Remote sensing, landscape and archaeology tracing ancient tracks and roads between Palmyra and the Euphrates in Syria

A study using remote sensing and satellite imagery reveals that the area between Palmyra and the Euphrates in Syria was more militarily organized by the second and third centuries AD than previously believed, coinciding with the 'golden age' of Palmyrene caravans. The research, conducted by the Finnish archaeological survey project SYGIS before the Syrian civil war, documented ancient roads, bridge points, military sites, water harvesting structures, and civilian settlements, demonstrating active desert-steppe development during this period. Topography and landscape played crucial roles in constructing graves and sign-posts, guiding caravans through the desert.

Silver, M., Törmä, M., Silver, K., Okkonen, J., & Nuñez, M. (2015). Remote sensing, landscape and archaeology tracing ancient tracks and roads between Palmyra and the Euphrates in Syria. ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, II-5/W3, 279–285. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsannals-ii-5-w3-279-2015