Declassified Spy Satellite Images Reveal Almost 400 Undiscovered Roman Forts in Middle East

Declassified Satellite Imaging Challenges Century-old Assumptions, Suggests Ancient Forts Functioned as Caravan Safe Havens Rather than Defensive Barriers

Declassified United States spy satellite images have yielded the discovery of approximately 400 previously unknown Roman forts in regions of the present-day Middle East, predominantly in Syria and Iraq.
The satellite images, which came from two military programs, Corona (1960 to 1972) and Hexagon (1971 to 1986), provide high-resolution views of landscapes that have since undergone significant disruption due to agriculture, urbanization, and war.
The analysis of these images contradicts a long-held belief that these forts functioned predominantly as defensive barriers. Instead, it posits that the forts likely acted as safe havens for caravans and travelers along routes abundant in nonmilitary traffic.
The numerous satellite-discovered forts were found spread across an area of about 116,000 square miles, spanning from Iraq to the Mediterranean. This observation challenges the narrow north-to-south line of forts previously documented in an aerial survey conducted in the 1920s.
Archaeologists expect future studies of these satellite images to reveal even more Roman forts in the region. The forts are estimated to date back to between the 2nd and 6th centuries.