Archeologists may have found what they can call by far the oldest astronomical observatory in the Americas, a series of towers near a temple in coastal Peru, built in the fourth century B.C.
The towers at Chankillo mark the sun's progress across the sky, according to a new study in Science. This suggests the sun may have played an important role in religious and political life long before the appearance of the famous Inca sun cult.
In the 19th century, explorers in the area observed the 13 stubby towers dotting a long ridge close to an ancient fortress. The explorers suggested that the towers had to do with the movement of the moon, and left it at that.
A few years ago, Ivan Ghezzi at long last drummed up enough funding to excavate the Chankillo site, and uncover its secrets.
Ghezzi is at the Catholic University of Peru and the national director of archeology. He quickly realized the towers had nothing to do with the moon, but everything to do with the sun. The key was viewing the sky from either of two structures that stood nearby.
He said that we could actually watch the sunrise align with the northernmost tower during the June solstice, and with the opposite tower we could see the sunrise at the December solstice. So must take the conclusion that he develope an astronomical device that was designed to keep track of the movement of the sun and therefore keep track of time.
Built 2,300 years ago, the towers are by far the earliest example of an observatory in the Americas.
The towers at Chankillo mark the sun's progress across the sky, according to a new study in Science. This suggests the sun may have played an important role in religious and political life long before the appearance of the famous Inca sun cult.
In the 19th century, explorers in the area observed the 13 stubby towers dotting a long ridge close to an ancient fortress. The explorers suggested that the towers had to do with the movement of the moon, and left it at that.
A few years ago, Ivan Ghezzi at long last drummed up enough funding to excavate the Chankillo site, and uncover its secrets.
Ghezzi is at the Catholic University of Peru and the national director of archeology. He quickly realized the towers had nothing to do with the moon, but everything to do with the sun. The key was viewing the sky from either of two structures that stood nearby.
He said that we could actually watch the sunrise align with the northernmost tower during the June solstice, and with the opposite tower we could see the sunrise at the December solstice. So must take the conclusion that he develope an astronomical device that was designed to keep track of the movement of the sun and therefore keep track of time.
Built 2,300 years ago, the towers are by far the earliest example of an observatory in the Americas.
source & image:
npr.org
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