Mysterious discovery of 5,200 ancient holes in the Andes

Experts use drones and archaeology to uncover the purpose of thousands of mysterious pits that may have been used for trade between the 11th and 15th centuries.

Drone footage and ground excavations in the Andes have helped experts reveal the purpose of some 5,200 mysterious pits that date back centuries to the Chincha Kingdom and Inca Empire. Photo: JL Bongers; Antiquity Publications Ltd; CC BY 4.0.

A new study by experts suggests that some 5,200 mysterious holes in the Andes may have been used for trading and accounting hundreds of years ago. Photo: C. Stanish; Antiquity Publications Ltd; CC BY 4.0.

The pits are laid out in an orderly square grid on Monte Sierpe (“Snake Mountain”) in the southern Peruvian Andes. The site may have been built between 1000 and 1400 AD as a trading post during the time of the powerful Chincha Kingdom, which had a population of more than 100,000. When the Chincha Kingdom was conquered by the Inca Empire in the 15th century, the site may have been repurposed to collect tribute and taxes from local groups. Photo: Charles Stanish, CC BY.

The archaeologists made the discovery after analyzing thousands of holes using drone technology, which allowed the team to spot a “mathematical pattern in the arrangement of the holes” – meaning they were arranged into sections and blocks reminiscent of accounting and record-keeping methods of the time. Image: JL Bongers, CC BY.

Study co-author Charles Stanish, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida, said the team also analyzed samples taken from the holes. Photo: C. Stanish.

The mysterious holes at Monte Sierpe are arranged in a long strip, divided into blocks with dozens of depressions. The total length of the strip is up to 1.5 km. Each hole is 1-2 m wide and up to 1 m deep, and some are lined with stone. The area is located near a fortified settlement and a crossroads that predates the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Photo: JL Bongers/C. Stanish.

Archaeologists first noted the mysterious pits in the 1930s and then surveyed them in the 1970s. In the years that followed, several theories emerged to explain their ancient purposes, from defense, storage and accounting to water collection, dew collection or gardening. Photo: JL Bongers/C. Stanish.

In a new study, the researchers analyzed plant remains in rocks and sediments from some of the pits. The analysis revealed pollen from crops, including corn, inside the pits, suggesting that the plants had been placed in the pits. Photo: JL Bongers/C. Stanish.

From there, the team speculated that people had brought it to Monte Sierpe intentionally. In addition, they also found remnants of cogon grass pollen. People in the Chincha Kingdom used cogon grass to make woven baskets to store or transport goods. Photo: Jacob Bongers.

Barter markets were common in the Peruvian Andes during this period, especially along trade routes. Nearby communities may have used Monte Sierpe as one of these markets in Chincha society. Photo: Paul Catacora.

Readers are invited to watch the video: Behind the success of scientists . Source: VTV24.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/phat-hien-bi-an-ve-5200-ho-co-dai-trong-day-andes-post2149067907.html