this post was submitted on 30 May 2025
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Archaeology

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Archaeology or archeology[a] is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes.

Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time.

The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. Read more...

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[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 3 points 5 days ago

I thought the work of Maria Reiche in linking the figures and runways with celestial constellations and the seasons was generally accepted as the most likely explanations for the glyphs.

[–] meyotch@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 days ago

The best theory I have ever heard, in terms of it being the most realistic scenario, is that the real reason was to keep a disciplined army busy between conflicts.

Under this idea, the occasional alignment to specific stars or celestial events is real, but not the real utility. The real utility is keeping a standing army ready during a period of empire building.

I always tend to favor historical hypotheses that use realpolitik.