Archaeology by Prau123 – Page 422 – Main Forum

Prau123 · 2020-04-23T00:56:31Z

Here's an update on some of the new discoveries in recent years in the Mesoamerican region. Tonina - Considered the new tallest structure in Mesoamerica. It's debatable since El Mirador is actually 172 meters tall. The largest structure is still Cholula. There are still several areas in the El Mirador Basin that needs to be excavated and measured. There are 61,000 plus sites that were scanned a few years ago and that was only a mere portion of the El Mirador Basin. 15 facts about the Maya Civilization 1. THEIR PYRAMIDS AND CITIES ARE STILL BEING DISCOVERED.It’s amazing to think that something as large as a pyramid could elude archaeologists today. But it was only a few years ago that a Maya pyramid more than 1000 years old was discovered at Toniná in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It had been hidden under what was believed to be a natural hill. In 2015, researchers said this newfound monument was actually Mexico’s tallest pyramid at 246 feet (75 meters) in height, surpassing the 213-foot Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. The ruins of two Maya cities concealed by thick vegetation were also recently discovered in Mexico’s state of Campeche. Tonina Picture They also found El Palmar and Angamuco a few years ago also. El Palmar - El Palmar is 40 to 70 times larger than previously acknowledged. It’s 40 times larger than we thought it was,” Garrison says. “This is now this huge city that would have been a rival to Tikal An early city called El Palmar seemed now to be 70 times larger than we had suspected, with raised fields for agriculture. An “isolated” royal palace had an extensive swath of settlement extending a kilometer or more. Angamuco - Angamuco had as many buildings as Manhattan city. A new laser-mapping technology, called lidar, has been used to confirm a truly mind-blowing ancient city buried in western Mexico. Called Angamuco, researchers say that it has about 40,000 buildings. This is around the same amount of building foundations as there are in Manhattan, New York. Whoa! El Mirador - Articles: Videos:

Андалузит — © Форпост Северо-Запад / Горный музей

This stone was considered sacred by members of the most mysterious medieval order - the Knights Templar. It comes as no surprise since the rock may change its colour in a matter of a few minutes.

Andalusite's name derives from Andalusia (Spanish: Andalucía), the southernmost part of Spain. Yet humanity had been aware of the mineral's existence long before it was unveiled officially. Back then it was more known as "cross-stone", which is, in fact, a non-transparent variety of andalusite.

The stone became most widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly among Templar Knights who used it to make rings and amulets. They believed the mineral was soaked with drops of Christ's blood and could protect those having it on them from battle injuries. The explanation is that the earlier mentioned variety, named chiastolite, commonly contains inclusions forming a cruciform pattern when shown in cross-section. The resulting image thereby heavily resembled the official symbol of the Templars.

The Order of Malta's representatives attributed magical features to andalusite, whereas alchemists were keen on its unusual outward appearance. There is a legend that Nostradamus, a worldwide known French seer, favoured the mineral, too. According to the legend, he had numerous jewel items with andalusite, including several rings, a pendant, and beads.

A notable characteristic of andalusite is the ability to change colour. Unlike alexandrite, which can do likewise, andalusite does not require a change in light to become of a different shade but a slope angle to be altered. Because of this peculiarity, the mineral was sometimes referred to as "poor man's alexandrite".

The mineral is widely spread across the world. However, there are few deposits of gem-quality andalusite. Stone samples vary in colour a lot: from warm shades of yellow and golden-yellow to grey and grey-brown. Colourless specimens are quite rare nonetheless. In jewellery, highly transparent samples are of more value.

Despite looking fancy, andalusite has more uses outside of the jewellery industry. It is commonly used as a refractory due to being able to withstand temperatures of up to 1850 degrees Celsius. Finally, the mineral is applied in the production of, for instance, spark plugs.