Message #191727

[Narmer]

In the event of any proposal for a future border, he added, “you can draw a line on a map and know exactly where each site will fall.”

Matt Gainer, director of USC Digital Library, said: "The better our understanding of the histories represented by the data, the more likely it will be that there will be informed dialog about the region. We are proud to have played a role in this larger discourse."

For scholars and laypersons, the database has other practical uses.

Researchers soon will be able to download the entire file for use in diverse ways. For example, the overlay of ancient sites on contemporary satellite photographs allows instant comparison of settlement patterns, which in turn may provide information on ancient stream flows and other important features.

Government agencies could consult the database before planning roads or other public works projects. Tourists and history buffs could research locations of specific sites, such as early Christian churches.

Dodd is working with the USC Digital Library to augment the database with educational resources for K-12 and college.