the looters[br]had stolen everything.

0:13:19.281,0:13:21.961
What we started to find[br]was the most incredible reliefs.

0:13:22.143,0:13:23.181
I mean, look at this painting --

0:13:23.345,0:13:24.007
it's just stunning.

0:13:24.210,0:13:26.916
We started finding engraved inscriptions.

0:13:27.141,0:13:28.965
And even the titles of the tomb owner --

0:13:29.152,0:13:31.316
he had titles like,[br]"Overseer of the Army,"

0:13:31.472,0:13:32.900
"Overseer of the Treasury."

0:13:33.109,0:13:34.449
I began to have hope.

0:13:34.593,0:13:35.141
Maybe,

0:13:35.336,0:13:37.993
just maybe we would find his name.

0:13:38.198,0:13:39.339
For the Ancient Egyptians,

0:13:39.534,0:13:42.333
having your name last[br]for eternity was their goal.

0:13:43.090,0:13:44.747
And then one day,

0:13:44.915,0:13:46.096
this appeared.

0:13:46.483,0:13:49.505
This is the name of the tomb owner,

0:13:49.701,0:13:50.782
Intf.

0:13:51.035,0:13:53.650
You can see it written out[br]here in hieroglyphs.

0:13:53.837,0:13:56.408
Working together with my Egyptian team,

0:13:56.595,0:14:00.552
we had restored someone's name[br]from 3,900 years ago.

0:14:01.607,0:14:02.814
So here's the thing.

0:14:03.103,0:14:07.966
I promised my team[br]that if we found his name,

0:14:08.147,0:14:10.191
I would ululate.

0:14:10.386,0:14:14.986
Ululation is a modern Egyptian[br]woman's victory song.

0:14:16.152,0:14:18.135
A promise is a promise.

0:14:19.070,0:14:22.078
Intf, son of [Ippe],

0:14:22.279,0:14:24.590
overseer of the army,

0:14:24.776,0:14:25.782
the justified --

0:14:25.951,0:14:27.621
this is for you.

0:14:29.238,0:14:31.753
(Ululating)

0:14:33.674,0:14:35.721
(Applause)

0:14:40.929,0:14:42.987
Working together[br]with my Egyptian colleagues,

0:14:43.144,0:14:45.071
we celebrated this moment[br]of shared discovery.

0:14:45.293,0:14:48.153
What we were doing together[br]was right and true.

0:14:48.721,0:14:50.341
We found this incredible false door,

0:14:50.494,0:14:51.354
mostly intact.

0:14:51.546,0:14:54.396
On it we read about Intf[br]and his inscriptions.

0:14:54.568,0:14:57.178
You can actually even see him seated here.

0:14:58.405,0:14:59.854
What I realized

0:15:00.013,0:15:04.540
is that everything I had assumed[br]about looted sites had been proved wrong.

0:15:04.705,0:15:08.053
Every day on site we worked together[br]with 70 Egyptians

0:15:08.222,0:15:10.953
as colleagues and friends.

0:15:11.151,0:15:13.551
In the face of so much[br]hatred and ignorance

0:15:13.725,0:15:15.697
against those in the Middle East,

0:15:15.815,0:15:19.647
every moment on site felt like[br]a protest for peace.

0:15:20.496,0:15:21.351
When you work with those

0:15:21.522,0:15:25.008
that don't look like you[br]or think like you or speak like you,

0:15:25.128,0:15:27.881
your shared mission[br]of archaeological discovery

0:15:28.104,0:15:32.460
erases all superficial differences.

0:15:32.654,0:15:36.027
What I learned this season

0:15:37.075,0:15:38.184
is that archaeology[br]isn't about what you find,

0:15:38.318,0:15:40.351
it's about what you can prove possible.

0:15:40.631,0:15:43.595
So if sometimes when you travel[br]you end up finding long lost family,

0:15:43.775,0:15:46.025
not those with whom you share genes,

0:15:46.225,0:15:48.386
but a shared entry in the book of like.

0:15:48.819,0:15:50.584
This is [Omar Farrouk],

0:15:50.757,0:15:51.881
my brother.

0:15:52.233,0:15:55.773
Omar's a Gufti from a village[br]just North of Luxor,

0:15:55.933,0:15:56.820
called Guft.

0:15:57.011,0:15:59.259
Guftis are part of a celebrated[br]tradition in Egyptology.

0:15:59.425,0:16:02.454
They help with digging[br]and [work crew] organization.

0:16:02.648,0:16:05.103
Omer is my COO and CFO.

0:16:05.219,0:16:07.287
I simply couldn't do work without him.

0:16:08.256,0:16:09.992
One day many years ago,

0:16:10.166,0:16:11.669
when I was a young graduate student

0:16:11.852,0:16:15.621
and Omer was a young Gufti[br]who couldn't speak much English,

0:16:15.853,0:16:16.661
we learned,

0:16:16.852,0:16:17.742
completely randomly,

0:16:17.938,0:16:21.103
we were born on the same year,

0:16:21.254,0:16:22.598
the same month

0:16:22.789,0:16:26.505
and the same day six hours apart.

0:16:27.706,0:16:28.806
Twins.

0:16:29.170,0:16:30.564
(Laughter)

0:16:31.231,0:16:32.339
Separated by an ocean,

0:16:32.490,0:16:33.196
but forever connected

0:16:33.391,0:16:36.216
for Ancient Egypt as our mother.

0:16:36.423,0:16:38.369
I knew then we'd always work together.

0:16:38.558,0:16:40.630
Not in my brain,

0:16:40.810,0:16:45.307
but in the part of your soul that knows[br]that not everything can be explained.

0:16:46.749,0:16:49.940
[eumar 'akhi,]

0:16:50.072,0:16:53.257
[ wa'ana sawf 'ahabbak dayima.]

0:16:53.506,0:16:55.240
Omer my brother,

0:16:55.422,0:16:57.236
I will always love you.

0:16:58.307,0:17:00.750
So just before my first dig in Egypt,

0:17:00.904,0:17:01.811
my mentor --

0:17:01.976,0:17:03.523
very famous Egyptologist,

0:17:03.683,0:17:04.478
Professor William Kelley Simpson --

0:17:04.674,0:17:06.007
called me into his office.

0:17:06.185,0:17:09.624
He handed me a check for $2,000,

0:17:09.757,0:17:12.293
and said, "This is to cover your expenses,

0:17:12.433,0:17:14.461
have a glorious adventure this summer.

0:17:14.625,0:17:18.309
Someday you will do this[br]for someone else."

0:17:19.326,0:17:24.626
Thus, my TED Prize wish[br]is partial payback plus interest --

0:17:24.813,0:17:25.340
(Laughter)

0:17:25.543,0:17:29.010
for a great human being's[br]generosity and kindess.

0:17:30.699,0:17:32.191
So, my wish.

0:17:33.063,0:17:38.893
I wish for us to discover the millions[br]of unknown archeological sites

0:17:39.535,0:17:40.389
around the world

0:17:40.614,0:17:44.652
by created a 21st century army[br]of global explorerers.

0:17:44.945,0:17:47.815
We'll find and protect[br]the world's hidden heritage,

0:17:47.960,0:17:53.535
which contains clues to humankind's[br]collective resilience and creativity.

0:17:54.894,0:17:56.626
(Applause)

0:17:56.879,0:17:57.971
Thank you.

0:18:05.512,0:18:07.462
So how are we going to do this?

0:18:08.288,0:18:11.696
We are going to build[br]with the TED Prize money

0:18:11.863,0:18:15.765
and online, crowd-sourced,[br]citizen science platform

0:18:15.910,0:18:21.472
to allow anyone in the world to engage[br]with discovering archaeological sites.

0:18:22.985,0:18:25.730
There are only a couple hundred of us[br]space archaeologists around the world.

0:18:26.212,0:18:29.201
It is my dream to engage the world

0:18:29.422,0:18:32.101
with helping to find sites[br]and protect them.

0:18:32.853,0:18:35.114
What you'll do is you'll sign in,

0:18:35.267,0:18:35.887
create a user name --

0:18:36.077,0:18:38.690
this particular username is already taken.

0:18:39.228,0:18:40.280
(Laughter)

0:18:40.956,0:18:42.760
You'll take a tutorial[br]and you'll start work.

0:18:42.938,0:18:44.215
I want to note at the outset

0:18:44.378,0:18:48.303
that in no way will be sharing GPS[br]data or mapping data for sites.

0:18:48.662,0:18:51.173
We want to treat them[br]like human patient data,

0:18:51.328,0:18:52.987
and not reveal your locations.

0:18:53.182,0:18:55.295
You'll know you're in Northern Italy[br]or Southern Peru,

0:18:55.454,0:18:56.735
but you'll certainly not know[br]exactly where you are,

0:18:56.914,0:18:58.371
we've got to protect the sites.

0:18:58.864,0:19:00.373
You'll then be dealt a card from a deck,

0:19:00.559,0:19:03.179
whether is 20-by-20 meters[br]or 30-by-30 meters,

0:19:03.378,0:19:05.231
and you'll be looking then for features.

0:19:05.425,0:19:08.471
My team will have [batch] processed[br]large amounts of satellite data

0:19:08.617,0:19:09.865
using algorithms

0:19:10.038,0:19:10.985
in order for you to find things,

0:19:11.153,0:19:13.081
so you'll be doing really good science.

0:19:13.272,0:19:14.838
You'll then be starting to look.

0:19:15.023,0:19:15.579
What do you see?

0:19:15.777,0:19:16.638
Do you see a temple?

0:19:16.802,0:19:18.143
Do you see a tomb?

0:19:18.302,0:19:19.288
Do you see a pyramid?

0:19:19.828,0:19:23.418
Do you see any potential[br]site damage or site looting?

0:19:23.591,0:19:25.605
You'll then begin to mark what's there,

0:19:25.776,0:19:26.581
and off to the side

0:19:26.759,0:19:30.412
are always going to be rich examples[br]of exactly what you're seeing

0:19:30.551,0:19:31.786
to help guide you.

0:19:32.115,0:19:36.443
All the data that you help us collect[br]will be shared with vetted authorities,

0:19:36.604,0:19:39.690
and will help create[br]a new global alarm system

0:19:39.859,0:19:41.524
to help protect sites.

0:19:42.479,0:19:44.316
But it's not just going to stop there.

0:19:45.523,0:19:48.491
All the archaeologists with whom[br]we share your discoveries

0:19:48.630,0:19:52.274
will take you with them as they[br]begin to excavate them

0:19:52.456,0:19:56.841
by using Periscope, Google Plus[br]and social media.

0:19:58.290,0:19:59.593
A hundred years ago,

0:19:59.784,0:20:02.275
archaeology was for the rich.

0:20:02.448,0:20:04.125
50 years ago,

0:20:04.299,0:20:05.643
it was for men.

0:20:05.835,0:20:08.108
Now it's primary for academics.

0:20:08.766,0:20:13.397
Our goal is to democratize the process[br]of archaeological discovery,

0:20:13.564,0:20:15.875
and allow anyone to participate.

0:20:17.020,0:20:18.875
94 years ago,

0:20:19.054,0:20:21.622
Howard Carter discovered[br]the tomb of King Tut.

0:20:22.974,0:20:25.093
Who is the next Howard Carter?

0:20:26.613,0:20:28.245
It might be you.

0:20:30.941,0:20:32.678
By creating this platform,

0:20:32.839,0:20:37.301
we will find the millions of places[br]occupied by the billions of people

0:20:37.407,0:20:39.011
that came before us.

0:20:39.246,0:20:42.761
If we want to answer the big questions[br]about who we are

0:20:42.915,0:20:44.126
and where we've come from,

0:20:44.284,0:20:48.729
the answers to those questions do not lie[br]in pyramids or palaces,

0:20:48.729,0:20:52.777
but in the cities and villages[br]of those that came before us.

0:20:53.455,0:20:56.042
If we want to learn about the past,

0:20:56.202,0:20:58.809
it's time we inverted the pyramids.

0:21:00.154,0:21:03.746
Acknowledging that the past[br]is worth saving

0:21:03.921,0:21:06.261
means so much more --

0:21:06.662,0:21:10.731
it means that we're worth saving, too.

0:21:11.280,0:21:15.844
And the greatest story ever told

0:21:15.990,0:21:19.414
is the story of our shared human journey.

0:21:20.386,0:21:23.679
But the only way that we're going[br]to be able to write it,

0:21:23.876,0:21:26.747
is if we do it together.

0:21:28.109,0:21:29.509
Come with me.

0:21:29.907,0:21:30.889
Thank you.

0:21:31.468,0:21:33.150
(Applause)