0:00:01.059,0:00:02.542
As an archaeologist,

0:00:02.566,0:00:05.664
I'm most often asked[br]what my favorite discovery is.

0:00:06.601,0:00:07.786
The answer's easy:

0:00:08.829,0:00:10.363
my husband, Greg.

0:00:10.387,0:00:11.758
(Laughter)

0:00:11.782,0:00:13.544
We met in Egypt on my first dig.

0:00:14.149,0:00:18.672
It was my first lesson in finding[br]unexpected, wonderful things.

0:00:19.941,0:00:23.090
This began an incredible[br]archaeological partnership.

0:00:24.442,0:00:29.585
Years later, I proposed to him[br]in front of our favorite pair statue

0:00:29.609,0:00:32.770
of the Prince and Princess[br]Rahotep and Nofret,

0:00:32.794,0:00:34.035
in the Cairo Museum,

0:00:34.059,0:00:36.154
dating to 4,600 years ago.

0:00:36.615,0:00:41.639
I thought if I was going to ask Greg[br]to spend the rest of this life with me,

0:00:41.663,0:00:44.440
then I should ask him[br]in front of two people

0:00:44.464,0:00:47.545
who had pledged[br]to be together for eternity.

0:00:49.182,0:00:52.058
These symbols endure[br]because when we look at them,

0:00:52.082,0:00:53.523
we're looking at mirrors.

0:00:53.960,0:00:55.978
They are powerful reminders

0:00:56.002,0:00:58.811
that our common humanity has not changed.

0:00:59.807,0:01:05.187
The thrill of archaeological discovery[br]is as powerful as love,

0:01:05.211,0:01:10.258
because ancient history is the most[br]seductive mistress imaginable.

0:01:11.116,0:01:13.419
Many archaeologists[br]have devoted their lives

0:01:13.443,0:01:15.872
to unraveling the mysteries of the past

0:01:15.896,0:01:17.552
under hot suns

0:01:18.585,0:01:20.039
and Arctic winds

0:01:20.550,0:01:22.428
and in dense rainforests.

0:01:23.518,0:01:24.996
Many seek.

0:01:25.020,0:01:26.171
Some discover.

0:01:26.195,0:01:29.013
All worship at the temple of possibility

0:01:29.037,0:01:31.857
that one discovery might change history.

0:01:33.620,0:01:36.125
On my first day in Egypt,[br]I worked at a site

0:01:36.149,0:01:41.789
in the Northeast Egyptian Delta[br]called Mendes, dating to 4,200 years ago,

0:01:41.813,0:01:42.964
in a cemetery.

0:01:42.988,0:01:44.188
That's a picture of me --

0:01:44.212,0:01:45.413
I'm just in my bliss.

0:01:45.888,0:01:49.901
On the dig, surrounded[br]by emerald green rice paddies,

0:01:49.925,0:01:52.413
I discovered an intact pot.

0:01:53.772,0:01:55.398
Flipping it over,

0:01:55.422,0:01:59.905
I discovered a human thumbprint[br]left by whoever made the vessel.

0:02:00.734,0:02:02.958
For a moment, time stood still.

0:02:04.068,0:02:05.414
I didn't know where I was.

0:02:05.955,0:02:08.912
It was because at that moment I realized,

0:02:08.936,0:02:10.314
when we dig,

0:02:10.338,0:02:11.995
we're digging for people,

0:02:12.019,0:02:13.230
not things.

0:02:14.664,0:02:19.615
Never are we so present as when[br]we are in the midst of the great past.

0:02:20.513,0:02:25.331
I can't tell you how many times I've stood[br]in front of the Pyramids of Giza,

0:02:25.355,0:02:27.620
and they leave me speechless.

0:02:27.644,0:02:30.621
I feel like the luckiest[br]person in the world.

0:02:31.975,0:02:36.941
They're a monument to our human brilliance[br]and everything that is possible.

0:02:37.857,0:02:40.826
Many cannot process[br]their brilliance as human --

0:02:40.850,0:02:42.451
they think aliens built them.

0:02:43.250,0:02:44.440
But this is ridiculous.

0:02:45.252,0:02:48.576
All you need to do[br]is get up close and personal,

0:02:48.600,0:02:51.072
and see the hidden hand of man

0:02:51.096,0:02:54.673
in the chisel marks left[br]by the tools that built them.

0:02:56.204,0:02:59.956
The Great Pyramid of Giza[br]was built one stone at a time

0:02:59.980,0:03:03.148
with 2.3 million blocks,

0:03:03.172,0:03:05.870
with incredible bureaucratic efficiency.

0:03:07.304,0:03:10.269
It is not the pyramids[br]that stand the test of time;

0:03:10.293,0:03:12.055
it is human ingenuity.

0:03:12.556,0:03:16.462
That is our shared human brilliance.

0:03:17.523,0:03:20.049
History may be cyclical,

0:03:20.757,0:03:22.912
but we are singular.

0:03:23.768,0:03:25.344
I love what I do,

0:03:25.368,0:03:28.033
because I learn that we haven't changed.

0:03:29.486,0:03:33.670
I get to read about mother-in-law[br]jokes from Mesopotamia

0:03:33.694,0:03:35.246
from 3,500 years ago.

0:03:35.270,0:03:36.801
(Laughter)

0:03:37.975,0:03:41.379
I get to hear about neighbors[br]cursing each other

0:03:41.403,0:03:43.901
from 4,600 years ago in Egypt.

0:03:43.925,0:03:48.528
And my absolute favorite,[br]from 3,300 years ago in Luxor:

0:03:48.552,0:03:54.060
an inscription that describes schoolboys[br]who cut class to go drinking.

0:03:54.084,0:03:56.054
(Laughter)

0:03:56.078,0:03:58.046
Kids these days.

0:03:58.070,0:03:59.394
(Laughter)

0:03:59.882,0:04:03.242
I get to see the most[br]incredible architecture,

0:04:04.044,0:04:06.174
see stunning sculptures --

0:04:06.198,0:04:09.041
I mean, this is basically[br]a selfie in stone --

0:04:09.065,0:04:12.022
and see that we've always[br]rocked serious bling.

0:04:13.217,0:04:16.187
And also, we've been posting on walls

0:04:16.211,0:04:18.290
and obsessing about cats --

0:04:18.314,0:04:19.321
(Laughter)

0:04:19.345,0:04:20.858
for thousands of years.

0:04:20.882,0:04:21.889
(Laughter)

0:04:21.913,0:04:24.249
(Applause)

0:04:26.786,0:04:30.136
Archaeologists are the cultural[br]memory preservers

0:04:30.160,0:04:31.801
and the spokespeople

0:04:31.825,0:04:35.157
for the billions of people[br]and the thousands of cultures

0:04:35.181,0:04:36.515
that came before us.

0:04:37.136,0:04:40.231
Good science, imagination[br]and a leap of faith

0:04:40.255,0:04:43.695
are the trifecta we use to raise the dead.

0:04:44.993,0:04:46.164
In the last year,

0:04:46.188,0:04:49.364
archaeologists have made[br]incredible discoveries, including:

0:04:50.194,0:04:52.516
new human ancestors from South Africa;

0:04:53.560,0:04:56.578
tools from 3.3 million years ago --

0:04:56.602,0:04:58.838
these are the oldest tools[br]ever discovered --

0:04:58.862,0:05:00.210
in Kenya.

0:05:00.234,0:05:03.878
And this, from a series[br]of medical implements found

0:05:03.902,0:05:06.720
from Blackbeard's ship from 1718.

0:05:07.145,0:05:12.238
What you're looking at is a medical tool[br]used to treat syphilis.

0:05:13.419,0:05:14.639
Ouch!

0:05:14.663,0:05:16.023
(Laughter)

0:05:16.047,0:05:17.391
For each of these,

0:05:17.415,0:05:20.858
there are thousands of other[br]incredibly important discoveries

0:05:20.882,0:05:22.354
made by my colleagues,

0:05:22.378,0:05:23.828
that do not make headlines.

0:05:24.724,0:05:30.898
However, I believe that the most[br]important thing we do as archaeologists

0:05:30.922,0:05:34.613
is acknowledge that past people existed

0:05:34.637,0:05:36.511
and lived lives worth learning about.

0:05:37.773,0:05:41.335
Can you even imagine[br]what the world would be like today

0:05:41.359,0:05:44.601
if we acknowledged all[br]human beings in this way?

0:05:46.720,0:05:49.836
So, on a dig, we have a challenge:

0:05:50.813,0:05:52.552
it often looks like this.

0:05:52.576,0:05:54.410
You can't see anything.

0:05:54.434,0:05:56.183
Where are we going to start digging?

0:05:56.207,0:05:57.918
This is from a site south of Cairo.

0:05:57.942,0:05:59.675
Let's have a look from space.

0:06:00.589,0:06:02.527
Again, you can't really see much.

0:06:02.551,0:06:06.338
What you're looking at[br]is a WorldView-3 satellite image,

0:06:06.362,0:06:09.421
which has a .3 meter resolution.

0:06:09.445,0:06:10.823
That's 10 inches.

0:06:10.847,0:06:15.121
This means that you can zoom in[br]from 400 miles in space

0:06:15.145,0:06:16.582
and see your tablets.

0:06:17.631,0:06:19.007
How do I know about this?

0:06:19.864,0:06:22.988
It's because I'm a space archaeologist.

0:06:24.206,0:06:25.571
Let me repeat that.

0:06:26.043,0:06:28.812
I am a space archaeologist.

0:06:28.836,0:06:29.988
This means --

0:06:30.012,0:06:31.258
(Applause)

0:06:31.282,0:06:32.568
Thank you.

0:06:32.956,0:06:37.427
This means I use satellite images[br]and process them using algorithms,

0:06:37.451,0:06:40.087
and look at subtle differences[br]in the light spectrum

0:06:40.111,0:06:42.425
that indicate buried things[br]under the ground

0:06:42.449,0:06:44.918
that I get to go excavate and survey.

0:06:45.497,0:06:46.657
By the way --

0:06:46.681,0:06:49.258
NASA has a Space Archaeology program,

0:06:49.282,0:06:50.768
so it's a real job.

0:06:50.792,0:06:51.942
(Laughter)

0:06:52.551,0:06:54.015
So, let's have a look again.

0:06:54.039,0:06:56.124
We're back at the site[br]just south of Cairo.

0:06:56.148,0:06:57.831
You can't see anything.

0:06:57.855,0:07:01.233
Keep your eye on the red rectangle.

0:07:01.257,0:07:03.884
When we process the image[br]using algorithms --

0:07:03.908,0:07:06.313
think like a space-based CAT scan --

0:07:07.451,0:07:09.485
this is what you see.

0:07:10.074,0:07:13.783
This rectilinear form is an ancient tomb

0:07:13.807,0:07:16.408
that is previously unknown[br]and unexcavated,

0:07:16.432,0:07:21.193
and you all are the first people[br]to see it in thousands of years.

0:07:21.842,0:07:27.299
(Applause)

0:07:27.323,0:07:30.150
I believe we have barely[br]scratched the surface

0:07:30.174,0:07:32.254
in terms of what's left to discover.

0:07:33.098,0:07:35.096
In the Egyptian Delta alone,

0:07:35.120,0:07:38.938
we've excavated less[br]than one-1000th of one percent

0:07:38.962,0:07:41.675
of the total volume of Egyptian sites.

0:07:42.316,0:07:44.654
When you add to that[br]the thousands of other sites

0:07:44.678,0:07:46.710
my team and I have discovered,

0:07:46.734,0:07:50.489
what we thought we knew[br]pales in comparison

0:07:50.513,0:07:52.411
to what we have left to discover.

0:07:53.118,0:07:54.921
When you look at the incredible work

0:07:54.945,0:07:57.366
that my colleagues are doing[br]all around the world

0:07:57.390,0:07:59.197
and what they're finding,

0:07:59.221,0:08:04.819
I believe that there are millions[br]of undiscovered archaeological sites

0:08:04.843,0:08:06.003
left to find.

0:08:06.574,0:08:09.189
Discovering them will do nothing less

0:08:09.213,0:08:12.927
than unlock the full potential[br]of our existence.

0:08:14.414,0:08:16.729
But we have a challenge.

0:08:17.323,0:08:18.910
Over the last year,

0:08:18.934,0:08:21.558
we've seen horrible headlines

0:08:21.582,0:08:25.904
of incredible destruction going on[br]to archaeological sites,

0:08:25.928,0:08:28.733
and massive looting by people like ISIL.

0:08:29.594,0:08:33.216
ISIL has destroyed temples at Palmyra.

0:08:33.240,0:08:34.855
Who blows up a temple?

0:08:35.437,0:08:37.516
They've destroyed the Tomb of Jonah.

0:08:38.200,0:08:43.011
And we've seen looting[br]at sites so rampant,

0:08:43.035,0:08:45.855
it looks like craters of the moon.

0:08:47.180,0:08:51.460
Knowing ISIL's desire to destroy[br]modern human lives,

0:08:51.484,0:08:55.872
it's a natural extension for them[br]to destroy cultural identity as well.

0:08:55.896,0:08:59.050
Countless invading armies[br]have done the same throughout history.

0:08:59.818,0:09:03.677
We know that ISIL is profiting[br]from the looting of sites,

0:09:03.701,0:09:05.242
but we don't know the scale.

0:09:06.014,0:09:09.935
This means that any object[br]purchased on the market today

0:09:09.959,0:09:11.115
from the Middle East

0:09:11.139,0:09:13.773
could potentially be funding terrorism.

0:09:14.742,0:09:16.589
When a site is looted,

0:09:16.613,0:09:22.393
it's as if a puzzle already missing[br]90 percent of it pieces

0:09:22.417,0:09:25.179
has had the rest obscured[br]beyond recognition.

0:09:25.678,0:09:28.208
This is ancient identity theft writ large.

0:09:28.734,0:09:31.226
We know that there are two kinds[br]of looting going on:

0:09:31.250,0:09:33.936
looting by criminal elements like ISIL,

0:09:33.960,0:09:37.826
and then more local looting[br]by those that are desperate for money.

0:09:38.249,0:09:41.491
We would all do the same[br]to feed our families;

0:09:41.515,0:09:43.664
I don't blame the local looters.

0:09:43.688,0:09:48.366
I blame the middlemen,[br]the unethical traffickers

0:09:48.390,0:09:50.374
and an international art market

0:09:50.398,0:09:55.789
that exploits often ambiguous[br]or even completely nonexistent laws.

0:09:56.938,0:10:01.321
We know looting is going on[br]on a global scale and it's increasing,

0:10:01.345,0:10:04.429
but presently we don't have[br]any tools to stop it.

0:10:05.122,0:10:06.617
This is beginning to change.

0:10:07.302,0:10:11.740
My team and I have just completed a study[br]looking at looting in Egypt.

0:10:11.764,0:10:14.111
We looked at open-source data

0:10:14.135,0:10:17.070
and mapped the entirety[br]of looting across Egypt

0:10:17.094,0:10:19.637
from 2002 to 2013.

0:10:20.474,0:10:25.030
We found evidence of looting[br]and site destruction at 267 sites,

0:10:25.054,0:10:29.031
and mapped over 200,000 looting pits.

0:10:29.901,0:10:31.074
It's astonishing.

0:10:31.098,0:10:32.771
And putting that data together --

0:10:32.795,0:10:35.290
you can see the looting pits marked here.

0:10:36.442,0:10:41.733
At one site, the looting got bad[br]from 2009, 2011, 2012 --

0:10:41.757,0:10:43.318
hundreds and hundreds of pits.

0:10:43.784,0:10:45.215
Putting all the data together,

0:10:45.239,0:10:48.290
what we found is that,[br]contrary to popular opinion,

0:10:48.314,0:10:53.375
looting did not start to get worse[br]in Egypt in 2011 after the Arab Spring,

0:10:53.399,0:10:56.991
but in 2009, after the global recession.

0:10:57.531,0:11:00.160
Thus, we've shown with big data

0:11:00.184,0:11:03.647
that looting is fundamentally[br]an economic issue.

0:11:04.973,0:11:08.149
If we do nothing to stop the problem,

0:11:08.173,0:11:12.232
all of Egypt's sites will be affected[br]by looting by 2040.

0:11:12.684,0:11:15.856
Thus, we are at a tipping point.

0:11:15.880,0:11:19.003
We are the generation with all the tools[br]and all the technologies

0:11:19.027,0:11:20.237
to stop looting,

0:11:20.261,0:11:22.754
but we're not working fast enough.

0:11:25.968,0:11:30.523
Sometimes an archaeological site[br]can surprise you with its resilience.

0:11:31.413,0:11:33.769
I am just back from the field,

0:11:33.793,0:11:37.372
where I co-led a joint mission[br]with Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities

0:11:37.396,0:11:39.208
at a site called Lisht.

0:11:39.232,0:11:44.054
This site dates to the Middle Kingdom[br]of Egypt between 2,000 and 1,750 BC.

0:11:44.494,0:11:47.249
The Middle Kingdom was Ancient[br]Egypt's Renaissance period.

0:11:47.273,0:11:51.177
After a time of intense internal strife[br]and environmental challenges,

0:11:51.201,0:11:52.455
Egypt rebounded

0:11:52.479,0:11:57.436
with an incredible resurgence[br]of art, architecture and literature.

0:11:57.460,0:11:59.858
It's a favorite period of time[br]to study in Egypt,

0:11:59.882,0:12:04.088
because it teaches us so much[br]about how we can survive and thrive

0:12:04.112,0:12:05.327
after great disasters.

0:12:05.791,0:12:10.456
Now at this site, we had already mapped[br]countless looting pits.

0:12:10.480,0:12:11.643
Lisht is a royal site;

0:12:11.667,0:12:14.341
there would have been thousands[br]of people buried there

0:12:14.365,0:12:16.479
who lived and worked[br]at the court of Pharaoh.

0:12:16.503,0:12:19.671
You can see this before and after;[br]you see dozens of looting pits.

0:12:19.695,0:12:20.867
North Lisht.

0:12:20.891,0:12:23.354
This is in South Lisht, before and after.

0:12:24.967,0:12:26.472
When we first visited the site,

0:12:26.496,0:12:29.100
we could see the tombs[br]of many high-ranking officials

0:12:29.124,0:12:30.464
that had been looted.

0:12:31.030,0:12:33.472
Let me put into perspective[br]for you what was taken.

0:12:33.890,0:12:39.175
Imagine a two meter by two meter area[br]full of coffins, jewelry

0:12:39.199,0:12:40.709
and incredible statuary.

0:12:41.235,0:12:44.063
Multiply that times over a thousand.

0:12:45.302,0:12:46.769
That's what was taken.

0:12:47.690,0:12:48.908
So, when we started work,

0:12:48.932,0:12:52.084
my Egyptian co-director, Mohamed Youssef,[br]approached me and said,

0:12:52.108,0:12:54.369
"We must work at this one particular tomb.

0:12:54.943,0:12:56.702
It's been attacked by looters.

0:12:56.726,0:12:58.742
If we don't do anything, they'll be back."

0:12:58.766,0:13:02.162
Of course I agreed,[br]but I didn't think we'd find anything.

0:13:02.186,0:13:04.308
I thought the looters[br]had stolen everything.

0:13:04.332,0:13:07.329
What we started to find[br]were the most incredible reliefs.

0:13:07.353,0:13:09.519
Look at this painting --[br]it's just stunning.

0:13:09.543,0:13:12.198
We started finding engraved inscriptions.

0:13:12.222,0:13:14.293
And even the titles of the tomb owner --

0:13:14.317,0:13:16.628
he had titles like,[br]"Overseer of the Army,"

0:13:16.652,0:13:18.079
"Overseer of the Treasury."

0:13:18.103,0:13:19.293
I began to have hope.

0:13:19.701,0:13:23.304
Maybe, just maybe we would find his name.

0:13:23.328,0:13:26.315
For the ancient Egyptians, having[br]their name last for eternity

0:13:26.339,0:13:27.557
was their goal.

0:13:28.396,0:13:29.969
And then one day,

0:13:29.993,0:13:31.174
this appeared.

0:13:31.768,0:13:35.657
This is the name of the tomb owner: Intef.

0:13:36.202,0:13:38.835
You can see it written out[br]here, in hieroglyphs.

0:13:38.859,0:13:41.615
Working together with my Egyptian team,

0:13:41.639,0:13:45.601
we had restored someone's name[br]from 3,900 years ago.

0:13:45.942,0:13:52.815
(Applause)

0:13:53.764,0:13:55.918
Working together[br]with my Egyptian colleagues,

0:13:55.942,0:13:58.220
we celebrated this moment[br]of shared discovery.

0:13:58.244,0:14:00.782
What we were doing together[br]was right and true.

0:14:01.570,0:14:04.049
We found this incredible[br]false door, mostly intact.

0:14:04.073,0:14:07.197
On it we read about Intef[br]and his inscriptions.

0:14:07.221,0:14:09.831
You can actually even see him seated here.

0:14:11.272,0:14:15.865
What I realized is that everything[br]I had assumed about looted sites

0:14:15.889,0:14:17.101
had been proven wrong.

0:14:17.580,0:14:20.905
Every day on site we worked[br]together with 70 Egyptians

0:14:20.929,0:14:23.009
as colleagues and friends.

0:14:23.870,0:14:26.525
In the face of so much[br]hatred and ignorance

0:14:26.549,0:14:28.549
against those in the Middle East,

0:14:28.573,0:14:32.292
every moment on site felt like[br]a protest for peace.

0:14:33.326,0:14:35.677
When you work with those[br]that don't look like you,

0:14:35.701,0:14:37.793
or think like you, or speak like you,

0:14:37.817,0:14:40.697
your shared mission[br]of archaeological discovery

0:14:40.721,0:14:43.657
erases all superficial differences.

0:14:45.068,0:14:46.608
What I learned this season

0:14:46.632,0:14:49.248
is that archaeology[br]isn't about what you find.

0:14:49.809,0:14:52.492
It's about what you can prove possible.

0:14:53.373,0:14:56.510
Sometimes when you travel,[br]you end up finding long-lost family --

0:14:56.534,0:14:59.041
not those with whom you share genes,

0:14:59.065,0:15:01.056
but a shared entry in the book of life.

0:15:01.584,0:15:04.208
This is [Omar Farrouk], my brother.

0:15:04.949,0:15:09.557
Omar's a Gufti from a village[br]just North of Luxor, called Guft.

0:15:09.581,0:15:12.202
Guftis are part of a celebrated[br]tradition in Egyptology.

0:15:12.226,0:15:14.995
They help with digging[br]and work crew organization.

0:15:15.499,0:15:17.931
Omar is my COO and CFO.

0:15:17.955,0:15:19.980
I simply couldn't do work without him.

0:15:21.146,0:15:24.544
One day many years ago,[br]when I was a young graduate student

0:15:24.568,0:15:28.651
and Omar was a young Gufti[br]who couldn't speak much English,

0:15:28.675,0:15:30.651
we learned, completely randomly,

0:15:30.675,0:15:33.121
that we were born in the same year,

0:15:33.989,0:15:35.590
the same month

0:15:35.614,0:15:39.254
and the same day, six hours apart.

0:15:40.618,0:15:41.769
Twins.

0:15:41.793,0:15:43.187
(Laughter)

0:15:44.036,0:15:46.334
Separated by an ocean,[br]but forever connected

0:15:46.358,0:15:48.431
for Ancient Egypt is our mother.

0:15:49.047,0:15:51.240
I knew then we'd always work together --

0:15:51.264,0:15:52.621
not in my brain,

0:15:53.517,0:15:58.014
but in the part of your soul that knows[br]not everything can be explained.

0:15:59.530,0:16:01.877
(Arabic) Omar by brother,

0:16:02.743,0:16:05.662
I will always love you.

0:16:06.347,0:16:09.887
(English) Omar my brother,[br]I will always love you.

0:16:11.252,0:16:13.479
So, just before my first dig in Egypt,

0:16:13.503,0:16:17.197
my mentor, the very famous Egyptologist[br]Professor William Kelley Simpson,

0:16:17.221,0:16:18.516
called me into his office.

0:16:19.049,0:16:22.406
He handed me a check for $2,000,

0:16:22.430,0:16:25.104
and said, "This is to cover your expenses.

0:16:25.128,0:16:27.232
Have a glorious adventure this summer.

0:16:27.728,0:16:31.137
Someday you will do this[br]for someone else."

0:16:32.161,0:16:36.272
Thus, my TED Prize wish[br]is partial payback, plus interest --

0:16:36.296,0:16:37.550
(Laughter)

0:16:37.574,0:16:41.731
for a great human being's[br]generosity and kindness.

0:16:43.771,0:16:44.976
So, my wish.

0:16:45.835,0:16:51.502
I wish for us to discover the millions[br]of unknown archaeological sites

0:16:51.526,0:16:53.137
around the world.

0:16:53.161,0:16:57.599
By creating a 21st-century army[br]of global explorers,

0:16:57.623,0:17:00.643
we'll find and protect[br]the world's hidden heritage,

0:17:00.667,0:17:05.278
which contains clues[br]to humankind's collective resilience

0:17:05.302,0:17:06.612
and creativity.

0:17:07.464,0:17:09.130
(Applause)

0:17:09.154,0:17:10.344
Thank you.

0:17:10.368,0:17:13.340
(Applause)

0:17:18.434,0:17:20.315
So how are we going to do this?

0:17:21.079,0:17:24.471
We are going to build[br]with the TED Prize money

0:17:24.495,0:17:28.553
an online, crowdsource,[br]citizen science platform

0:17:28.577,0:17:32.863
to allow anyone in the world[br]to engage with discovering

0:17:32.887,0:17:34.314
archaeological sites.

0:17:35.843,0:17:39.469
There are only a couple hundred of us[br]space archaeologists around the world.

0:17:39.493,0:17:42.164
It is my dream to engage the world

0:17:42.188,0:17:44.706
with helping to find sites[br]and protect them.

0:17:45.672,0:17:48.803
What you'll do is sign in,[br]create a username --

0:17:48.827,0:17:51.488
note that this particular username[br]is already taken.

0:17:51.512,0:17:53.370
(Laughter)

0:17:53.394,0:17:55.555
You'll take a tutorial[br]and you'll start work.

0:17:55.579,0:17:56.994
I want to note at the outset

0:17:57.018,0:18:01.113
that in no way will be sharing[br]GPS data or mapping data for sites.

0:18:01.137,0:18:03.640
We want to treat them[br]like human patient data,

0:18:03.664,0:18:05.427
and not reveal their locations.

0:18:05.997,0:18:10.219
You'll then be dealt a card from a deck --[br]20 x 20 meters or 30 x 30 meters,

0:18:10.243,0:18:12.465
and you'll be looking for features.

0:18:12.489,0:18:14.459
My team and I will have batch-processed

0:18:14.483,0:18:16.986
large amounts of satellite data[br]using algorithms

0:18:17.010,0:18:18.553
in order for you to find things,

0:18:18.577,0:18:20.452
so you'll be doing really good science.

0:18:20.476,0:18:22.042
You'll then be starting to look.

0:18:22.066,0:18:23.988
What do you see? Do you see a temple?

0:18:24.012,0:18:26.948
Do you see a tomb? Do you see a pyramid?

0:18:26.972,0:18:30.504
Do you see any potential[br]site damage or site looting?

0:18:30.528,0:18:32.634
You'll then begin to mark what's there.

0:18:32.658,0:18:36.152
And off to the side are always[br]going to be rich examples

0:18:36.176,0:18:39.121
of exactly what you're seeing,[br]to help guide you.

0:18:39.145,0:18:43.592
All the data that you help us collect[br]will be shared with vetted authorities,

0:18:43.616,0:18:46.812
and will help create[br]a new global alarm system

0:18:46.836,0:18:48.615
to help protect sites.

0:18:49.552,0:18:51.476
But it's not just going to stop there.

0:18:52.668,0:18:55.662
All the archaeologists with whom[br]we share your discoveries

0:18:55.686,0:18:59.416
will take you with them[br]as they begin to excavate them,

0:18:59.440,0:19:03.602
by using Periscope, Google Plus[br]and social media.

0:19:05.398,0:19:08.452
A hundred years ago,[br]archaeology was for the rich.

0:19:09.469,0:19:11.180
Fifty years ago,

0:19:11.204,0:19:12.382
it was for men.

0:19:12.855,0:19:15.128
Now it's primarily for academics.

0:19:15.859,0:19:20.510
Our goal is to democratize the process[br]of archaeological discovery,

0:19:20.534,0:19:23.095
and allow anyone to participate.

0:19:24.070,0:19:26.063
Ninety-four years ago,

0:19:26.087,0:19:28.877
Howard Carter discovered[br]the tomb of King Tut.

0:19:30.090,0:19:32.036
Who is the next Howard Carter?

0:19:33.723,0:19:35.075
It might be you.

0:19:38.098,0:19:39.706
By creating this platform,

0:19:39.730,0:19:44.455
we will find the millions of places[br]occupied by the billions of people

0:19:44.479,0:19:45.905
that came before us.

0:19:46.710,0:19:49.912
If we want to answer[br]the big questions about who we are

0:19:49.936,0:19:51.197
and where we've come from,

0:19:51.221,0:19:55.660
the answers to those questions[br]do not lie in pyramids or palaces,

0:19:55.684,0:19:59.732
but in the cities and villages[br]of those that came before us.

0:20:00.561,0:20:03.152
If we want to learn about the past,

0:20:03.176,0:20:05.594
it's time we inverted the pyramids.

0:20:07.278,0:20:10.798
Acknowledging that the past[br]is worth saving

0:20:10.822,0:20:12.362
means so much more.

0:20:13.712,0:20:17.279
It means that we're worth saving, too.

0:20:18.386,0:20:21.998
And the greatest story ever told

0:20:22.950,0:20:26.080
is the story of our shared human journey.

0:20:27.532,0:20:30.825
But the only way we're going[br]to be able to write it

0:20:30.849,0:20:33.720
is if we do it together.

0:20:35.270,0:20:36.483
Come with me.

0:20:36.958,0:20:38.110
Thank you.

0:20:38.134,0:20:41.834
(Applause)