Chinese archaeologists begin first excavations of ancient Peruvian Caral civilisation sites

Chinese archaeologists will travel to Peru to conduct their country's first field excavations in South America, filling what Beijing's Institute of Archaeology describes as a blank in its regional archaeological work.

The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has signed a cooperation agreement with Peru's Caral Archaeological Zone and the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of San Marcos to explore sites linked to the Caral civilisation. The collaboration will encompass training, field surveys, joint excavations and cultural heritage preservation projects.

Expanding cultural presence

The partnership forms part of a wider effort by Beijing to expand cultural ties with South America. The Caral people, often described as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, flourished from approximately 3000BC to 1800BC along the coast of present-day Peru.

Field surveys will begin at key Caral sites, including major population centres such as Caral and Aspero, to develop excavation plans. The partnership will later broaden to examine sites from the much later Inca period in the Andean highlands, supporting studies that compare ancient Chinese and South American civilisations.

The Caral civilisation dates back roughly 5,000 years, making the sites among the most significant in the Western Hemisphere for understanding early complex societies.

Source: South China Morning Post