Which ancient civilization was best for the common man?

Perhaps the greatest ancient civilisation that time forgot, three thousand years before Rome, this remarkable civilisation exploded onto the scene and immediately began building gigantic Pyramids, a thousand years before ancient Egypt.

The Caral Civilisation, 3,500BC – 1,700BC.

This incredible long-forgotten civilisation built more than 30 major population centres over a remarkable two millennia of unbroken stability and prosperity, which in turn enabled the independent development of engineering, architectural and agricultural principles that remained unrivalled in the Americas for thousands of years.

This is the archaeological site of Vichama, 3,000BC, discovered in 2007, 15 miles from the main population centre of the Caral civilisation.

This massive port city being unearthed from beneath a seemingly inconspicuous hill is turning out to be something rather special, the maritime centre of the first civilisation in the Americas. The hustle and bustle of this once glorious city must have been something spectacular, the primary port that served an unrivalled civilisation that would last almost two thousand years.

The Sacred City of Caral, Peru, the largest population centre of the Caral civilisation.

The Caral Civilisation were building massive cities and raising incredible pyramids 3,000-years before the Greek city-state of Sparta sent 300 men to battle the Persians, not long later Athens built a wall the Spartans didn’t approve of, so Sparta got angry and pulled it down after the Peloponnesian war.

The Caral civilisation, making old stuff look bad.

The sheer scale of this spectacular UNESCO world heritage site is liable to spontaneously cause your jaw muscles to go limp when you comprehend its magnitude, resulting in a silly facial expression, because make no mistake, you're looking at the cradle of civilisation in the Americas.

It should be noted that this isn't even the oldest city built by this extraordinary civilisation, nope, that would be the city of Huaricanga, which was already thriving by 3,500BC.

However, there are literally dozens of other cities built by the Caral, aka Norte Chico Civilisation, many still remain buried and unexplored to this day, while others are difficult to miss, there's one particularly impressive city with 3 pyramids that was built on the side of a fracking mountain.

Seriously, who builds structures on this scale on the side of a mountain, bloody show-offs

Everyone not living the life of an ignorant hermit inhabiting a destitute hovel devoid of internet access, or perchance in a dimly lit burrow under a rock throwing stones at passers-by, has heard of Machu Picchu and the mighty Inca Empire — But somehow, we’re all forgiven for not knowing the first thing about the ancient city of Caral or the truly remarkable civilisation that built it.

Sure, Caral looks to have been built in a place so arid it makes your mouth dry just thinking about it, but trust me, the ancient people who raised this sprawling metropolis knew exactly what they were doing. They intentionally established their impressive cities in arid areas, making the best use of the fertile ground for agriculture, choosing wide valleys nestled between the towering Andes mountains that guarded their cities against the elements and the Pacific Ocean that enabled these wonderful people to fish on a prodigious scale and trade all along the Pacific coast of South America, which in turn spread their unequalled advances throughout the region — the ancient people that raised the city of Caral are the origin of civilisation in the Americas.

What’s more, we're now beginning to realise that these mysterious ancient people appear to have quite literally channelled and changed the course of the very mountain rivers around them and made canals fed by spring water, that all together created the fertile land they farmed, the effects of this monumental feat of irrigation continue to be plain to see, to this very day.

For almost two thousand years this forgotten civilisation flourished, the heart of their sophisticated culture was a city built beside the sea, that had created an Oasis that teamed with life and sustained a people who unbeknownst to themselves, birthed civilisation on their continent.

What is perhaps most incredible about these forgotten people, is the fact the Caral Civilisation appear to have been entirely peaceful, no evidence of warfare has ever been found at any site, no weapons, no mutilated bodies, nothing. This was an ancient people who using nothing but their prodigious intellect and outstanding problem-solving ability, organised large-scale cooperation on a social level to change the very landscape around them, to shape it into a staggeringly fertile oasis that produced a tremendous food surplus that lasted for over a thousand years.

The Andes would see many cultures and civilisations rise and fall, but all of them including the mighty Inca Empire that came 5,000 years later, show evidence of a continuation of the technologies - engineering, irrigation and agriculture, that were first introduced to South America by this remarkable people, so very long ago.

They built enormous open-air amphitheatres with ample seating for large portions of the city’s population, meeting places where people would have gathered to listen to the music of beautiful flutes made from bone, that have been found across the extensive urban areas.

The Caral Civilisation built more than just one spectacular city, they built a great many, some of which have yet to be fully investigated because the sheer scale of this civilisation and the length of time that it thrived is so staggering, we’re only just beginning to appreciate it.

The people of Caral were never conquered or wiped out, instead, for almost two thousand years these industrious ancient people spread their culture, their language and their civilisation far and wide across the Pacific coast of South America, building population centres that over time broke away and became unique cultures and societies in their own right.

The phenomenal Caral civilisation was a victim of its own incredible success and longevity, the mother civilisation of the Americas, the peaceful society that civilised a continent and founded cities that eventually grew to peacefully replace it — which if you ask me, is a mighty fine legacy.

 Featured In  Archaeology Unearthed

Posted by Colleen Anne Coyle

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