Chankillo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chankillo Chanquillo |
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  Coordinates:9°33′24″S 78°14′09″W / 9.55667°S 78.23583°W |
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| Culture | |
| Period | 300 BC |
| Country Region |
 PeruAncash |
| Area | |
| Area Elevation |
4 km² 300 m |
| Official website | |
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Chankillo is an ancient monumental complex in the Peruvian coastal desert, found in the Casma-Sechin Oasis in the Ancash Department of Peru. The ruins include the hilltop Chankillo fort, the nearby Thirteen Towers solar observatory, and residential and gathering areas. The Thirteen Towers are believed to have been a solar observatory built in the 4th century BC.[1]
The site covers about four square kilometres (1.5 square miles) and is believed to be a fortified temple that was occupied in the 4th Century BC. [2].
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[edit] The Thirteen Towers solar observatory
The Thirteen Towers of Chankillo course north to south along a ridge of a low hill and are regularly spaced, forming a "toothed" horizon with narrow gaps at regular intervals. To the east and west investigators found two observation points. From these vantages, the 300m long spread of the towers along the horizon corresponds very closely to the rising and setting positions of the Sun over the year.[1] This infers that some activities of the ancient civilization may have been regulated by a solar calendar.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Ghezzi, Ivan (2006). "Religious Warfare at Chankillo". in William Harris Isbell and Helaine Silverman (eds.). Andean Archaeology III: North and South. New York: Springer. pp. 67-84. doi:. ISBN 978-0-387-28939-7. OCLC 71272735.
- Ghezzi, Ivan; and Clive Ruggles (2 March 2007). "Chankillo: A 2300-Year-Old Solar Observatory in Coastal Peru". Science (Washington, DC: AAAS) 315 (5816): pp. 1239–1243. doi:. ISSN 0036-8075. OCLC 110607624.
Coordinates: 9°33′24″S 78°14′09″W / 9.55667°S 78.23583°W
[edit] External links
- Towers point to ancient Sun cult, BBC
- Early Monumental Architecture on the Peruvian Coast
- Yale University article: Peruvian Citadel is Site of Earliest Ancient Solar Observatory in the Americas and slide show
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