{"id":37376,"date":"2023-05-28T17:55:20","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T17:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history"},"modified":"2023-05-28T19:07:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-28T19:07:49","slug":"game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Game Changer\u2019 \u2014 Huge Network of Ancient Mayan Cities and Highways Could Rewrite History"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>A small but vocal group of indigenous researchers have long challenged the notion that Mayans were a relatively recent civilization. A new study shows they were right all along.<\/p>\n

Scientists have discovered a sprawling network of 417 cities in present-day Guatemala dating back to around 1,000 B.C. which are linked by almost 110 miles of \u201csuperhighways\u201d that are being described as \u201cthe first freeway system in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to researchers, the evidence for a highly-developed civilization with a complex economic, social, and political system was uncovered with \u2018lidar\u2019 technology \u2014 a relatively new kind of radar used to pierce through the jungle\u2019s thick tree canopy and any undergrowth below.Richard Hansen, the lead author of the study, said that prior to the groundbreaking discovery, most scientists believed that only inhabitants in the area would have been \u201croving bands of nomads, planting corn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now know that the Preclassic period was one of extraordinary complexity and architectural sophistication, with some of the largest buildings in world history being constructed during this time,\u201d says Hansen, who also heads a Maya-focused nonprofit called the Foundation for Anthropological Research and Environmental Studies.<\/p>\n

In terms of correcting the view of American history preferred by the establishment, the findings are a \u201cgame changer,\u201d Hansen said, adding that they\u2019ve unveiled \u201ca whole volume of human history that we\u2019ve never known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artifacts from the era in question were likely to have been buried by later Maya construction and subsequently blanketed by Hubble growth, researchers say.In addition, the area\u2019s \u201cmonumental architecture, consistent architectural formats, specific site boundaries, water management\/collection facilities, and 177 km of elevated Preclassic causeways\u201d indicate the Mayans had \u201clabor investments that defy organizational capabilities of lesser polities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quantity and distribution of the settlements and continuities in architecture among them \u201cprovide evidence for early centralized administrative and socio-economic strategies within a defined geographical region,\u201d researchers say.<\/p>\n

A co-author on the paper, San Carlos University archaeologist Enrique Herna\u0301ndez, reportedly said the discovery could rival the pyramids in Egypt as a psychical symbol showcasing ancient humanity\u2019s development \u2014 and might one day draw as many tourists.<\/p>\n

Of particular significance were \u201cimages of Balamnal, one of the Preclassic civilization\u2019s crucial hubs, [which] were revealed for the first time,\u201d one US outlet explained.<\/p>\n

According to lead author Hansen, previous excavations around Balamnal in 2009 \u201cfailed to recognize the incredible sophistication and size of the city, all of which was immediately evident with lidar technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lidar indicates the site is among the largest in the region, and the roads \u201cradiating to other smaller sites suggest its administrative, economic and political importance in the Preclassic periods,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A small but vocal group of indigenous researchers have long challenged the notion that Mayans were a relatively recent civilization. A new study shows they were right all along. Scientists have discovered a sprawling network of 417 cities in present-day Guatemala dating back to around 1,000 B.C. which are linked by almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":37375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[234,265,233],"class_list":["post-37376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-miscellaneous","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-sudan","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Game Changer\u2019 \u2014 Huge Network of Ancient Mayan Cities and Highways Could Rewrite History - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A small but vocal group of indigenous researchers have long challenged the notion that Mayans were a relatively recent c ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Game Changer\u2019 \u2014 Huge Network of Ancient Mayan Cities and Highways Could Rewrite History\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A small but vocal group of indigenous researchers have long challenged the notion that Mayans were a relatively recent c ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-28T17:55:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-28T19:07:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2023\/05\/sm_1685287889.891696.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Game Changer\u2019 \u2014 Huge Network of Ancient Mayan Cities and Highways Could Rewrite History\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-28T17:55:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-28T19:07:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\"},\"wordCount\":465,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2023\/05\/sm_1685287889.891696.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-South-Sudan\",\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"miscellaneous\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/game-changer-huge-network-of-ancient-mayan-cities-and-highways-could-rewrite-history\",\"name\":\"\u2018Game Changer\u2019 \u2014 Huge Network of Ancient Mayan Cities and Highways Could Rewrite History - 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