Latest news with #Peñico
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru's northern Barranca province. The 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin. Located some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC - around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia. Researchers say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas' oldest civilisation, the Caral. Drone footage released by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city's centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings. Eight years of research at the site unearthed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. In buildings at the site, researchers discovered ceremonial objects, clay sculptures of human and animal figures and necklaces made from beads and seashells. Peñico is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago at around 3,000 BC in the Supe valley of Peru. Caral features 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed in isolation to other comparative early civilisations in India, Egypt, Sumeria and China. Dr Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent research into Peñico and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, said that the discovery was important for understanding what became of the Caral civilisation after it was decimated by climate change. The Peñico community was "situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle", Dr Shady told the Reuters news agency. At a news conference unveiling the findings on Thursday, archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said that Peñico's significance lies in it being a continuation of the Caral society. Peru is home to many of the Americas' most significant archaeological discoveries, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast. Researchers help uncover ancient Egyptian city Iron Age settlement and 'Roman villa' unearthed Bronze Age burial site found under park
CTV News
5 hours ago
- Science
- CTV News
Archeologists in Peru unveil 3,500-year-old city that linked coast and Andes
The Peruvian flag flies outside an office building in the financial district of Lima, Peru. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg Archeologists on Thursday unveiled a 3,500-year-old city in Peru that likely served as a trading hub linking Pacific coast cultures with those in the Andes and Amazon, flourishing around the same time as early civilizations in the Middle East and Asia. Drone footage released by researchers shows the city center is marked by a circular structure on a hillside terrace, with remains of stone and mud buildings constructed some 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level. The urban center, named Peñico, is located in the northern Barranca province and was founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC. It is close to where the Caral civilization, the oldest in the Americas, developed 5,000 years ago. Caral, comprised of 32 monumental structures, is considered a contemporary of civilizations in Egypt, India, Sumeria and China. However, unlike them, it developed in complete isolation, according to researchers. Ruth Shady, the archeologist who led the research into Peñico, said the newly unveiled city is key because experts believe it emerged after the Caral civilization was devastated by climate change. 'They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle,' Shady said. Archeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said at a news conference that Peñico's importance lies in it being the continuation of the Caral society. After eight years of studies, researchers have identified up to 18 structures in Penico, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. The walls of a central plaza stand out for their sculptural reliefs and depictions of the pututu, a conch shell trumpet whose sound carries over long distances. In other buildings, researchers found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, ceremonial objects and necklaces made from beads and seashells, they added. Peru is a center of ancient cultures and home to archeological sites such as the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Cusco and the mysterious Nazca lines located in the desert region along the country's central coast. (Reporting by Marco Aquino and Carlos Valdez for Reuters TV; Editing by David Gregorio)
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ancient City discovered in Peru, filled with sculptures and jewelry
Archaeologists believe Peñico was likely a trading hub linking Pacific coast cultures with those in the Andes mountains and the Amazon basin. Ceremonial temples and residential complexes were uncovered as well as a circular structure on a hillside terrace, with remains of stone and mud buildings constructed some 600m above sea level. The walls of a central plaza stand out for their sculptural reliefs and depictions of the pututu, a conch shell trumpet whose sound carries over long distances. In other buildings, researchers found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, ceremonial objects and necklaces made from beads and seashells. The then-bustling city - with 18 surviving structures that have been studied in the last eight years - would have been at its peak at around the same time as early civilisations in the Middle East and Asia, between 1,800 and 1,500 BC. But what has intrigued archaeologists most is that Peñico is close to where the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, developed 5,000 years ago. Caral, comprised of 32 monumental structures, is considered a contemporary of civilisations in Egypt, India, Sumeria and China. However, unlike them, it developed in complete isolation, according to researchers. Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the research into Peñico, said the newly unveiled city is key because experts believe it emerged after the Caral civilisation was devastated by climate change. 'They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle,' Shady said. Archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said at a news conference that Peñico's importance lies in it being the continuation of the Caral society. Peru is a center of ancient cultures and home to archaeological sites such as the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Cusco and the mysterious Nazca lines located in the desert region along the country's central coast. In May, a vandal sparked outrage after being filmed spray painting what appeared to be a [expletive] onto a wall at an ancient Peruvian UNESCO site. In footage, the man was seen spraying the crude graffiti on one of the original walls of Chan Chan, a pre-Columbian city 300 miles north of Lima that is flooded with thousands of visitors each month. He wore a backpack and drew a giant black phallic shape on the stone which is more than 600 years old and a World Heritage Site. Peru's ministry of culture said the culprit showed 'a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites. 'We express our strongest condemnation of this regrettable act of vandalism,' the ministry emphasised in its statement. Authorities have not yet identified the attacker but he could face up to six years behind bars if he is caught under Peruvian heritage protection statutes. The clip of the incident has made its rounds of social media, leaving viewers stunned at how he was able to damage the wall unchallenged. Others questioned why the site was not better protected. Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu kingdom before it fell to the Incas in the 15th century and it remains one of Peru's most important archaeological sites. The Citadel of Chan Chan was built on an area of approximately 20 square kilometers, featured ten palaces, and at its peak housed approximately 30,000 inhabitants.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Science
- The Independent
The 3,500 year-old lost city that thrived during the time of Ancient Egypt
Archaeologists have unearthed a lost city named Peñico in Peru 's northern Barranca province, which thrived 3,500 years ago, contemporary with ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations. This ancient city likely served as a vital trading hub, connecting coastal South America to the mountainous Andes region through dense forests, developing independently of other early civilisations. Its strategic location at 600 metres above sea level facilitated trade and exchange, and its discovery is crucial for understanding South American history, potentially emerging after the Caral civilisation. Researchers have uncovered 18 constructions, including public and residential buildings, with drone footage revealing new structures parallel to the Caral-Supe pre-Columbian society. Notable findings include a building with sculptural reliefs featuring conch shell musical horns, known as pututus, which were used for long-distance communication and ritual offerings, alongside clay sculptures and ceremonial objects.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of an ancient city in Peru's northern Barranca province. The 3,500-year-old city, named Peñico, is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin. Located some 200km north of Lima, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC - around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia. Researchers say the discovery sheds light on what became of the Americas' oldest civilisation, the Caral. Drone footage released by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city's centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings. Eight years of research at the site unearthed 18 structures, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. In buildings at the site, researchers discovered ceremonial objects, clay sculptures of human and animal figures and necklaces made from beads and seashells. Peñico is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago at around 3,000 BC in the Supe valley of Peru. Caral features 32 monuments, including large pyramid structures, sophisticated irrigation agriculture and urban settlements. It is believed to have developed in isolation to other comparative early civilisations in India, Egypt, Sumeria and China. Dr Ruth Shady, the archaeologist who led the recent research into Peñico and the excavation of Caral in the 1990s, said that the discovery was important for understanding what became of the Caral civilisation after it was decimated by climate change. The Peñico community was "situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle", Dr Shady told the Reuters news agency. At a news conference unveiling the findings on Thursday, archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said that Peñico's significance lies in it being a continuation of the Caral society. Peru is home to many of the Americas' most significant archaeological discoveries, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast. Researchers help uncover ancient Egyptian city Iron Age settlement and 'Roman villa' unearthed Bronze Age burial site found under park
