Synopsis
Here is a summary of the key points from the research paper:
- The article presents the results of a remote sensing survey using declassified spy satellite imagery from the 1960s-1970s.
- The survey identified 396 previously undocumented ancient forts across eastern Syria and northwestern Iraq, in addition to the 116 forts originally documented by Poidebard in aerial surveys in the 1920s.
- The forts are typically square enclosures around 50-100 meters per side, though some larger fortresses over 200 meters across were also found.
- Based on excavations, most forts likely date to the Roman and late Roman periods, 2nd-6th centuries AD, though some have earlier or later occupation.
- Unlike Poidebard’s defensive “limes” interpretation, the newly mapped distribution of forts suggests they facilitated movement and trade across the Syrian desert rather than strictly demarcating Rome’s eastern frontier.
- The forts form an east-west distribution from the Tigris River to western Syria, not the north-south defensive line proposed by Poidebard.
- The discovery demonstrates the potential of remote sensing and declassified satellite imagery to transform archaeological understandings of ancient landscapes.
In summary, the remote sensing survey challenges the interpretation of the forts as a defensive frontier system, and instead suggests they enabled connectivity and movement across the marginal environments of the Syrian desert.
