Tiwanaku

Located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in modern-day Bolivia, Tiwanaku was believed by the Incas to be the birthplace of mankind. The city was actually built by a civilization that predates the Incas, but who mysteriously abandoned Tiwanaku about five hundred years before their later neighbors arrived. The origins of Tiwanaku have long been a subject of speculation and wild theories.

The city was built sometime between 300 and 500 AD and abandoned between 950 and 1100 AD. The Inca didn't arrive at Tiwanaku until much later, in the 1400s. When they got there, they found huge rock constructions like the ones in the picture above. (Can you see the little stone faces peering out of the rock?) Instead of admitting that an older civilization than theirs existed, the Inca declared that Tiwanaku had been built by gods and was the place where men had been created. The Incas built their own structures beside the older ones, and today Tiwanaku is a combination of the old and the new. While archaeologists are unsure of the exact functions of each building at Tiwanaku, they are fairly certain it was used as a religious center by the Incas; what its original purpose was is not clear.

Many people have put forward some very odd theories about where Tiwanaku came from: a crash-landing moon, people from Atlantis, or even aliens! Rest assured - Tiwanaku is certainly man-made.

For more on Tiwanaku, visit:

http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Americas/tiwanaku/index.shtml (the official Tiwanaku Project Site)

Palaikastro

Our first Site Of The Day also happens to be California Jones' first excavation site! Palaikastro is a common name throughout Greece, meaning "Old Fortress" or "Old Castle", but this particular Palaikastro is located on the northeastern coast of the island of Crete. It is near the modern town of Angathya, and close to the larger site called Kato Zakros.

Palaikastro was a town inhabited in the Bronze Age period, from 2900 BC to 1300 BC. This means that the inhabitants of Palaikastro were part of the Minoan culture, a society that had its "capital" in the city of Knossos, also on Crete. Like many other sites on Crete, Palaikastro is home to a "palace", or wealthy residence for upper-class occupants. It is also home to a number of town-houses for people of lesser wealth in the community.

On Kastri, the large flat cliff behind Palaikastro (in the background of the photo above), there was probably a sanctuary to the Young God, an early Greek deity. Later Greek myths say that Zeus was born on Crete and raised in a secret island caves by nymphs, so there is a strong connection between the Young God and the later, more maturely portrayed Zeus. 

The most famous object to come out of Palaikastro is the Palaikastro Kouros (left), a carved ivory figure of a young man who may represent the Young God. (It is now mostly black, as it was badly burnt by a fire long ago.) The young man is extremely thin and graceful, with the narrow waist and long limbs that are typical in Minoan art. The pegs on his feet would have been used to attach him to a base, thus allowing him to stand upright. The Kouros was uncovered by Dr Hugh Sackett and his team in the '80s and is now the star attraction of the nearby Sitea Museum.

For more info on Palakaiastro, visit:

http://www.palaikastro.com

http://www.uk.digiserve.com/mentor/minoan/palaikastro.htm

For more about the Young God, visit:

http://projectsx.dartmouth.edu/history/bronze_age/lessons/les/15.html(scroll down to "Minoan Religion")

Welcome!

Welcome to Travels With Trowels! 

TWT is a blog which showcases a new archaeological site each day, meant primarily for junior high and high school students, but hopefully informative to budding archaeologists of all ages.

Your host is California Jones, world traveler, excavator and researcher. Please feel free to email her at travelswithtrowels@gmail.com