Scientists may have finally found an explanation for the centuries-old mystery of 5,200 holes in the Peruvian Andes. This is reported by UNN with reference to livescience.com.
Details
The holes are arranged in an orderly grid on Monte Sierpe ("Snake Mountain") in the southern Peruvian Andes. According to the study, this site may have appeared between 1000 and 1400 AD as a place of exchange under the rule of the powerful Chincha kingdom, which had a population of over 100,000 people.
In the 15th century, the kingdom was conquered by the Inca Empire. Since then, the site has been used as a place for collecting tribute and taxes from local groups.
Archaeologists made this discovery after analyzing thousands of holes using drones, which allowed the team to detect a "mathematical pattern in the arrangement of the holes," meaning they were organized into sections and blocks, resembling accounting and record-keeping methods of that time.
Researchers also analyzed samples taken from the holes, said co-author of the study Charles Stanish, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida, in a statement.
The mysterious pits of Monte Sierpe are located in a long strip, divided into blocks of several dozen pits. The total length of the strip is 1.5 kilometers. Each pit has a diameter of 3 to 6 feet (1-2 meters) and a depth of up to 3 feet (1 meter), and some of them are lined with stones. The location of the site is near a defensive settlement and a crossroads that existed before the Spanish colonization in the 16th century.
Recall
In the Saqqara necropolis, the tomb of Prince Woser-if-Re with pink doors that cannot be opened was discovered. Archaeologists found statues and chairs belonging to the prince, as well as a second entrance with the cartouche of King Neferirkare.