Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Ancient Ceremonial Plaza Uncovered in Peru

A team of German and Peruvian archaeologists claim to have uncovered the oldest known monument in Peru: a 5,500-year-old ceremonial plaza near Peru's north-central coast.
The ceremonial plaza was carbon dated as being built between 3500 B.C. and 3000 B.C, placing it at the same time of a thriving culture in Middle East and South Asia.
The plaza served as a social and ritual space where ancient peoples celebrated their "thoughts about the world, their place within it, and images of their world and themselves,"
In an adjacent structure, built around 1800 B.C., Fuchs' team uncovered a 3,600-year-old adobe frieze — six feet tall — depicting the iconic image of a human sacrificer "standing with open arms, holding a ritual knife in one hand and a human head in the other," Fuchs said.
Walter Alva, the Peruvian archaeologist who uncovered the Lords of Sipan tombs, said the plaza found in Fuchs' dig was probably utilized by an advanced civilization with economic stability, a necessary condition to construct such a ceremonial site.
Source : Yahoo! News

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