More than 450 archaeological sites, some dating back millenia, have been discovered in Afghanistan thanks to mapping website Google Earth.
The site makes it possible to find sites of interest in the war-torn country that could not otherwise not be visited by archaeologists.
Talking to Marcus Lush on RadioLive this morning, Melbourne's La Trobe University phD student David Thomas said prior to Google Earth there was only one known archaeological site and the last person to visit for archaeological purposes was in the 1970s.
Archaeologists could now look for unusual features in the landscape from a computer screen and any information gathered was shared with the Afghan Arcahaeological Institute, he said.
Google Earth was not used so much in other parts of the world because they were easier to visit and more wealthy countries could afford to buy high quality satellite images, he said.
TV3 / RadioLive
Listen to Marcus Lush interviewing La Trobe University phD student David Thomas from this morning's RadioLive.