Though
not "in real time", it’s a great tool
for anyone interested in Archeology/ Ancient History. Especially
for those interested in Ancient Egyptian History.
I’ve
spent a lot of time the last years reading about ancient Egyptian history and I try to locate as many
objects, buildings, temples etc as possible through Google Earth.
Since
Google Earth makes it possible to share your bookmarks with other people, I
thought it might be a good idea to share them through this website.
In order to use “my placemarks” you need to
first download Google Earth at:
http://earth.google.com/index.html
Once
you have downloaded and installed the program, you need to start up the program
on your computer after which you can simply click on the placemarks (links) I
provide here. Clicking on a placemark on my site, will open the small file and will direct Google Earth on your computer to the destination I have given.
Google Earth: Amenemhat I Pyramid, Lisht
Once that destination is reached, you can use Google Earth to zoom in or out, to "tilt", or to just look around the site and find other monuments, make your own placemarks etc. "Tilting" means that you can move from a top-down view to a more horizontal view, which is nice for Pyramids. You can do much more with Google Earth, you can "fly around" a certain monument, make a trip from one object to another etc. "Flying" in Google Earth is especially a great instrument if you want to look at valleys/ hills etc: for example in the Valley of the Kings.
For a good explanation of all these possibilities, and a good explanation on how to run and use Google Earth, please see the Google Earth website for helpfiles and a good instruction manual: Google Earth User Guide
There are many more possibilities that might proof good instruments for studying Ancient Egyptian history: there is a tool called "Google SketchUp" (available for free download at Google earth's website) which enables you to make 3D models of monuments/ buildings etc. Some people have already made 3D models of certain tombs and pyramids. I have added some links to these models (see my links).
I have also added links to good websites where you can read about Ancient Egyptian History and about possible disagreements among historians about which monuments belong to which Pharaoh etc. Example: the tombs that are found in Giza and Abydos that belong to a Queen Khentkawes. There is much debate among historians about who this Queen Khentkawes was, and if there were two Queens with that name (mother and daughter). This is a very Interesting debate regarding the origins of Dynasty V.
Placemarks:
I have grouped my placemarks in order of the generally accepted division of periods in Ancient Egyptian History.
For now only the first 7 periods have placemarks, the rest will follow soon.