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Summer heat wave reveals ancient landscapes
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UNITED KINGDOM — An unusually prolonged bout of hot weather along with developments in aerial technology have had an unexpected benefit for those interested in archaeology. The desiccation of the landscape has led to the discovery of a number of ancient earthworks. The dry weather has created ideal conditions for crop marks to show in the soil above old settlements. Most of these settlements were surrounded by fortifications, including drainage ditches, which have long since been filled in, but the difference in soil entails that they retain moisture. In the dry weather, therefore, plants growing on top of these in-filled ditches remain green, while those in surrounding areas dry off, creating clearly-defined indications of the location of early earthworks.