'Disturbing' 2,000-year-old discovery found on top of pyramid by archaeologists
Archaeologists have made a profound discovery at the San Isidro site in El Salvador, uncovering five ancient clay figurines atop a dilapidated pyramid, signifying a significant archaeological milestone.
The remarkable find was by Jan Szymaski and Gabriela Prejs of the University of Warsaw. The journal Antiquity reports that these artefacts, known as Bolinas figurines, are exceedingly unusual puppet-like creations.
Previously, similar items were discovered at an early Maya site called Tak'alik Ab'aj in Guatemala.
These earthen puppets, which date back over 2,000 years, could offer fresh understanding of an ancient Mesoamerican culture. Radiocarbon dating has pinpointed the creation of these five figurines to between 410 and 380 B.C.E.
Each of the newly unearthed Bolinas figurines has gaping mouths and ranges from just a few inches to around a foot in stature. Of these, the three larger ones boast removable heads, along with minuscule openings in their necks and craniums, reports the Express.
It's believed that a string was threaded through these openings and knotted atop the head, thus allowing the figures to be used akin to rudimentary marionettes.
Jan Szymaski conveyed his thoughts on the figurines to ScienceLink's Lizzie Wade, saying: "They are clay actors. When you hold them in your hand, sometimes they even look creepy because of their vivid expressions.
"Very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century. This gets worse the further back in time we look. This finding is only the second such a group found in situ, and the first to feature a male figure."
El Salvador's pre-Columbian history remains largely shrouded in mystery compared to its neighbouring countries, according to a statement from Antiquity. The country's dense population and centuries of volcanic activity have resulted in significant damage and concealment of archaeological sites.
Artifacts bearing resemblance to those unearthed at San Isidro have been found in Guatemala and other parts of El Salvador, as well as in present-day Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. This implies that the ancient inhabitants of San Isidro may have had ties with far-flung communities.
The San Isidro site, predominantly made up of clay structures built by an unidentified group, remains largely unexplored. The Bolinas figurines were discovered by researchers while excavating the peak of the site's largest pyramidal structure.
The researchers hypothesise that these versatile Bolinas figurines might have been used in "rituals that would involve recreation of some actual events or mythical events," Szymaski told IFL Science's Benjamin Taub.
"This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador's cultural backwardness or isolation in ancient times," Szymaski stated. "It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside ‘gateway to underworld' underneath 1,800-year-old city which holds ‘toxic' secret that scientists ‘can't explain'
AN ANCIENT pyramid thought to be a 'gateway to underworld' was discovered to contain a hidden secret. The historic site, located in an ancient city, is thought to house a supernatural secret. Advertisement 6 Archaeologists have spent decades uncovering the temple Credit: Reuters 6 The discovery is believed to have supernatural connections Credit: Reuters 6 Liquid mercury was discovered at the site in 2015 Credit: Reuters Quetzalcoatl Temple in Mexico, also known as the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is thought to have been built around 1,800 to 1,900 years ago. During an excavation project researchers discovered large amounts of liquid mercury in 2015. Its something experts believe means the structure was used to 'look into the supernatural world.' They also believe its presence could indicate that a Advertisement Read more News The pyramid was originally unsealed in 2003, allowing researchers like During this excavation, researchers uncovered three chambers at the end of a 300 foot tunnel. In addition to the liquid mercury, they also found artefacts like jade status, jaguar remains, and a box of carved shells and rubber balls. The tunnels and adjoining structures lie 60 feet below the temple. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive In their 16 years excavating the temple, the research team uncovered over 3,000 ceremonial and ritual artefacts. They have used their discoveries to create a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry. Liquid mercury is not an Its believed that mercury symbolises an underworld river or lake. Advertisement "Mirrors were considered a way to look into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happen in the future. "It could be a sort of river, albeit a pretty spectacular one," Dr Headrick added. The Quetzalcoatl Temple is located around 12 miles northeast of Mexico City in Teotihuacán - the heart of the Mesoamerican Teotihuacan universe. Advertisement Around 4.5 million people visit the temple - which is the third largest in the city - every year. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was listed on the World Monuments Watch in 2004 as tourist visitation led to the site's deterioration. More than a The Aztecs believed it was the place where Gods were created, with sacrifices being made as tributes. Advertisement 6 The Temple is around 1,800 to 1,900 years old Credit: Getty 6 It is the third largest temple in the Teotihuacán region of Mexico Credit: Getty 6 It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 Credit: Reuters
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Disturbing' 2,000-year-old discovery found on top of pyramid by archaeologists
Archaeologists have made a profound discovery at the San Isidro site in El Salvador, uncovering five ancient clay figurines atop a dilapidated pyramid, signifying a significant archaeological milestone. The remarkable find was by Jan Szymaski and Gabriela Prejs of the University of Warsaw. The journal Antiquity reports that these artefacts, known as Bolinas figurines, are exceedingly unusual puppet-like creations. Previously, similar items were discovered at an early Maya site called Tak'alik Ab'aj in Guatemala. These earthen puppets, which date back over 2,000 years, could offer fresh understanding of an ancient Mesoamerican culture. Radiocarbon dating has pinpointed the creation of these five figurines to between 410 and 380 B.C.E. Each of the newly unearthed Bolinas figurines has gaping mouths and ranges from just a few inches to around a foot in stature. Of these, the three larger ones boast removable heads, along with minuscule openings in their necks and craniums, reports the Express. It's believed that a string was threaded through these openings and knotted atop the head, thus allowing the figures to be used akin to rudimentary marionettes. Jan Szymaski conveyed his thoughts on the figurines to ScienceLink's Lizzie Wade, saying: "They are clay actors. When you hold them in your hand, sometimes they even look creepy because of their vivid expressions. "Very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century. This gets worse the further back in time we look. This finding is only the second such a group found in situ, and the first to feature a male figure." El Salvador's pre-Columbian history remains largely shrouded in mystery compared to its neighbouring countries, according to a statement from Antiquity. The country's dense population and centuries of volcanic activity have resulted in significant damage and concealment of archaeological sites. Artifacts bearing resemblance to those unearthed at San Isidro have been found in Guatemala and other parts of El Salvador, as well as in present-day Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. This implies that the ancient inhabitants of San Isidro may have had ties with far-flung communities. The San Isidro site, predominantly made up of clay structures built by an unidentified group, remains largely unexplored. The Bolinas figurines were discovered by researchers while excavating the peak of the site's largest pyramidal structure. The researchers hypothesise that these versatile Bolinas figurines might have been used in "rituals that would involve recreation of some actual events or mythical events," Szymaski told IFL Science's Benjamin Taub. "This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador's cultural backwardness or isolation in ancient times," Szymaski stated. "It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places."
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Genetic clues to the rise of the Mayan civilisation uncovered by TCD geneticist
That's according to new research by a Trinity College Dublin (TCD) geneticist reported today in the journal Current Biology. Scientists previously found that present day Maya people carry genes from both the traditional local Maya ancestors and Mexican highlanders. 'What makes our findings significant is that we identified this gene flow starting around the beginning of the Classic period,' said Shigeki Nakagome, Ussher Assistant Professor in Genomic Medicine, School of Medicine, TCD. The Classic period of Mayan civilisation - when it was at its peak - scholars say was from around 250 AD to 950 AD, after which it declined. 'Archaeological evidence has long suggested that a possible connection between the Classic Maya states and regions in highland Mexico,' said professor Shigeki. 'This suggests that interaction between these regions may have played a role in the rise of Classic Maya civilisation.' The civilisation flourished primarily in present-day southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. At its height, the Mayans built cities which were huge by the standard of the time, made up of monumental stone structures, and pyramid temples. They became renowned for a sophisticated writing system, advances in mathematics and astronomy, and skill in crafts like sculpture and pottery. 'Despite extensive archaeological research, many aspects of their ancestry and population history remain poorly understood,' said Prof Nakagome. The TCD researchers used ancient genomics to analyse DNA from seven people who lived in Copán in Honduras during the Classic Mayan period. Ancient genomics is the study of genomes (a genome being the entire DNA in a single cell) recovered from the bones or teeth of ancient people. This enabled them to investigate the genetic ancestry of these individuals. 'We focused on the petrous portion of the temporal bone, a dense part of the skull known for its exceptional DNA preservation.' This area of bone is known to yield higher quantities of ancient DNA compared to other parts of the human skeleton. However, Nakagome and his team found that studying these ancient DNA samples was far more difficult than investigating modern DNA. 'After death, DNA begins to degrade and fragment due to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and microbial activity. 'As a result, ancient DNA is often highly fragmented, chemically modified and present in very low quantities, requiring specialised techniques and strict contamination controls to recover and analyse it accurately.' The results indicated that there was an influx of people from Highland Mexico into the Mayan lowland areas during the early to middle Classic period. 'This shows that the rise of the Classic Maya civilisation involved movement and interaction with people possibly from outside the Maya region.' The research also sheds some light on the fall of the Mayan people, beginning around 090 AD, which remains a famous and enduring scientific mystery. 'As the Mayan civilisation began to collapse near the of the classic period, we saw signs of a population decline.' 'This genetic evidence helps support the idea that major social and environmental changes had real demographic consequences.' The TCD researchers now plan to study more DNA from other ancient skeletal remains of people across a variety of locations in the Mayan world. This data will be compared to the archaeological and environmental historical record to gain further insights into the rise and fall of the Mayans.
