New Discovery Reveals Ancient Peruvians were Expert Astronomers
Archaeologists have discovered a new pyramid in southern Peru at Cerro del Gentil which would have aligned perfectly with two stone lines and the setting of the sun during the winter solstice revealing an advanced knowledge of astronomy and the movements of the sun.
The pyramid, which was built between 600BC and 50BC, is framed by two stone lines, called geoglyphs, which are about 500 metres long. During the winter solstice hundreds of years ago, the pyramid, stone lines and setting sun would have lined up in such a way as to frame the pyramid in light, which may have had cosmological or spiritual significance for the people who lived there.
Researchers have now found about fifty stone lines in the area surrounding the pyramid, the longest of which runs for nearly a mile. Interspersed within these lines, archaeologists have found more than 200 rock piles, some up to 15 metres in diameter. Rock piles, called cairns, have been found throughout the world, usually used for human burials, but in the case of the cairns discovered near the Peruvian pyramid there is no evidence that they were used for that purpose.
Many of the stone lines point to nearby settlements and their pyramids. Further work is underway to determine if there are more lines that exist in the area. However, unfortunately many of the existing stone lines are being destroyed by power and gas lines which are being built in the area, jeopardizing the ancient and mysteries lines which have stood for over 2000 years.
These latest findings indicate that there is still much that we do not know about these ancient civilizations. But everything indicates that our human ancestors were not as primitive as many would have us believe.
