Anthropology.net

Using Google Earth to uncover secrets, Luca Mori, an Italian computer programmer stumbled across an ancient Roman ruin almost right in his own backyard. What is Google Earth you maybe asking? Well well well, according to Google this is what they say about their free product, “Google Earth puts a planet’s worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.”

The details of his findings have been published on Nature.com and here is an excerpt to wet your archaeological appetite,

“Using satellite images from Google Maps and Google Earth, an Italian computer programmer has stumbled upon the remains of an ancient villa. Luca Mori was studying maps of the region around his town of Sorbolo, near Parma, when he noticed a prominent, oval, shaded form more than 500 metres long. It was the meander of an ancient river, visible because former watercourses absorb different amounts of moisture from the air than their surroundings do.” [Source]