July 21st, 2013
Ancient monument adds spicy twist to Maya ‘Game of Thrones’ saga
Archaeologists say a 1,450-year-old stone monument discovered beneath a Maya temple in Guatemala bears hieroglyphs that hint at a multigenerational tale of power reminiscent of “A Game of Thrones.” “‘Game of Thrones’ … George Lucas … Steven Spielberg … Nobody could write this story the way the Maya actually lived it,” David Freidel, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told NBC News. (NBCNews.com)
Chimpanzees and orangutans remember distant past events
Chimpanzees and orangutans were able to remember past events when presented with sensory reminders, a new study shows. Both species found where a useful tool was hidden three years after performing a task only four times. They were also able to recall a unique event two weeks later. The team say their work, published in Current Biology, shows memory for past events is not unique to humans. Chimps and orangutans were presented with two boxes in different rooms, one of which had useful tools, the other useless ones. In order to get a reward they had to successfully retrieve the useful tools. (BBC News)
Archaeologists find remains of sacrificed woman in Peruvian ruins
Archaeologists from the Wiese Foundation, directed by Régulo Franco Jordán, who discovered the Lady of Cao, witnessed an unprecedented event. About one month ago, the group found the remains of a sacrificed woman in the upper platform of the ruins known as Cao while they were excavating the ceremonial floor. The ruins form part of the archaeological complex known as El Brujo, located in La Libertad. (Peru This Week)
Mysterious 2,000-year-old graves, pyramid ruins found in Mexico
Construction work in eastern Mexico exposed an ancient settlement, including 30 skeletons and the ruins of a pyramid, believed to be up to 2,000 years old, archaeology officials announced. At the site of the graves in the town of Jaltipan, southeast of Veracruz, archaeologists also found clay figurines, jade beads, mirrors and animal remains, according to the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH. (NBCNews.com)
