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Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
Since this is the former history thread, it seemed like a place for this.
http://www.businessinsider.com/60000-los...gle-2018-2
"Using state-of-the-art laser technology, archaeologists uncovered over 60,000 previously unknown Mayan structures deep in the Guatemalan jungle, including foundations for houses, military fortifications, and elevated causeways.
Archaeologists could barely contain their excitement about the ground-breaking find.
"I think this is one of the greatest advances in over 150 years of Maya archaeology," Stephen Houston, an archaeologist at Brown University with decades of experience studying Mesoamerican cultures told the BBC.
"I know it sounds hyperbolic but when I saw the imagery, it did bring tears to my eyes," he added.
"This is HOLY $HIT territory," Sarah Parcak, a professor of archaeology at the University of Alabama and a National Geographic fellow who was not involved in the project, tweeted.
"We'll need 100 years to go through all [the data] and really understand what we're seeing," Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist, told National Geographic...."
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02-02-2018 08:13 PM |
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arkstfan
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
(02-02-2018 08:13 PM)bullet Wrote: Since this is the former history thread, it seemed like a place for this.
http://www.businessinsider.com/60000-los...gle-2018-2
"Using state-of-the-art laser technology, archaeologists uncovered over 60,000 previously unknown Mayan structures deep in the Guatemalan jungle, including foundations for houses, military fortifications, and elevated causeways.
Archaeologists could barely contain their excitement about the ground-breaking find.
"I think this is one of the greatest advances in over 150 years of Maya archaeology," Stephen Houston, an archaeologist at Brown University with decades of experience studying Mesoamerican cultures told the BBC.
"I know it sounds hyperbolic but when I saw the imagery, it did bring tears to my eyes," he added.
"This is HOLY $HIT territory," Sarah Parcak, a professor of archaeology at the University of Alabama and a National Geographic fellow who was not involved in the project, tweeted.
"We'll need 100 years to go through all [the data] and really understand what we're seeing," Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist, told National Geographic...."
Thinking now is peak population was 2X or 3X what previous estimates came up with. So yeah Holy $hit territory.
Already have the DVR set for the special.
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02-04-2018 08:51 AM |
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I45owl
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
We watched this last night. The implications of this technology lives up to its billing. This seems to completely transform the understanding of Mayan culture, especially in the size and nature of its population and cities.
Evidence of fortifications itself seems to transform the understanding of the Mayans internal wars and conflicts.
Fascinating stuff, and they've barely started.
Given the size of their cities and given how disruptive humans can be to the environment (turning plains into deserts, jungle into plains), I wonder what the landscape was like at the time... if they had converted land to plains, only to have the jungle overtake it after the Mayans left.
If memory serves, they indicated that Mayan culture may have been about 1/3 that of Europe at the time in 20% of the space.
Guatemala's Maya Society Featured Huge 'Megalopolis,' LiDAR Data Show
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02-09-2018 05:16 PM |
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aTxTIGER
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
Great stuff.
If you ever get a chance read 1491 by Charles Mann.
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02-09-2018 05:36 PM |
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Legend
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
It really is just miles and miles of jungle. The area got abandoned. Tikal is amazing. You quickly get into the jungle traveling between parts of the city that is known.
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02-09-2018 08:10 PM |
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Lush
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
we camped in tikal for a night a few years ago. pretty spooky. it is crazy climbing those towers and looking above the canopy. pretty easy to see why it took so long to find. could you imagine being on that journey?
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02-09-2018 10:50 PM |
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Legend
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
(02-09-2018 10:50 PM)Lush Wrote: we camped in tikal for a night a few years ago. pretty spooky. it is crazy climbing those towers and looking above the canopy. pretty easy to see why it took so long to find. could you imagine being on that journey?
We stayed in a lodge. But we did hike some. One time we got attacked by monkees. They were up in the canopy throwing stuff down at us.
I imagine in the Mayan days, they would have been lunch if they tried a stunt like that. Somebody would have gotten a bow and shot them down.
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02-10-2018 08:08 PM |
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ericsrevenge76
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
Sara Parcak of UAB is the same woman who used the ground penetrating satellite scans in Egypt that found thousands of un pillaged (still sealed) tombs and multiple new Pyramids still beneath the sand.
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02-11-2018 10:46 AM |
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I45owl
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
Related... This Nova episode talks about the first people of the Americas... The interesting part to me was the discussion of the skulls found of the Clovis people compared to modern Native Americans. The shape looks more Neanderthal-like than modern Native Americans, but they seemed to have DNA evidence that the Clovis people were their ancestors. It left me a little unclear as to why the shape of the skulls were so different. I guess it comes down to multiplexing (many distinct peoples entered North America through the land bridge 13,000 years ago, but over time, they blended into something more recognizable as modern Native Americans, despite the fact that they seem to most closely resemble modern Asians. I guess it makes sense that the same peoples that crossed into North America and eventually blended here also contributed to the same blending in Asia. For instance, I wonder if they compared Clovis DNA to various Asian populations if they would also find that they contribute similar proportions of DNA?
NOVA - Official Website | First Face of America
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02-14-2018 01:21 PM |
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Legend
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
(02-14-2018 01:21 PM)I45owl Wrote: Related... This Nova episode talks about the first people of the Americas... The interesting part to me was the discussion of the skulls found of the Clovis people compared to modern Native Americans. The shape looks more Neanderthal-like than modern Native Americans, but they seemed to have DNA evidence that the Clovis people were their ancestors. It left me a little unclear as to why the shape of the skulls were so different. I guess it comes down to multiplexing (many distinct peoples entered North America through the land bridge 13,000 years ago, but over time, they blended into something more recognizable as modern Native Americans, despite the fact that they seem to most closely resemble modern Asians. I guess it makes sense that the same peoples that crossed into North America and eventually blended here also contributed to the same blending in Asia. For instance, I wonder if they compared Clovis DNA to various Asian populations if they would also find that they contribute similar proportions of DNA?
NOVA - Official Website | First Face of America
Several years ago I was reading an article talking about how the shape of skulls of early Americans was more European like than Native American like. The discussion said they had a very rough life and that they tended to have a lot of skull fractures. The speculation is that the men were continually fighting for women and that could quickly contribute to selection for a different type of skull.
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02-14-2018 07:28 PM |
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I45owl
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RE: Thousands of Maya sites discovered with technology
(02-14-2018 07:28 PM)bullet Wrote: (02-14-2018 01:21 PM)I45owl Wrote: Related... This Nova episode talks about the first people of the Americas... The interesting part to me was the discussion of the skulls found of the Clovis people compared to modern Native Americans. The shape looks more Neanderthal-like than modern Native Americans, but they seemed to have DNA evidence that the Clovis people were their ancestors. It left me a little unclear as to why the shape of the skulls were so different. I guess it comes down to multiplexing (many distinct peoples entered North America through the land bridge 13,000 years ago, but over time, they blended into something more recognizable as modern Native Americans, despite the fact that they seem to most closely resemble modern Asians. I guess it makes sense that the same peoples that crossed into North America and eventually blended here also contributed to the same blending in Asia. For instance, I wonder if they compared Clovis DNA to various Asian populations if they would also find that they contribute similar proportions of DNA?
NOVA - Official Website | First Face of America
Several years ago I was reading an article talking about how the shape of skulls of early Americans was more European like than Native American like. The discussion said they had a very rough life and that they tended to have a lot of skull fractures. The speculation is that the men were continually fighting for women and that could quickly contribute to selection for a different type of skull.
The woman documented in the Nova episode I cited had spiral fractures of her arm, which they said was an indication of domestic abuse.
NOVA - Official Website | First Face of America
Quote:NARRATOR: She was also no stranger to violence.
JIM CHATTERS: She's been through a rough life. She's got a fractured left forearm; this bone is definitely not the right shape. It's got a number of jogs to it. It's spiral-fractured. It's consistent with being forcibly twisted by another individual.
VERA TIESLER: And pulled.
JIM CHATTERS: Yeah, twisted and pulled, which is what often causes these in modern individuals. So, it's, sort of a, what we might refer to as an "abuse fracture."
NARRATOR: Naia's abuse fracture is no surprise to Jim. He has studied around two dozen of the oldest skeletons found in the Americas. Many of them bear the signs of interpersonal violence, like a 9,000-year-old skeleton called "Kennewick Man," with trauma, likely from fighting.
JIM CHATTERS: There are a lot of head injuries in the front of the head. We have individuals with spear wounds. Kennewick Man, for example, had a big spear point healed in his pelvis. So, we'll see a lot a lot of violence between the males, but we also see some of that violence transferred over to the females.
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02-16-2018 05:28 PM |
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