Posted on 01/29/2008 12:08:06 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The researchers determined that the mine is a human-made cave that was first created around 2,000 years ago. An estimated 3,710 metric tons was extracted from the mine during more than 1,400 years of use. The mine, which is nearly 700 cubic meters, is in a cliffside facing a modern ochre mine... Vaughn and his team discovered a number of artifacts in the mine, including corncobs, stone tools, and pieces of textiles and pottery. The age of the items was determined by radiocarbon dating, a process that determines age based on the decay of naturally occurring elements. "Archaeologists have a very good sequence of pottery from this region, so I can look at most pots from this region and determine a date within a century that is based on stylistic changes of the pottery," Vaughn said. "Even before the dating, we knew this was an ancient mine because of the ceramic pieces. These very small fragments, about the size of a penny, had distinct designs on them that are characteristic of the early Nasca civilization."
(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...
Kevin J. Vaughn, a Purdue assistant professor of anthropology, holds a pottery fragment he discovered at an excavation site in Nasca, Peru. The piece of pottery is from about the 5th century A.D., which is the same time period as other artifacts he uncovered at Mina Primavera. Vaughn hypothesizes the mine was the source of some of the iron ore pigments used to produce the vibrant colors as seen on this pottery. Credit: Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger
[reminder to self, post link to “red paint people” FR topic here]
|
|
|||
Gods |
Thanks Blam. |
||
|
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · |
|||
http://www.archaeology.org/news/
“Museum scandals aren’t limited to California. Former Yakama Nation Museum curator Marilyn S. Malatare and her daughter have been indicted for stealing artifacts and selling them to pawn shops.”
http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2434&Itemid=109
COAL USAGE INDICATED AT CHAN CHAN, NORTHERN PERU
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2002AM/finalprogram/abstract_39334.htm
That is interesting. Odd that the coal; was not found in metallurgical use as these people had an extensive gold and copper (bronze) metallurgy.
At Tiahuanaco the builders had some kind of portable smelter, as evidenced by the metallic “clamps” which held (and still hold) stones together. The builders of the structures carved out bowtie-shaped slots across block boundaries, then poured in the molten metal, which cooled into that shape.
If they were mining this hard metal, what did they use it for? Wouldn’t some artifacts have turned up if they were smelting it?
As I recall, they still weren’t using metal swords/spears at the time of the Euro invasion.
The researcher in the article said it was used for high-status individuals to show off; in the case of ochre, it was used in the Americas as body adornment (particularly for the preparation of the dead) and painting stuff. That’s similar to what it was used for elsewhere in the world — particularly in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Mideast, and Africa. :’)
The Spanish were looking for precious metals and for gems; they had firearms (at least some of which were made of bronze) and steel or iron edge-weapons. In Bernal Diaz, the natives of Mexico and Central America wore cotton armor, which was pretty adequate for their uses until they met the Conquistadors. They used arrows and spears in great quantity, but I don’t think Diaz comments on the materials used for those. It’s at least possible that the heads of the projectile weapons were copper, which is lighter weight than iron and would therefore have had greater range.
Also, iron rusts, and may have just seemed like more trouble that it was worth.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
