Posted on 02/16/2024 8:02:41 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists from the University of Wyoming (UW) have uncovered a megalithic plaza in the Cajamarca Basin of northern Peru.
According to the researchers, the plaza dates from around 4,750 years ago and is one of the earliest examples of a circular plaza construction in the Andean South America.
The discovery was made at the Callacpuma archaeological site, consisting of two concentric walls of large, vertically placed megalithic stones held upright without the use of mortar.
The form and size of the construction, alongside the absence of domestic items to indicate habitation, suggests that the monument was likely ceremonial in purpose.
A study of the site, titled “A Monumental Stone Plaza at 4750 BP in the Cajamarca Valley of Peru”, is published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, and states that this method of ancient Andean construction is completely new to archaeologists.
Carbon dating has indicated that the site dates from around 4,750 years ago during the Late Preceramic Period. “This structure was built approximately 100 years before the Great Pyramids of Egypt and around the same time as Stonehenge,” said Associate Professor Jason Tooley from UW.
The site continued to be used as a ritual space, at least periodically, through the Initial period and Early Horizon (evidenced by ceramic deposits).
These dates indicate that the circular plaza at Callacpuma stands as the earliest documented instance of monumental and megalithic architecture in the Cajamarca Valley, and among the earliest in ancient Peru.
“It was probably a gathering place and ceremonial location for some of the earliest people living in this part of the Cajamarca Valley,” Toohey adds. “These people were living a primarily hunting-and-gathering lifestyle and probably had only recently begun growing crops and domesticating animals.”
(Excerpt) Read more at heritagedaily.com ...
I think 5/7 of the posters here misread it the same way.
I’m now really curious about what about the title makes people consistently misread it.
Obviously some brain thing.
You are not alone!
'Face
;o]
A fine place to view the world and to watch for distant armies or game. Reminds me a little of the setting of Zapotec cultural artifacts in the hills above Oaxaca, Mexico. Very different from the Mixtec villege constructed down in the valley there.
Now I don’t feel so alone!
Say, it’s a little off-topic but if you are not aware, Wal-Mart sells a
Peach & Pineapple Chipotle Salsa
You might like that! No weird ingredients, either.
Says it’s mild but it still has a good kick.
I glop it on salads. TMI? 😬
But of course
Free prog rock video...Holy Spirit Hotline
https://rumble.com/v4drrwn-holy-spirit-hotline.html
Hmmm... Peach and Pineapple, huh? Maybe I’ll try it, as my mother used to make killer peach and pineapple or apricot and pineapple jams. Thanks! I’ll put it on my list!
(I wonder how it would taste on ice cream?)
‘Face
;o]
Thanks for the mention. Interesting.
The time of this development was 4,500 years ago or so.
Yikes.
Pizza, me too. This is so weird.
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