Archaeologists Unveil 3,500-year-old City That Linked Coast, Andes
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 meters above sea level.The urban center, named Penico, is located in the northern Barranca Province and was founded between 1,800 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. 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 archaeologist who led the research into Penico, 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.
Archaeologist Marco Machacuay, a researcher with the Ministry of Culture, said at a news conference that Penico'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 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
What does Trump's AI action plan mean for Asia?
The Trump administration's new AI governance plan aims to ensure the U.S. sustains its technological and economic advantage globally. © Reuters YIFAN YU PALO ALTO, California -- U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his administration's long-awaited "action plan" for artificial intelligence on Wednesday, laying out a largely hands-off, pro-innovation approach to governing the rapidly evolving technology and related industries. The 28-page plan, titled "Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan," has three major themes: cutting red tape and potentially blocking state-level regulations on AI; overhauling permitting rules and energy supply for AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturing; and calling for other countries to adopt AI models and technology infrastructure from the U.S. rather than China.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
New Zealand introduces new laws to govern space infrastructure
New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins speaks at the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Defence Ministers' Joint Press Conference Meeting (FDMM) on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Caroline Chia/File Photo By Lucy Craymer The New Zealand government passed legislation on Wednesday to regulate the use of ground-based space infrastructure following concerns about foreign actors using it to harm national security. Space Minister Judith Collins said in a statement that the Outer Space High Altitude Activities Amendment Bill would take effect on July 29 and from then ground-based space infrastructure such as satellite tracking stations and telemetry systems would be subject to oversight and safeguards. The law "supports New Zealand's interest in the safe, secure and responsible use of space and stop any attempts by foreign entities that do not share our values or interests," Collins said. 'Ground-based space infrastructure in New Zealand plays a vital role in supporting global satellite operations and space activities, but without regulation, it can also pose risks to national security, and other national interests." Under the new law, anyone operating ground-based space infrastructure will need to confirm with the government that they have appropriate security arrangements in place and due diligence systems to assess any partners. The South Pacific nation's location and clear skies make it a good place to launch and monitor satellites from, with the European Space Agency among those keeping an eye on space from New Zealand. The new regulations, which were flagged at the end of 2024, come after New Zealand's intelligence service raised concerns last September that some foreign entities had tried to establish space infrastructure, which would have 'assisted foreign military activity that could have harmed New Zealand interests." "They have deliberately disguised their affiliations to foreign militaries and misrepresented their intentions," Collins told parliament on Tuesday. While neither the minister nor the report mentioned China specifically in relation to the incidents, the broader report noted that China remained a complex intelligence concern in New Zealand but there were other states undertaking malicious activity as well. New Zealand is a member of the "Five Eyes" intelligence grouping, along with the U.S., Australia, Canada and Britain. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yomiuri Shimbun
6 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Newly Spotted Comet Is 3rd Interstellar Object Seen in Solar System
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Astronomers are tracking a newly spotted comet hailing from parts unknown, only the third time such an interstellar object has been observed visiting our solar system. According to U.S. space agency NASA, the interloper — named 3I/ATLAS — was first spotted on July 1 by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Astronomers said its unusual trajectory indicated it had ventured from beyond our solar system. Journeying at a speed of around 60 kilometers per second from the direction of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, 3I/ATLAS is presently located about 670 million kilometers from Earth. 'Beyond that we do not know very much, and there are many efforts underway to observe this object with larger telescopes to determine composition,' University of Hawaii astronomer Larry Denneau, coprincipal investigator for ATLAS, said on July 3. The only other such interstellar visitors previously observed by astronomers were objects called 1I/'Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-uh-MOO-uh), detected in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019. 'The comet has some similarities to 2I/Borisov in that it appears to be an icy comet, but it is much larger, possibly 10 kilometers in diameter,' Denneau said. 'It currently has a faint coma,' Denneau added, referring to the cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet's nucleus, 'but the coma and tail may increase dramatically as the object comes closer to the sun. Its closest approach to the sun will be later this year, when it will come inside the orbit of Mars. We don't know what will happen, so that's exciting.' Astronomers said the comet poses no threat to Earth and will never come closer than 240 million kilometers away, equivalent to more than 1½ times the distance between Earth and the sun. It is currently located about 670 million kilometers from the sun and will reach its closest approach to the sun around Oct. 30, when it will be about 210 million kilometers away from our star. The ATLAS network is a NASA-funded telescope survey built and operated by the University of Hawaii, with five telescopes around the world that scan the night sky continuously to look for objects that could threaten Earth.
