Mysterious holes in the Andes may have been an ancient marketplace
10 days ago
- #archaeology
- #Peru
- #Inca
- New research from the University of Sydney provides insights into the mysterious Monte Sierpe ('Band of Holes') in Peru.
- Monte Sierpe consists of over 5000 precisely aligned holes, baffling researchers for decades.
- Drone mapping revealed numerical patterns similar to an Inca khipu (knotted-string accounting device).
- Soil analysis found ancient maize pollen and reeds, suggesting the holes were used for plant deposits, possibly in baskets.
- The site may have been a pre-Inca marketplace or social gathering spot, later used as an accounting system by the Inca.
- Monte Sierpe is strategically located between Inca administrative sites and near pre-Hispanic roads.
- The research combines microbotanical analysis and aerial imagery to propose new theories about the site's use.
- The findings highlight Indigenous accounting practices and landscape modifications for social interaction.
- The study was published in the journal Antiquity and involved international collaboration.