Hundreds of long-lost Roman Empire forts have been unveiled through declassified spy satellite images, shedding new light on the ancient empire's eastern frontiers. 

Space.com reports that these 396 forts, revealed by images taken during Cold War spy sattelites in the 1960s and 1970s, have challenged existing theories and provided valuable insights into the Roman Empire's border security and intercultural exchanges.

(Photo : Image credit: Figure by Antiquity/Jesse Casana, David D. Goodman & Carolin Ferwerda)
A sample of Poidebard's (Reference Poidebard1934) aerial photographs: A) fort at Qreiye; B) Roman fort and medieval caravanserai at Birke; C) fort at Tell Zenbil; and D) castellum at Tell Brak.

Unearthing Lost Roman Empire Forths

The study, led by Jesse Casana, a professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College, used high-resolution imagery from the Corona Project (1960-1972) and Hexagon (1971-1986) to uncover a vast network of Roman forts spread across modern-day Syria and Iraq. 

The findings challenge an earlier theory proposed by Antoine Poidebard, a French archaeologist in the 1930s, suggesting that these forts were a defensive barrier against eastern threats.

The newly discovered forts, unlike Poidebard's theory, do not follow a distinct north-south pattern, instead appearing scattered across the region. This indicates that they were not erected primarily for defense but served a different purpose.

The Roman Empire began around 27 BCE and was a vast and complex entity stretching from Britain to Egypt. As the centuries passed, maintaining its borders became increasingly challenging due to factors such as political instability, nomadic incursions, and the empire's sheer size.

The newly discovered forts, believed to have been built between the second and sixth centuries CE, provide a fresh perspective. The high density of these forts suggests that they were constructed to safeguard trade routes and facilitate communication and intercultural exchanges rather than to create an impenetrable defensive line.

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What This Discovery Holds

The significance of these findings lies in the new understanding of the Roman Empire's frontiers and in preserving a historical landscape that has been significantly altered by modern development. 

Casana tells CNN that urbanization, agriculture, and dam construction have led to the destruction of many archaeological sites, highlighting the importance of preserving this rich history through declassified satellite images.

These satellite images are publicly available through the US Geological Survey, making them accessible to researchers and archaeologists. The process of analyzing and georeferencing these images is extensive, but it provides a unique resource for historical and archaeological research.

The study, known as the "Corona Atlas Project," serves as a database for Middle Eastern archaeological sites, aiding in the location and preservation of historical sites threatened by various factors, including urbanization and climate change.

This discovery also challenges our understanding of ancient borders. Borders were not impenetrable barriers but rather hubs of cultural exchange and trade. 

This perspective holds relevance even in the modern world, with archaeologist Jesse Casana telling CNN that history has shown the futility of building massive walls to keep people out.

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(Photo : Tech Times Writer John Lopez)