Christopher T. Fisher Explained

Christopher T. Fisher (born 1967) is an American archaeologist.

Early days

Fisher grew up in Duluth and Spokane and is a first generation college student.

Education

Fisher began his academic studies as a percussion-performance major at Eastern Washington University. However, after going on an archaeology field-school, he changed his major to anthropology, getting a B.A. in anthropoogy from Michigan State University.[1] Thereupon, he got an M.A. and a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[2]

Professional activities

Fisher is the founder and co-director of the Earth Archive[3] as well as Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University and a National Geographic Explorer.[4] His specialities include LiDAR and aspects of urban development and environmental change in Meso-America.[2] In particular, he has done extensive research on the Tarascan Empire in Michoacan, Mexico.[5] [4]

Fisher led a project to map the major Purépecha (Tarascan) city of Angamuco in Mexico.[6] [7] Fisher's use of LiDAR at the site of is possibly its first archaeological application in Mesoamerica.[8] "The images gathered after flying over Angamuco for just forty-five minutes revealed twenty thousand previously unknown archeological features, including a pyramid that, seen from overhead, is shaped like a keyhole."[8]

Fisher established the Earth Archive to map all of the Earth's terrain using laser technology on aircraft (LiDAR). The project was inspired by the threat of climate change to cultural heritage and the use of laser scanning to record archaeological sites by CyArk.[9]

Fisher was also the lead archaeologist and scientific director of the Mosquitia Archaeological Project (MAP) through which the World Heritage Site, the City of the Jaguar, also known as Ciudad Blanca was first documented using Airborne LiDAR. Fisher also led excavations at the ancient city in 2016 sponsored by National Geographic and the Honduran Government. [8]

Honors

Publications

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bio .
  2. Web site: Christopher T. Fisher .
  3. Web site: The Earth Archive Project and 3D Mapping the Earth | Geography Realm. June 23, 2020.
  4. Web site: Explorer Home. explorers.nationalgeographic.org.
  5. Web site: Chris Fisher | Speaker | TED .
  6. News: Davis . Nicola . 2018-02-15 . Laser scanning reveals 'lost' ancient Mexican city 'had as many buildings as Manhattan' . 2024-02-17 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  7. Web site: Trevino . Julissa . 2018-02-18 . Laser Mapping Shows Ancient City in Mexico Contained 40,000 Buildings . 2024-02-17 . Smithsonian Magazine . en.
  8. The El Dorado Machine. Douglas. Preston. The New Yorker . Douglas Preston. April 29, 2013. www.newyorker.com.
  9. News: Davis . Nicola . 2019-10-11 . 'Ultimate gift to future generations': plan to laser map all land on Earth . 2024-02-17 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  10. Web site: Awards – AAA Archaeology Division .