New Research Suggests Peru's Mysterious 'Band of Holes' May Have Been an Ancient Marketplace

"Researchers from the University of Sydney have uncovered new evidence that might solve one of South America's most enduring archaeological puzzles-the "Band of Holes," an almost one mile stretch of more than 5,000 circular depressions carved into the desert hills of Peru 's Pisco Valley. According to Science Daily, a study published on November 10 in Antiquity, suggests that the site, formally known as Monte Sierpe ("serpent mountain"), may have functioned as a large pre- Inca trading center that was later adapted by the Inca Empire into a sophisticated accounting system."

"Using high-resolution drone mapping and soil analysis, the study's lead author Jacob Bongers, a digital archaeologist at the University of Sydney, and his team identified geometric patterns in the holes that mirror the structure of knotted-string recording devices called khipus that the Inca used to track goods and tribute. Soil samples revealed traces of maize and reeds-materials used in food and weaving-indicating the holes once held plant products, perhaps in baskets."

""This is an extraordinary discovery that expands understandings about the origins and diversity of Indigenous accounting practices within and beyond the Andes," Bongers told Science Daily. "Fundamentally, I view these holes as a type of social technology that brought people together," he said. "Later, under the Inca, they may have become a large-scale accounting system.""

Monte Sierpe's Band of Holes comprises an almost one-mile stretch of over 5,000 circular depressions in Peru's Pisco Valley. High-resolution drone mapping revealed deliberate segmentation and symmetry across the site that is not visible from ground level. Geometric patterns in the holes parallel the structure of knotted-string recording devices called khipus used to track goods and tribute. Soil analysis detected traces of maize and reeds, suggesting the depressions once held plant products, possibly in baskets. The arrangement and residues indicate a large pre-Inca marketplace that the Inca later adapted into an accounting system at a regional crossroads.

Read at ARTnews.com