Archaeology
Submerged prehistoric site discovered with remains of extinct species
Archaeologists from the University of Chile and the Millennium Nucleus Ocean Heritage and Culture (OHC), have discovered a submerged prehistoric site with remains of an extinct species.
The discovery was made in the Quintero Bay on the central Chilean coast, where the researchers have been excavating a site designated GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1).
During the last Ice Age (approximately 24,000 to 17,000-years-ago), the marine space that Quintero Bay occupies was a large esplanade of wetlands which stretched several miles from the current coastline. The esplanade was home to various extinct fauna such as paleolamas, mylodones, American horses and deer, as well as species of rodents, foxes and coypus.
With the thawing of the ice sheets, a rise in sea levels caused the esplanade to become submerged, providing the only known end-of-Pleistocene submerged site on the Pacific coast of South America.
A study of GNLQ1 by archaeologists and palaeontologists have uncovered deposits of camelidae, cervidae, equidae, mylodontidae, xenarthra, canidae, myocastorinae, and octodontidae, in addition to numerous remains of mylodon, all of which are similar to types of animals found at sites of Paleoindian hunter-gatherers in similar environments in central Chile.
The underwater field work consisted of an excavation by strata, vacuuming the sediments that were cleared to later recover the faunal assemblages in blocks, together with the sediment that contained skeletal remains.
“We have also recovered medium-sized species such as foxes, a large number of microfauna made up of various species of rodents, very small marsupials and even remains of reptiles”, said Professor Isabel Cartajena, Director of the OHC and an academic at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chile.
In total, the researchers have found more than 7,000 skeletal remains, of which 8 have been identified as extinct fauna and dozens of individuals corresponding to minor fauna. “The high taxonomic diversity is especially striking, since the group is made up of more than fifteen species,” Cartajena emphasises.
“Until now, the GNLQ1 site has not reported cultural evidence supporting the presence of early human groups. However, this site demonstrates the existence of a landscape available for the occupation and mobility of extinct fauna and early human groups along the Pacific coast of South America”, comments the director of OHC and academic at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the U of Chile.
Header Image Credit : Shutterstock
The Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento have announced the discovery of a vast Iron Age necropolis in Amorosi, located in the Italian province of Benevento.
The necropolis was found in the Valle Telesina in the vicinity of the Volturno River during works for a new power plant being constructed by the Terna Group.
Excavations over an area of 13,000 square metres have identified 88 burials belonging to the “Pit Tomb Culture”, an Iron Age people that inhabited Campania before the emergence of the Italic Samnites.
The burials date from the 8th to the mid-7th century BC, and are a mix of male and female burials containing associated grave goods and funerary offerings. Ceramics of various shapes were placed as offerings at the feat of the deceased.
Image Credit : Superintendency of Archaeology
The male burials mainly contain weaponry, while the female burials have ornamental objects such as fibulae, bracelets, pendants, worked bone and amber.
According to the archaeologists, the burials are the interred remains of high status individuals, evidenced by the “objects of extraordinary prestige” that includes finely decorated bronze belts or bronze-rolled vessels.
The most significant discoveries are two monumental mound burials indicated by the presence of substantial stone circles measuring approximately 15 metres in diameter. The archaeologists theorise that the mound burials belonged to the elite members of the culture, possibly the ruling chieftain.
Samples of soil taken during the excavations were sent for an archaeobotanical analysis to provide data on the environment and flora, in addition to an anthropological analysis of the bone remains.
Header Image Credit : Superintendency of Archaeology
Sources : Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture (Peruvian State) have uncovered ceramic vessels from the Chancay culture in the Chancay district of Lima, Peru.
The discovery was made following reports by locals of illegal excavations, an endemic problem in the region known as “Huaqueo” involving the exploitation of archaeological sites for artefacts to be sold on the black market.
Around 20,000 archaeological pieces are illegally extracted and trafficked out of Peru annually, which poses a constant danger to the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
Following a joint inspection by officials of the Municipality of Chancay and the Ministry of Culture, archaeologists have recovered ten pre-Hispanic ceramic vessels belonging to the Chancay culture at the Lauri Archaeological Site.
The Chancay culture emerged after the fall of the Wari civilisation around AD 1,000 on the central coast of Peru. Parts of the southern Chancay area were conquered by the Chimú in the early 1400s, and by around AD 1450 the Inca had dominated the entire Chimú territory.
Among the recovered vessels are ceramic jugs, pots and plates, which the Chimú manufactured using moulds.
The vessels are decorated with the “black on white” style, a technique commonly associated with the Chimú that involved painting a white background on a rough matt surface, followed by a dark colour for the decorative elements.
According to the Peruvian State: “The initial evaluation of the vessels confirmed that they are noticeably deteriorated, and in some cases fragmented due to their exposure to adverse environmental conditions or their violent manipulation. Subsequently, the pieces were transferred to the institutional headquarters for their preservation.”
Header Image Credit : Ministry of Culture
Sources : Peruvian State
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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