Climate Swing Jump-Started Civilization

(NEWSER) - Dozens of carefully buried human sacrifices have been found in a coastal Inca site in Peru, reports the Telegraph. Most of the dead are teenage girls, and one appears to have been pregnant. The bodies, which still contain skin and hair, all bear signs of knife slashes along the neck. It's extremely rare to find so many bodies at one site. Human sacrifice was common in the Incan culture that thrived before the Spanish arrived in what is now South America. More»

Oldest bling in the Americas shows primitives liked prestige

(NEWSER) - Researchers have dug up the oldest piece of crafted gold in the Americas, a 4,000-year old gold necklace, LiveScience reports. Found at a pre-Inca burial site in Peru, the bling proves that primitive societies sought displays of wealth. It signals "the social process towards some kind of inequality," said Mark Aldenderfer, a University of Arizona anthropologist. More»

'Sacred ceremonial nature' of site surprises researchers

(NEWSER) - Archaeologists have dug up a pre-Incan temple that sheds light on a lost Peruvian culture, the AP reports. Nestled in a mountain region, the sprawling site housed the Killke people as they fended off an encroaching Spanish empire around 1200 AD. Evidence of mummies and idols shows that the Killke were not only warriors but had a "sacred ceremonial nature," one researcher said. More»

Site may be oldest urban structure in the Americas

(NEWSER) - Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed one of the oldest structures in the Americas, Reuters reports. Carbon dating indicates the ceremonial plaza in Casma is 5,500 years old, scientists at the dig say. That's 500 years older than the nearby ancient citadel of Caral, previously thought be Peru’s oldest ruins. "It's an impressive find," said the project's supervisor. More»

Inca warrior shot in head by Conquistadors, archaeologists say

(NEWSER) - The first gunshot victim in the Americas—an 16th century Inca warrior blasted in the back of the head by Spanish Conquistadors—has been discovered by archaeologists poring over the bones of 72 Incans killed in a 1536 uprising in Peru. The remains of the warriors were uncovered in a Lima suburb during road construction. More»