
Archaeologists find 3,500-year-old city in Peru which once served as a trading hub - with sculptures and jewellery inside
The 3,500-year-old settlement, named Peñico, is located in the northern Barranca province - close to where the Caral civilisation, the oldest on the America, developed 5,000 years ago.
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 a penis 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 penis 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.
It is regarded as the largest mud city in the world.
The complex features temples, residential structures, and storage buildings, any adorned with intricate and symbolic carvings.
Together with the stone citadels of Machu Picchu and Caral, Chan Chan forms the most important archaeological complexes in Peru.
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The Independent
38 minutes ago
- 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.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
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Archaeologists have unearthed a lost city in Peru that thrived 3,500 years ago, likely as a potential contemporary of early human societies such as the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations of the Middle East. The ancient city, named Peñico, emerged independently of these other early civilisations, and likely thrived as a trading hub, connecting coastal South America to the mountainous Andes regions through dense forests. "This urban centre was developed following the cultural tradition of Caral,' said archaeologist Ruth Shady, director of the Caral Archaeological Zone. Researchers uncovered a circular structure on a hillside in Peru's northern Barranca province, including the remains of stone and mud buildings constructed at about 600m (1,970ft) above sea level around 1,800 and 1,500 BC. Scientists suspect the ancient city's inhabitants were connected to the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, which developed 5,000 years ago. Drone footage revealed the presence of new human-made structures running parallel to previously uncovered buildings of the Caral–Supe pre-Columbian society. The height at which the structures were found suggests the ancient city's settlers strategically chose the location likely to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, protect themselves from floods and landslides, or to promote interaction and exchange. "Peñico adds to the archaeological sites that can be visited under our management: the Sacred City of Caral, the fishing town of Áspero and the agricultural fishing city of Vichama. The public will also be able to get to know this city of integration," Dr Shady said. The city's discovery is key to further understanding South American history, according to archaeologists, who suspect it emerged after the Caral civilisation was devastated by climate change. Peñico also likely acted as a node in the exchange network, linked to the extraction and circulation of Iron mineral hematite used to make a red pigment with a high symbolic importance within Andean cosmology. "They were situated in a strategic location for trade, for exchange with societies from the coast, the highlands and the jungle," Dr Shady told Reuters. So far, 18 constructions have been unearthed in the ancient city site, including larger and minor public buildings, and residential complexes, Peru's Ministry of Culture said in a statement. One structure labelled "B2" stands out for its sculptural reliefs, integrated into two other large public Buildings of the urban centre. The building was found to have remarkable designs of conch shell musical horns called pututus, and other instruments represented on the walls of a quadrangular room. Pututus were used in early Andean societies to transmit sound over long distances, such as to make announcements for meetings and important events, and were considered a symbol of social importance. They were considered an important ritual offering to deities, in gratitude for the benefits required and received. Researchers also found other significant artefacts in the building, including sculptures made of uncooked clay representing human-like and animal-like figures as well as ceremonial objects. They also unearthed necklaces with beads of various materials like rhodochrosite, chrysola, animal bone and clay at the building site. The presence of such artefacts indicates the building was likely one of the most important in the urban history of Peñico.


Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Incredible ancient lost city from 3,500-years-ago home to the Americas' oldest civilization uncovered in Peru
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