Version 1
: Received: 23 February 2024 / Approved: 18 March 2024 / Online: 18 March 2024 (12:36:56 CET)
How to cite:
Sagripanti, J.; Wise, D.; Yoon, E.; Kleihege, C. Technology In Ancient Peru. I Advanced Aerodynamic Knowledge in an Archaic Firing Structure on Top of the Main Pyramid of Caral. Preprints2024, 2024031046. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1046.v1
Sagripanti, J.; Wise, D.; Yoon, E.; Kleihege, C. Technology In Ancient Peru. I Advanced Aerodynamic Knowledge in an Archaic Firing Structure on Top of the Main Pyramid of Caral. Preprints 2024, 2024031046. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1046.v1
Sagripanti, J.; Wise, D.; Yoon, E.; Kleihege, C. Technology In Ancient Peru. I Advanced Aerodynamic Knowledge in an Archaic Firing Structure on Top of the Main Pyramid of Caral. Preprints2024, 2024031046. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1046.v1
APA Style
Sagripanti, J., Wise, D., Yoon, E., & Kleihege, C. (2024). Technology In Ancient Peru. I Advanced Aerodynamic Knowledge in an Archaic Firing Structure on Top of the Main Pyramid of Caral. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1046.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Sagripanti, J., Elias Yoon and Christopher Kleihege. 2024 "Technology In Ancient Peru. I Advanced Aerodynamic Knowledge in an Archaic Firing Structure on Top of the Main Pyramid of Caral" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.1046.v1
Abstract
Abstract: We present a technological analysis of the architectonic complex associated with a firing structure (locally named fogón) on top of the Pirámide Mayor, the largest pyramid in Caral. This Archaic Period society flourished between ca 2,700 and 2,000 cal B.C. and was located near the Pacific Ocean on the north-central coast of present-day Peru. All approaches employed in this study demonstrated that the corridor with antechamber and duct on top of Pirámide Mayor of Caral was a sophisticated ventilation system capable of providing between 3,000 and 18,000 liters of air per minute for combustion in the attached fogón. The analysis indicates that ventilating the fogón must have been a major consideration in deciding a) the construction of the pyramid, b) locating the structure at the edge of a natural alluvial terrace, and c) orientating the pyramid towards the then contemporary prevailing winds. Results from the analysis of this fogón support practical decisions made by the builders and challenge the assumption that religion or politics were the only considerations in American pyramid building. It also indicates that a complex device, capable to delivering the considerable airflows reported in this study was within the reach of an archaic society in ancient Peru. The application of this structure to the production of a remarkably high thermal output and its implications on the knowledge of ancient Americans will be discussed in a following companion article.
Keywords
Caral; archaic technology; ancient Peru; furnace; ancient combustion; American pyramid
Subject
Arts and Humanities, Archaeology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
