5,500-Year-Old Circular Pyramid Discovered In Peru
Archaeologists in Peru have discovered an ancient ceremonial centre and a circular-shaped pyramid in Miravalles, in the region of Cajamarca in northern Peru.
According to a news report in The Epoch Times, the site dates back an incredible 5,500 years. Until now, it was believed that the Norte Chico civilization of Supe, Peru was the earliest civilization in the Americas.
Their capital was the Sacred City of Caral – a 5,000-year-old metropolis complete with complex agricultural practices, rich culture, and monumental architecture, including six large pyramidal structures, stone and earthen platform mounds, temples, amphitheatre, sunken circular plazas, and residential areas.
However, the latest discovery suggests that the Norte Chico civilization may not be the oldest after all.
The discovery was announced by researcher Victor Colan at a Peruvian press conference on 21st October. Colan revealed that the research team found a ceremonial centre and a circular step-pyramid (known in Peru as Huacas), with three platforms 30 meters in diameter.
The ancient city of Caral
The pyramid resembles two other circular Huacas found in Jaen, also in the Cajamarca region.
The structure had large semi-circular walls built with a mixture of mud mortar and stones up to 200 kg in weight.
Foundations of a circular Huacas found in Jaen, Cajamarca
“The archaeological site of Miravalles in the province of San Miguel in Cajamarca with 5,500 years, is 500 years more ancient than the sacred city of Caral,” said Colan.
“Not only Caral is the original centre of the civilization of Peru but so is Cajamarca, in northern Peru.”
The researcher concluded that “Peru is the oldest civilization in the world along with Mesopotamia and Egypt,” and asked the Ministry of Culture to continue financing the excavations.
Computer Scans Reveal King Tut’s Appearance And New Possible Cause Of Death
The name “King Tut” gives birth to images of powerful royal families of Egypt, of course, it does. Tutankhamun was the last great king of his lineage before the military rule took over the land, and one of the youngest rulers at that. However, the way we visualize this young king is quite different from the way he really looked.
It has also been found that his cause of death is incorrect as well.
So, who was “King Tut”? How did this young king meet his demise? The truth may surprise you!
The truth
Tutankhamun took the throne at the age of 9 years old. This child-man ruled Egypt until the age of 19, receiving respect above all in the land.
The popular consensus about his death, says that King Tut was killed in a chariot accident while riding out with his officials. This sounds like a normal incident for that day and age, but unfortunately, it is not true.
The truth is, Tutankhamun had a club foot. Within his tomb, there were countless walking sticks and even a pair of orthopaedic sandals, it is true!
Albert Zink, head of the Institute of Mummies and Icemen in Italy, had a strong opinion on this theory. He believed there was no way a child king could have stood upon that chariot and driven his horses.
It is also said that the leg on the same side had been broken previously as well. It would have been terribly uncomfortable, if not impossible, for Tutankhamun to be upon that chariot at all. It is quite apparent that death took him in some other way.
Zink told this opinion to the U.K. daily, the Independent, and was followed by other researchers who felt the same way.
“Apparently, King Tut had Koehler’s disease, ‘Death of the bones’, and Malaria”, said Ashraf Selim, an Egyptian radiologist.
These are probably the culprits that took the young king from the throne.
More tests
The club foot was found by virtual autopsy. This same procedure of using over 2000 computerized tomography scans of the king’s face and body, also discovered that Tutankhamun wasn’t all that attractive either.
According to the evidence, King Tut had a pronounced overbite and lips like a woman. Wow! It seems that we were way off in our idea of Egyptian royalty. It seems that they were no less flawed than we are today.
One more fact
To top it off, Tutankhamun’s parents were siblings. Although this may not have been frowned upon at that time, it did contribute to the young king’s birth defects and obvious shortcomings.
Because his parents were siblings, “King Tut” was born with two doses of the royal lineage of flaws. Yes, the blood was pure, but the result was a young and weakening child to rule the land.
The rule of Tutankhamun ended in the 18th dynasty and gave way to military rule. Although there have been many facts discovered about this ruler, it is clear that his royal lineage was the greatest among Egypt’s royal families throughout history, despite its shortcomings.
During the Bronze Age (3300 – 700 BC), the Nuragic civilization built what is known as the Tombs of Giants (Tomba dei Gigantic). These megalithic gallery graves were used by the Nuragic people as public tombs, for the burials of many individuals from these early societies.
Massive in size and astonishing to view, the giants’ grave at Coddu Vecchiu in Sardinia is one example that represents a somewhat mysterious and intriguing part of human history – providing some general answers as to the burial rituals of ancient human civilizations, but also leaving many questions unanswered.
The Nuragic civilization constructed two distinct types of tombs. The “slab type” was constructed from giant stone slabs which were placed upright, and buried into the ground.
The slabs were placed side by side in a long row. They are uniform in height except for the centre slab, known as a central stele, which is taller than the other slabs. Rising up to 4 meters (13 feet) in height, the central stele stands far above the other slabs and has a doorway carved into its centre.
It is also generally decorated with carved text and images for funeral or memorial purposes, with the top carved into a rounded arch. In another variation, the centre slab blended more easily with the surrounding slabs.
It contained no alterations from its original state, other than the addition of a doorway. Through the doorway in the stele is a rectangular tomb and a burial chamber that is 5 – 15 meters (16 – 49 feet) long and 1 – 2 meters (3 – 7 feet) high. When the tombs were first constructed, they were covered by a large mound of dirt.
Through the doorway of the stele is a large rectangular burial chamber.
The second type of giants’ tomb is the “block type.” Rather than giant slabs, the block-type tombs were constructed of large, rectangular blocks. The tombs found at Coddu Vecchiu was the slab-type variety, while the block-type tombs are found elsewhere.
While the name ‘Tomb of Giants’ (or Giants’ Grave) invokes images of the burial of giant human beings, the tombs actually have nothing to do with the burial of anyone other than regular-sized people from the Nuragic civilization.
According to some legends, giants were buried in these tombs, in large part due to the massive size of some of the stones used, some reaching as high as 100 feet tall. However, no evidence of giant-sized humans has been found at the site.
The use of the word giant refers to the fact that these tombs were used as giant public burial chambers. Three hundred and twenty-one of these graves have been discovered in Sardinia, Italy, including those found at Coddu Vecchiu.
While the tomb may look like the grave of a giant, only regular-sized human remains
The Giants’ Graves at Coddu Vecchiu remain mysterious because little is known about the ceremonies or rituals that occurred there or the symbolism that was being invoked. It is believed that the doors in the tombs were used to facilitate passage into the afterlife. These doorways served as the barrier between the physical world and the afterlife. Mourners and others would leave offerings at the entrance to the tombs.
There has been some speculation that the sites are the location of powerful sources of natural energy, and that they were chosen as burial locations for that reason. It is said that channels of “telluric energies and magnetic forces” are found at the Giants’ Graves, and that the Nuragic people knew of these forces and intended to use them for burial purposes.
The positive energy emanating from the area was believed to provide a “supernatural” rejuvenation, and it was believed that such positive energy would allow the deceased an easier and more positive entry into the afterlife.
The slabs were arranged in a semi-circular position, and it was believed that this shape was in alignment with telluric energy lines and that the energy would be captured in each individual slab. This energy would then gather, all leading to the central slab, with the central slab absorbing a great deal of energy.
The sick and injured would lie on the stones hoping to be healed. The energy would also benefit the dead, as it was believed that it helped to separate their soul from their physical body.
The doorway of the central stele was believed to be the barrier between the physical world
The Giants’ Graves may provide us with more questions than answers. While they give an interesting insight into the burial rituals of ancient civilizations, they do not provide much information beyond the physical structure of the tombs and the fact that they were used for burial purposes.
With religious and spiritual beliefs being far different during ancient times than they are today, it is likely that ancient burial rituals were very different to what we currently know today.
There was likely much focus on safely making it to the afterlife, and ensuring a smooth transition from a physical presence on Earth, to a spiritual presence beyond Earth, and possibly a reincarnation into a new life.
The Giants’ Graves illustrate an early form of the public tomb, where large numbers of people would be buried. Unlike tombs that were created for nobles or high figures in society, largely utilized public tombs can give a greater insight into the culture and traditions of the vast majority of people from ancient civilizations.
The Rare Metal Of Atlantis – Orichalum – Recovered From Shipwreck
According to the legend, there was an 8th continent known as Atlantis. This mysterious continent was said to have sunk a long time ago and when it did it took all of its orichalum with it.
Orichalum is a metal that is mentioned in several ancient writings including the story of Atlantis in the Critias dialogue, which was recorded by Plato around 360 BC. According to the dialogue, orichalcum was very valuable and was second only to gold in value.
Now a team of divers say they have recovered no less than 39 blocks of this precious metal from a shipwreck that is believed to have happened 2600 years ago.
This ship was likely from somewhere in Greece or somewhere in Asia Minor and was carrying this metal to Gela in Southern Sicily when it was then caught in a storm and sank to the bottom of the ocean about 300 meters from the port.
According to Sebastiano Tusa, of Sicily’s Sea Office.
“Nothing similar has ever been found, we knew of orichalum from ancient texts and a few ornamental objects.”
In the aforementioned Critias this metal was mined only on Atlantis and was used to completely cover the inside of Poseidon’s temple.
Many scholars today, agree orichalum is a brass-like alloy, made in antiquity by cementation. This process was reportedly achieved with a reaction to zinc ore, copper metal and charcoal in a crucible.
The 39 ingots, which were found, were analyzed with X-Ray fluorescence by Dario Panetta, of Technologies For Quality and, sure enough, the metal turned out to be made with 75-80% copper, 15-20% zinc, and a small percentage of nickel, iron and lead.
Tusa also stated:
“The finding confirms that about a century after its foundation in 689 B.C., Gela grew to become a wealthy city with artisan workshops specialized in the production of prized artifacts.”
He says this because the 39 ingots were destined for workshops in Gela and were used in very high-quality decorations.
Tusa’s team of divers plans to excavate the entire shipwreck to shed some more light on the history of Sicily, and possibly, Atlantis.
Is The Danube Valley Civilization Script The Oldest Writing In The World?
The Danube Valley civilization is one of the oldest civilizations known in Europe. It existed between 5,500 and 3,500 BC in the Balkans and covered a vast area, from what is now Northern Greece to Slovakia (South to North), and Croatia to Romania (West to East).
During the height of the Danube Valley civilization, it played an important role in south-eastern Europe through the development of copper tools, a writing system, advanced architecture, including two-story houses, and the construction of furniture, such as chairs and tables, all of which occurred while most of Europe was in the middle of the Stone Age.
They developed skills such as spinning, weaving, leather processing, clothes manufacturing, and manipulating wood, clay and stone and they invented the wheel. They had an economic, religious and social structure.
One of the more intriguing and hotly debated aspects of the Danube Valley civilization is their supposed written language.
While some archaeologists have maintained that the ‘writing’ is actually just a series of geometric figures and symbols, others have maintained that it has the features of a true writing system.
If this theory is correct, it would make the script the oldest written language ever found, predating the Sumerian writings in Mesopotamia, and possibly even the Dispilio Tablet, which has been dated 5260 BC.
Danube Valley Civilization Artifacts
Harald Haarmann, a German linguistic and cultural scientist, currently vice-president of the Institute of Archaeomythology, and leading specialist in ancient scripts and ancient languages, firmly supports the view that the Danube script is the oldest writing in the world.
The tablets that were found are dated to 5,500 BC, and the glyphs on the tablets, according to Haarmann, are a form of language yet to be deciphered.
The symbols, which are also called Vinca symbols, have been found in multiple archaeological sites throughout the Danube Valley areas, inscribed on pottery, figurines, spindles and other clay artefacts.
The Vinca Symbols
The implications are huge. It could mean that the Danube Valley Civilization predates all other known civilizations today. Evidence also comes from thousands of artefacts that have been found, such as the odd-looking figure displayed below.
However, the majority of Mesopotamian scholars reject Haarmann’s proposal, suggesting that the symbols on the tablets are just decorations. This is despite the fact that there are approximately 700 different characters, around the same number of symbols used in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Other scholars even suggested that the Danube Civilization must have copied signs and symbols from the Mesopotamian civilizations, despite the fact that some of the Danube tablets have been found to be older that the Mesopotamian ones.
It appears that this is another case of a theory based on solid research being outright rejected without appropriate consideration. Could this be because it conflicts with the accepted view of which nation holds claim to the ‘first civilization’?
At the very least, Haarmann’s proposal deserves further research and serious analysis in order to confirm whether this is indeed the oldest known written language in the world.
Jug With 870 Silver Coins From The 17th And 18th Centuries Found In Slovakia
Archaeologists in Lučivná, a village under the Tatras, dug out a small earthenware jug with 870 pieces of silver coins.
“We cleaned two-thirds of the coins, so far the oldest one is from 1665 and the youngest from 1733. Hungarian mintage dominates but there are also Silesian, Tyrolean, Moravian, Lower-Austrian and mintage from the Olomouc archbishopric,” said archaeologists from the Archaeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences in Spišská Nová Ves, Marián Soják, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
Archaeologists have researched systematically in Lučivná; in the past, they found unique discoveries from modern times, according to Soják.
“Some modern coin, spur or badge appeared here and there, however, this was a big surprise for us,” stated Soják for SITA.
The treasure was found in the western part of the cadastre.
“It was buried on a ridge above caves located about 15 metres from a group of rocks. The person knew where to bury it to be able to find it, even though he or she apparently did not come back,” the archaeologist noted for SITA. He added that it is hard to say what the circumstances were that led to burying the treasure.
“Maybe the person hid it because of disturbances, maybe he was attacked on a well-known postal road that leads through the village,” Soják continued for SITA.
The owner of the coins was a medium wealthy person, probably from the lower middle class.
“The nominal value is rather low; the highest value is 15 Kreutzer of Leopold I. Among all the silver coins is also a copper one, a mining emblem from Špania Dolina, that one is really precious,” the archaeologist summed up for SITA.
Study Investigates Climate and Collapse of Maya City
Central Mayapan shows the K’uk’ulkan and Round temples.
An extended period of turmoil in the prehistoric Maya city of Mayapan, in the Yucatan region of Mexico, was marked by population declines, political rivalries and civil conflict.
Between 1441 and 1461 CE the strife reached an unfortunate crescendo—the complete institutional collapse and abandonment of the city. This all occurred during a protracted drought.
Coincidence? Not likely to find new research by anthropologist and professor Douglas Kennett of UC Santa Barbara.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, lead author Kennett and collaborators in the fields of archaeology, history, geography and earth science suggest that drought may in fact have stoked the civil conflict that begat violence, which in turn led to the institutional instabilities that precipitated Mayapan’s collapse.
This transdisciplinary work, the researchers said, “highlights the importance of understanding the complex relationships between natural and social systems, especially when evaluating the role of climate change in exacerbating internal political tensions and factionalism in areas where drought leads to food insecurity.”
“We found complex relationships between climate change and societal stability/instability on the regional level,” Kennett said in an interview.
“Drought-induced civil conflict had a devastating local impact on the integrity of Mayapan’s state institutions that were designed to keep social order. However, the fragmentation of populations at Mayapan resulted in population and societal reorganization that was highly resilient for a hundred years until the Spanish arrived on the shores of the Yucatan.”
The researchers examined archaeological and historical data from Mayapan, including isotope records, radiocarbon data and DNA sequences from human remains, to document in particular an interval of unrest between 1400 and 1450 CE.
They then used regional sources of climatic data and combined it with a newer, local record of drought from cave deposits beneath the city, Kennett explained.
“Existing factional tensions that developed between rival groups were a key societal vulnerability in the context of extended droughts during this interval,” Kennett said. “Pain, suffering and death resulted from institutional instabilities at Mayapan and the population fragmented and moved back to their homelands elsewhere in the region.”
The vulnerabilities revealed in the data, the researchers found, were rooted in Maya reliance on rain-fed maize agriculture, a lack of centralized, long-term grain storage, minimal investments in irrigation and a sociopolitical system led by elite families with competing political interests.
Indeed the authors argue that “long-term, climate-caused hardships provoked restive tensions that were fanned by political actors whose actions ultimately culminated in political violence more than once at Mayapan.”
Yet significantly, a network of small Maya states also proved to be resilient after the collapse at Mayapan, in part by migrating across the region to towns that were still thriving.
Despite decentralization, trade impacts, political upheaval and other challenges, the paper notes, they adapted and persisted into the early 16th century. It all points to the complexity of human responses to drought on the Yucatan Peninsula at that time—an important consideration for the future as well as the past.
“Our study demonstrates that the convergence of information from multiple scientific disciplines helps us explore big and highly relevant questions,” Kennett said, “like the potential impact of climate change on society and other questions with enormous social implications.
“Climate change worries me, particularly here in the western U.S., but it is really the complexities of societal change in response to climatic perturbations that worry me the most,” he added.
“The archaeological and historical records provide lessons from the past, and we also have so much more information about our Earth’s climate and the potential vulnerabilities in our own sociopolitical systems.”
An ancient fortress found by archaeologists may be a lost royal city
A 2,000-year-old fortress built on a mountainside in what’s now Iraqi Kurdistan could be part of a lost royal city called Natounia. With the help of drone photography, archaeologists excavated and catalogued the site during a series of digs between 2009 and 2022.
Researchers excavate the perimeter wall at the entrance to Rabana Valley in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Situated in the Zagros Mountains, the stone fortress of Rabana-Merquly comprises fortifications nearly 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) long, two smaller settlements, carved rock reliefs and a religious complex.
The fortress was on the border of Adiabene, a minor kingdom governed by the kings of a local dynasty. These rulers would have paid tribute to the neighbouring Parthian Empire, which extended over parts of Iran and Mesopotamia approximately 2,000 years ago, according to research led by Michael Brown, a researcher at the Institute of Prehistory, Protohistory and Near-Eastern Archaeology of Heidelberg University in Germany, with the help of Iraqi colleagues.
Carvings at the entrance to the fortress depict a king of Adiabene, based on the dress of the figure, in particular his hat, Brown said.
The carving resembles other likenesses of Adiabene kings, particularly one found 143 miles (230 kilometres) away at the site of an ancient city called Hatra.
Upper fortifications at the 2,000-year-old site are shown.
While it’s a matter of speculation, Brown believes the fort was the royal city known as Natounia, or alternatively Natounissarokerta, that was part of the kingdom of Adiabene.
“Natounia is only really known from its rare coins, there are (not) any detailed historical references,” Brown said via email.
Details deduced from seven coins describe a city named after a king called Natounissar and a location on the Lower Zab River, known in ancient times as the Kapros River.
“The location near to (but admittedly not on) the Lower Zab/ancient Kapros river, short occupation, and royal imagery all link the archaeological site to the description we can deduce from coinage.
There are also some unusual high-status tombs nearby,” Brown said. “It’s a circumstantial argument. … Rabana-Merquly is not the only possibility for Natounia, but arguably the best candidate by far (for) the ‘lost’ city, which has to be in the region somewhere.”
The king in the carving could be the founder of Natounia, either Natounissar or a direct descendant.
The carving depicts a figure with an unusual hat and is thought to depict a king of Adiabene, said lead researcher Michael Brown of the University of Heidelberg.
The place name Natounissarokerta is composed of the royal name Natounissar, the founder of the Adiabene royal dynasty, and the Parthian word for moat or fortification, the study also said.
“This description could apply to Rabana-Merquly,” Brown said. As a major settlement positioned at the intersection between highland and lowland zones, it’s likely that Rabana-Merquly may have been used, among other things, to trade with pastoral tribes, maintain diplomatic ties, or exert military pressure.
“The considerable effort that must have gone into planning, building and maintaining a fortress of this size points to governmental activities,” Brown said.
The study said the discovery adds to our knowledge of Parthian archaeology and history, which remains markedly incomplete, despite its evident significance as a significant power in the ancient Near East.
The journal Antiquity published the research on Tuesday.
