Temple built 4,000 years ago unearthed in Peru

This sounds like another amazing discovery, the descriptions in the article sound pretty awesome and I searched and searched for pics without success. I think they were filming this for a future documentary so we will have to wait awhile. The linked article shows one small image of a mural from the dig.

REUTERS

LIMA (Reuters) - A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday.

The temple, inside a larger ruin, includes a staircase that leads up to an altar used for fire worship at a site scientists have called Ventarron, said Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, who led the dig.

I did find an article (had to translate) from April where Alva discusses the goals of this archaeological dig in Sipan

Peru - The objectives of the current campaign of excavations at Sipàn

In a long interview exclusively for the Sunday Walter Alva explains what are the main objectives of his team. After seven years of paralysis, he said, in the first place we study the architecture of the platform where they were found the tombs so far discovered. Then we limited interventions in pyramids 1 and 2, which are the most important Sipán. Fortunately, something that has never happened in the past, today we can count on 35 workers and think of the excavations continue uninterrupted until December.

there's several thumbnail photos of the mural(s) & ec

A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday.

far from it, he's probably just jealous because he wasn't allowed to work on Caral or Aspero which are about 1500 years older and actually predate the Egyptian civilisation

Nice post jack.

Heres 4 more pictures of the "Fire Temple" at National Geographic. No 4 is

nationalgeographic page1

nationalgeographic page2

nationalgeographic page3

nationalgeographic page4

Plus a bit more news from the site.

mojo



[edit on 15/11/07 by mojo4sale]

WOW!

That is awesome, thanks mojo for posting the pics, turquoise and monkey bones used in a ceremony? I can't wait for a documentary of the dig.

Here is an AP article on this discovery of an ancietn temple in Peru:

Ancient temple has the look of sophistication

The sophisticated design and colorful artwork found in a 4,000-year-old temple unearthed near Peru's northern desert coast suggests that early civilization there was more complex than originally thought, archaeologists said.

Ventarron, a 7,000-square-foot site -- a bit larger than a basketball court -- with painted walls and a white-and-red mural of a deer hunt, points to an "advanced civilization," said the lead archaeologist who excavated the site this month.

Since coming to this site I think I discovered the career path I should have chosen when I was younger, Archaeology, I am fascinated by the discoveries made by digging in the dirt.

I have to settle for metal detecting, and walking through plowed fields to find native Amercan points and pottery shards, and the occasional fossil, this has been a good year for discoveries in the scientific world, from structures to prehistoric animals, to ancient seagoing vessels, I could go on and on, this may happen every year but this is the first year I have tried to pay attention to this wonderful topic.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
Since coming to this site I think I discovered the career path I should have chosen when I was younger, Archaeology, I am fascinated by the discoveries made by digging in the dirt.

Likewise Jack, i even passed my university mature age entrance exam to study archaeology 2 years ago but had to delay doing it for a couple more years ( you know paying bills, mortgages and stuff seem more important to the banks than my aspirations, go figure. ). I'm hoping that by 2010 i'll be able to start.

I wonder what they mean exactly by "Advanced Civilization". Comparable with Mesopotamian civs at the same period?, or advanced compared to what they know of South American civs of the same period or later?