Archaeologists Unearth Pre-Inca Temple

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»

(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»

Investigators have no idea how Inca skulls got there

(NEWSER) - Police in Florida investigating two skulls found in a backyard say that while they definitely have a mystery on their hands, they're not looking for a killer. That's because investigators have determined that the skulls belong to a man and a 10-year-old boy who died in Peru as far back as some 800 years ago, ABC reports. The skulls, one of which had a scrap of mummified flesh still clinging to it, were uncovered by a workman installing a pool, who notified police. More»

Mythical, tsunami-swamped city is off the coast of Spain

(NEWSER) - The mythical, ancient city of Atlantis was probably located just north of what is now Cadiz, on the southern coast of Spain, before it was swamped by a massive tsunami, according to a team of American researchers. Using a satellite photo of the marshlands of Dona Ana Park, along with deep-ground radar, digital mapping, and underwater technology throughout 2009 and 2010, researchers found an ancient city, buried in the mud. "This is the power of tsunamis," says head researcher Richard Freund. More»