A History of Aerial Photography and Archaeology - 9781848020368

In England, more archaeological sites are discovered every year through the study of aerial photographs than by any other method. New reconnaissance flights continue to find previously unknown traces of the past, while the study of historic photographs held in archives reveals even more.

When a military balloon rose above Stonehenge in September 1906, aerial photography was already almost half a century old. The first part of this book tells the story of the balloonist-adventurers who first experienced the landscape from above and who pioneered the use of the airborne camera. The second part begins with the First World War: it explains the development of aerial survey on the Western Front and the subsequent adoption of these techniques by archaeologists. Some of the key individuals and discoveries of the inter-war years are highlighted, and the role that many well-known archaeologists played as military air photo interpreters during the Second World War is outlined. A final chapter explores the development of aerial photography and archaeology since 1945, bringing the story into the 21st century by looking at new ways of investigating the past from the air.

This is an engaging story of adventure and discovery. Illustrated with some of the earliest photographs taken from balloons, intriguing shots from the Boer War and the First World War, and a wide range of photographs of archaeological sites from 1906 to the 21st century, A History of Aerial Photography and Archaeology will have a broad appeal.