This Week in Archaeology: Peru’s Ancient Marketplace, Maya Cosmogram, and Roman Burial Rituals
Over 5,000 mysterious holes carved into Peruvian hillsides have finally revealed their purpose after nearly a century of speculation. What started as a thriving marketplace eventually transformed into a massive accounting system under Inca rule.
Meanwhile, the oldest Maya monument turns out to be something far more ambitious than anyone suspected, a city-sized map of the universe built without kings or coercion. And new research is forcing us to reconsider one of evolution’s most misunderstood survival strategies: eating carrion wasn’t just a fallback option for early humans, it was fundamental to our development.
This and more archaeological finds from this week: ⬇️
Peru’s Mysterious “Band of Holes” May Have Been Ancient Marketplace and Accounting System
More than 5,200 circular depressions spanning 1.5 kilometers across Peru’s Monte Sierpe have baffled researchers since aerial photographs revealed them in 1933. Advanced drone mapping and soil analysis now point to a dual purpose that evolved over centuries: an ancient trading hub that imperial authorities later converted into a sophisticated record-keeping system.
Dr. Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney led research using drone technology to map the site, discovering numerical patterns suggesting deliberate design. The layout mirrors the structure of an Inca khipu—knotted-string devices used for tracking information throughout the empire. Soil samples revealed traces of maize and reeds used for basket-weaving, proving humans deliberately brought goods to this location rather than growing them there.
The Chincha Kingdom, with a population exceeding 100,000 people, likely constructed the site between A.D. 1000 and 1400 as a marketplace where mobile traders, seafaring merchants, and llama caravans exchanged goods like corn and cotton. When the Inca Empire conquered the region in the 15th century, evidence suggests they repurposed Monte Sierpe for tribute collection and taxation, with variations in hole numbers across different blocks possibly reflecting different tribute levels from nearby towns.
How Eating Carrion Drove Human Evolution and Survival
A new study published in the Journal of Human Evolution challenges the long-held view that scavenging was primitive behavior our ancestors quickly abandoned. Researchers from Spain’s National Research Center on Human Evolution argue that carrion consumption was a consistent, highly efficient survival strategy that shaped our species from the earliest hominins to modern populations.
The research team, led by Ana Mateos and Jesús Rodríguez, dismantles three major misconceptions: that carrion was scarce and unpredictable, inherently dangerous due to pathogens, and risky because of predator confrontations. Recent ecological research shows carrion is more dependable than previously believed and becomes particularly abundant during food shortages. Humans possess remarkable adaptations for efficient scavenging, including acidic stomach pH that defends against pathogens, fire use for cooking that reduced infection risks, and the ability to cover long distances with minimal energy expenditure.
Language development enabled collective organization for finding large animal carcasses and coordinating efforts to drive predators away, while simple stone tools transformed scavenging from opportunistic feeding into systematic food procurement. The study emphasizes that scavenging required substantially less effort than hunting while providing comparable nutritional returns, making it an indispensable complement to other subsistence strategies throughout human history.
Ancient Maya Site Was Massive Cosmogram Depicting Universal Order
Aguada Fénix in southeastern Mexico, the oldest and largest monumental architecture in the Maya region, was designed as a cosmogram representing how its builders conceived universal order and the passage of time. The 3,000-year-old complex spans 9 by 7.5 kilometers and was built around 1050 B.C., predating the Maya writing system.
Takeshi Inomata from the University of Arizona led excavations that uncovered a design based on increasingly larger crosses with a cruciform pit containing precious ritual artifacts at the center. Within the pit lay jade artifacts arranged in a cross formation, accompanied by pigments tied to specific cardinal directions: blue for north, green for east, yellow for south, and red for west. The site’s east-west axis aligns with sunrise on October 17 and February 24, creating a 130-day interval that equals half of Mesoamerica’s 260-day ritual calendar.
Construction required more than 1,000 people spending several months yearly over multiple years, yet researchers found no evidence of social hierarchy—no statues of rulers, no palaces for elites, and no signs of coerced labor. The communal nature of construction distinguished Aguada Fénix from later Maya cities and Egyptian pyramids built through compulsory labor, demonstrating that large-scale projects could be achieved through voluntary cooperation and celebrated communal activity.
Prague Archaeologists Excavate Graves of Anti-Communist Resistance Fighters
Archaeologists at Prague’s Ďáblice Cemetery are searching for the remains of three Czechoslovak soldiers executed by the Communist regime on July 18, 1949. Vilém Sok, Miloslav Jebavý, and Karel Sabela fought Nazis during World War II only to face execution for resisting communism after the 1948 takeover.
Martin Čechura from the Prague City Museum leads the archaeological research, which has uncovered multiple coffins in layered grave shafts. Three key pieces of evidence guided archaeologists to this location: investigations from 1990 and 1991, photographs from 1968 documenting an earlier search launched under pressure from relatives, and the identification of Father Toufar’s grave that supplied critical information about cemetery grave numbering.
DNA testing will determine whether the recovered remains belong to the three soldiers. The excavation represents a broader effort to document and recover victims from both Nazi and Communist regimes that controlled Czechoslovakia during the 20th century. After nearly eight decades, families may finally conduct dignified burials for men who sacrificed their lives fighting oppression twice over.
Massive Roman Cremation Cemetery Reveals Burial Rituals in Southern France
More than 160 cremation burials discovered at the ancient city of Olbia on the French Riviera illuminate Roman funerary practices between the first and third centuries A.D. The site, originally a fortified Greek settlement around 350 B.C., transitioned into a Roman city after Julius Caesar captured Marseille in 49 B.C.
Excavations by the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research revealed detailed cremation processes where relatives placed bodies on wooden stands over square pits. As pyres burned, intense heat caused stands to collapse, dropping remains into pits below. Glass objects melted completely, bronze artifacts warped, and soot covered ceramic vessels placed with the deceased.
A distinctive feature sets Olbia’s burials apart: most graves incorporated libation channels constructed from repurposed amphora pieces that extended above ground even after burial. These tubes allowed families to pour liquids—wine, beer, or mead—directly into graves to honor deceased relatives during Roman feast days like Feralia on February 21 and Lemuralia on May 9, 11, and 13. The channels maintained a physical connection between the living and deceased, transforming graves into accessible sites for ongoing veneration.