🧐 Ancient Beat #115: Enormous mounds, temples, and Rapa Nui's new narrative

Welcome to issue #115 of Ancient Beat, folks! Let’s get right into it today. Here’s the latest ancient news. 👇

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🗞 Ancient News: Top 5

• 5,300-Year-Old Burial Mound — One of the Largest of Its Kind — Found in Czechia — During highway construction near Lípa, Czechia, archaeologists discovered a 5,300-year-old burial mound, or long barrow, with 30 graves — two central burials and 28 others surrounding it. This elongated trapezoidal structure, measuring approximately 620 feet long and 50 feet wide is one of the largest in central Europe. It dates back to 3800-3350 BCE. Although the above-ground portion was likely destroyed by agriculture. Artifacts include pottery fragments, flint arrowheads, and a flint blade linked to the Funnelbeaker culture. Check out the image — it’s huge!

Image credit: Department of Archaeology at the University of Hradec Králové

• Ancient Temple Complex Discovered at Los Paredones — An ancient temple complex has been discovered at Los Paredones near Nazca, Peru. Originally an Inca administrative center from the reign of Topa Inca Yupanqui (1471–93 CE), Los Paredones is located near the ceremonial center of Cahuachi and the Nazca lines. Excavations revealed a Preclassic Era temple complex dating back approximately 5,000 years. The temple features mudbrick walls, a central staircase leading to a raised plaza, and friezes with anthropomorphic images, including a figure with a bird’s head and reptile claws. The upper complex has a wall with fine plaster and designs in white, blue, and red pigments. Another excavation area revealed late Moche period ceremonial architecture (600-700 CE), including a stepped platform with buttresses and the skeletal remains of a 5-6-year-old child.

Image credit: DDC Lambayeque

• Circular Structure Used for Healing Rites Found in Tecacahuaco — In Tecacahuaco, Hidalgo, Mexico, archaeologists discovered a monumental, circular, pre-Hispanic structure used for healing rites. Oral legends recount a priest destroying local monuments and idols, yet healers continued visiting a sacred hill for rituals, blending Catholic and pre-Hispanic traditions. The structure was originally 49 feet in diameter and 11.5 feet tall, with a central staircase. Preliminary dating places it between 900 and 1521 CE, in the Post Classic Period. It may have been controlled by the Metztitlán, an Otomi state resistant to Aztec conquest. Surrounding surveys found additional architectural remains, including an 18-meter-long ball court.

Image credit: Gerardo Peña

• A Buried Ancient Egyptian Port Reveals the Hidden Connections Between Distant Civilizations — At Berenice Troglodytica, an ancient port on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, archaeologists are uncovering evidence of a vibrant trading hub that connected the Roman Empire with distant civilizations. Findings include two harbors, various shops, houses, and a plethora of artifacts such as ivory, incense, textiles, and Indian peppercorns, underscoring Berenice Troglodytica's importance in ancient maritime trade. Unique discoveries include a Sanskrit-inscribed stele and a Greco-Roman Buddha statue, highlighting cultural exchanges between East and West. The presence of Indian artifacts and the first known Buddhist inscription in Egypt suggest a significant Indian community lived in Berenice Troglodytica, contributing to the bustling trade and cultural fusion of the port​

• Easter Island's Population Never Collapsed Because It Never Got That Big, Researchers Suggest — New research challenges the traditional narrative that Rapa Nui (AKA Easter Island) had a catastrophic collapse in population due to poor soil quality and over-exploitation of resources. This new research found that the island's population was always small, peaking at a few thousand. The research uses shortwave infrared satellite imagery (SWIR) and machine learning to outline rock gardens, and found them to be more widespread than previously thought, to the point of supporting 4,000 people at a time. The study evaluates the population at no more than 3,900 people, suggesting that a catastrophic collapse due to overexploitation is not accurate. However, the study was criticized by other experts who point out that the data was generalized and the conclusions oversimplify the complexities of soil fertility.

That’s it for the free Top 5! If you’re a free subscriber, sign up for the paid plan for another 20 discoveries and 5 recommended pieces of content covering ergonomics, Viking ships, a thousand-year-old tower, reliquaries, cave networks, and thrift-shop discoveries.

Until next time, thanks for joining me!

-James
Twitter: @jamesofthedrum

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🗞 Ancient News: Deep Dive