Flying Under a Screen of Clouds: A Snapshot of Aerial Archaeology in West Asia
ISAC special exhibition lecture for Pioneers of the Sky: Aerial Archaeology and the Black Desert
MarieLaure Chambrade, exhibition curator
For more information on Pioneers of the Sky, visit: https://isac.uchicago.edu/pioneerssky

Close to sunset one evening in 1929, Père Antoine Poidebard flew his plane almost parallel to the ground, under low cloud cover, to photograph archaeological sites in Syria, their features accentuated by the sun’s concentrated, raking light. He would later call this procedure “flying under a screen of clouds.” Aerial photography has been responsible for the discovery of more archaeological sites than any other survey method, thanks to vi sionary scholars and enthusiasts, like Poidebard, and their bold experimentation with balloons, kites, airplanes, drones, and satellite imagery.

In this lecture, presented in connection with the ISAC Museum special exhibition Pioneers of the Sky: Aerial Archaeology and the Black Desert, MarieLaure Chambrade, exhibition curator, will provide an overview of the history of aerial imagery and its application to the archaeology of West Asia, ranging from survey purposes to excavation followup and monitoring endangered heritage. She will highlight portraits of pioneers in the field, the close connection between aerial archaeology and military intelligence, and principal advancements of this centuryold discipline.