A major breakthrough has been made as two ancient cities have been discovered on Asia's historic Silk Road, leading to further research into the uncovering of hidden civilizations.
Due to the sheer scale and age of the Earth it's only natural that we're still discovering remnants of the past, or perhaps areas that have never even been found before.
From hidden Mayan temples to 'lost cities' at the bottom of the ocean, there are countless historical gems that have been found in recent years, but perhaps the most significant are a pair of ancient cities along the 6,400km Silk Road in Asia.
Tashbulak and Tugunbulak were both found around 2,000 meters above sea level in the mountains of Uzbekistan, and researchers were able to use drone-based technology to spot and visualize the settlements.
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Smaller of the two is Tashbulak, which stretches around 12 hectares, but Tugunbulak stretches over ten times the size of its partner, as reported by Science Focus, and measures around three times the size of Vatican City.
It's estimated that this hidden city could have been one of the largest settlements on the Silk Road, and thus would have played a major part in Asia's trade activities over 1,000 years ago.
What remains remarkable is that the two cities were spotted using drones otherwise known as 'LiDAR', which stands for 'light detection and ranging device', where laser beams are shot out and returned in order to measure distance.
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The cities were spotted through the area's lackluster tree coverage, showing a rather clear defined zone of where the cities might have existed upon the mountains, but with the use of LiDAR tech they were able to measure down to the centimeter.
3D renders have been able to estimate various building structures within the cities, giving a vivid picture of what this now non-existent area would have looked like.
Dr. Michael Frachetti, who served as the lead researcher on the project, detailed that "the mountains actually were host to major centers for interaction. Animals, ores, and other precious resources likely drove their prosperity."
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Focus on the Silk Road has largely remained between China and the West, but discoveries like these could illuminate the importance of locations along the trade path, and allow for a greater understanding of history.
Furthermore, Frachetti also argues that discoveries such as this should hopefully allow more research to be conducted using similar drone technology, which could lead to analysis that was previously inaccessible.