Preserved in Writing

A freelance writer with a passion for writing about life and the history of life.

[preservedinwriting]

8 Ways To Get Help With Childcare

For Families with Low Income or Financial Struggles

[preservedinwriting]

I Am Not Myself

(Poem)

[preservedinwriting]

Speak

(Poem)

[preservedinwriting]

Man’s Best Friend: The Domestication of Dogs

Dogs have often been referred to as “man’s best friend”, and like many best friends they have evolved alongside us. Many archaeologists believe that dogs were the first animal to be domesticated and some of the oldest definitive evidence that archaeologists found is a 14,200-year-old dog burial in Germany where the dog was found buried beside a man and a woman. The remains indicated that the dog had suffered several potentially lethal illnesses in its life, but it was taken care of well enough that it recovered every time. This indicates that Eurasian humans as far back as the Paleolithic period cared for their dogs and valued them enough to have them buried with their owners. Additionally, archaeologists have found genetic evidence indicating that dogs may have evolved from wolves around 27,000 – 40,000 years ago, which may suggest that dogs were domesticated around this period. However, experts have not yet been able to identify where dogs were first domesticated on the Eurasian continent.

The domestication of our furry friends was not limited to the Old World, however. Archaeological and genetic evidence indicates that dogs were brought to America around 15,000 years ago. As humans dispersed across the continent, their dogs followed them, adapting to new environments and breeding with American wolves. Some of the oldest evidence of domesticated dogs in America is a 10,000-year-old dog bone found in Alaska. American archaeologists have found dog burials all over the continent in states like Illinois and Arizona. Archaeologists have also found the remains of dogs among Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya as well as South American cultures. The Maya and Aztecs of ancient Mexico even bred a type of hairless healer which was named after their god of lightning and believed to guard the souls of the living and the dead. Although questions still remain about how and where dogs were first domesticated, it is clear that our canine friends have been our faithful companions since the earliest chapters of human history.

     More readings about the domestication of dogs:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2264329-humans-may-have-domesticated-dogs-by-accident-by-sharing-excess-meat/

https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/pdf/arch-sw-v22-no3.pdf

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-dna-reveals-oldest-domesticated-dog-americas-180977073/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/hairless-dog-mexico-xolo-xoloitzcuintli-Aztec

[preservedinwriting]

1,200-Year-Old Mummy of a Young Man Tied With Rope Discovered in Peru

Archaeologists in Peru working on a site in the outskirts of the capital Lima have unearthed a mummy believed to be between 800 and 1,200 years old – and, surprisingly, bound with rope.

Peruvian Burial Bindings

A recent discovery of a 1,200-year-old mummy has taken news outlets by storm in recent weeks. What many people have found particularly interesting about this mummy is that it was discovered in a fetal position with the hands covering the face and the body was bound in ropes.

Although the reports speculate that burial was a local funerary custom, the position of the body and the presence of the ropes have led many people to wonder if the individual was a victim of human sacrifice. Their suspicions are certainly founded, as it is widely known that a number of South American and Mesoamerican societies engaged in the practice of human sacrifice. A recent example of this was reported in August of 2019 when Peruvian archaeologists found a mass grave of 200 children that had been sacrificed over 500 years ago. Similarly, archaeologists have found other sacrifice victims, such as the Incan girl known as “Juanita”, that were wrapped in bindings after being killed and buried with valuable objects.  

However, what many people do not know is that the way this individual was buried is a funeral practice known as a “mummy bundle” or “fardos”, and that this was common among ancient Andean societies. In places like Peru, Andean societies commonly arranged the body into a fetal position and then wrapped them in ropes or textiles to form a “bundle”. In some cultures, individuals were wrapped in layers of textiles and ropes. The exact manner in which a person was wrapped appears to have varied among individual tribes, and the wealth and class of the individual may have had an influence (archaeologists have found elite mummies wrapped in very rich textiles). After the individual was fully wrapped, they were decorated with jewelry and buried with offerings such as food and valuables.

Experts believe that this process was meant as a way to preserve the spirit and power of the individual, who was thought to become a sort of “guardian ancestor” after death. The oldest mummies were said to be worshiped as holy relics that were turned to for guidance and support. Evidence of Peruvian mummification dates back to at least 7,000 years ago, which means ancient Andean societies were engaging in the practice 2,000 years before the Egyptians began to mummify their dead.

 More readings on Peruvian burial rituals:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/fascinating-afterlife-perus-mummies-180956319/

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&context=andean_past&httpsredir=1&referer=

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/peru/mummies/high2.html

http://www.tastescience.com/perumummy/culture1.html

[preservedinwriting]

Aztec Artifact in Elizabethan England

In October 2021, Cambridge University published an article about an obsidian mirror that has often been associated with Dr. John Dee, the court astrologer and advisor of Queen Elizabeth I of England:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/mirror-the-magus-and-more-reflections-on-john-dees-obsidian-mirror/38D4BFEA2CB9766973791029C2EE1289

 The focus of this article was that archaeologists conducted a geochemical analysis of the mirror, and this study revealed that the obsidian artifact originally came from the Aztec culture of Mesoamerica. Experts believe that the mirror was likely brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors, who destroyed the Aztec empire and took many of their cultural objects back to Europe to be sold. At this time John Dee, who was a Renaissance scholar that specialized in mathematics and served in the royal court, was becoming interested in occult topics such as astrology and communicating with spirits. Scholars believe this is what drew the English scholar to the obsidian mirror, and lore about the object states that he tried to use the object to summon spirits. What is unclear is how the mirror came to be in Dee’s possession, as relations between England and Spain were increasingly hostile during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

 What is interesting about this case (aside from the mystery of how an Aztec artifact came to be owned by an English Renaissance occult scholar), is that it demonstrates the continuity of history and how cultures interact with one another in various ways. This mirror survived the fall of the Aztec Empire (which killed thousands upon thousands of people) and travelled over hundreds of miles through colonialist trade routes to the court of one of the most famous English monarchs in history. In the Aztec culture, obsidian mirrors were constructed by specialized craftsman and utilized by their elite for practical and religious purposes. The Aztecs also mirrors believed that mirrors were doorways to other worlds. In an intriguing parallel, when the mirror came to England it was used by an elite scholar who was attempting to open his own ‘doorway’ so that he could communicate with spirits. Additionally, modern historians have noted that the increased European interest in ‘exotic’ objects and cultures during were the result of Renaissance scholars trying to understand the world through systematic exploration, both intellectually (through science) and geographically. As such, it can be argued that the history of John Dee’s mirror reflects both the best and worst aspects of cultural interactions between the Old World and the New World during the Renaissance era.  

 More readings on John Dee and the Aztecs:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/magic-mirror-used-by-queen-elizabeth-is-court-astrologer-has-aztec-origins-180978830/

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-magical-life-of-dr-dee-queen-elizabeth-i-s-royal-astrologer

[preservedinwriting]

When we think of hot chocolate, we often think of marshmallows and a warm, sweet drink on a cold winter’s night. What many people don’t know is that the history of hot chocolate goes back thousands of years, and that this drink was also the favorite of ancient civilizations on the American continent. Archaeologists have found evidence of hot chocolate consumption in Mesoamerican (modern-day Mexico) dating back to 500 BCE. However, more recent studies indicate that the cacao bean, which is used to make chocolate, may have been domesticated in South America as far back as 5,300 years ago. Cacao was an extremely popular delicacy among Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztec and Maya. It was so valuable, in fact, that the Aztec would demand chocolate from the tribes they conquered as tribute. Hot chocolate was not restricted to Mesoamerica either, as archaeologists have found evidence of cacao beans in the ancient southwest of the United States. At one site, Chaco Canyon, they’ve even found cacao residue on ceramic mugs which indicates that cacao was being consumed in liquid form. What is even more interesting about this is that the cacao beans had to have traveled over 1,000 miles from where they originated to reach Chaco Canyon.

Although this drink was highly valued on the American continent, hot chocolate did not immediately catch on when it was introduced to Europe in the 1500s. This is because it was entirely unsweetened at the time, so many Europeans considered it to be too bitter in its original form. Once they began adding sweeteners such as sugar and vanilla to the concoction, hot chocolate quickly became a favorite of the European elite. In 1828, the invention of the cacao press revolutionized the production of chocolate, making it easier and more affordable to make. For the first time, chocolate, in all its forms, became accessible to the lower classes of European society. In 1840, Swiss innovators Daniel Peter and Henri Nestle developed the first milk chocolate bar and a swift succession of industrial inventions helped develop modern chocolate (and hot chocolate) as we know it today. While the sweeter, European style of hot chocolate has become extremely popular, many people in Mexico, South America, and North America still enjoy the more bitter hot cacao that their ancestors consumed for thousands of years.

 More readings on the history of hot chocolate:

https://www.history.com/news/the-sweet-history-of-chocolate

https://www.cuisinenet.com/ingredients/a-very-brief-history-of-hot-chocolate/

https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/food-drink/the-surprisingly-manly-history-of-hot-cocoa/

[preservedinwriting]

Chaco Canyon, geographically located in the San Juan basin of northwest New Mexico, has evidence of occupation as far back as 900 BCE, though experts believe that people began coming to this area much earlier. Chaco Canyon reached its cultural apex from 850 CE – 1150 CE. During this time, the Ancestral Puebloan settlements in this region became some of the largest political, religious, and trade centers in the ancient Southwest. After 1250 CE, there was a steady decline in the influence and occupation of Chaco Canyon as people begin to migrate out of the area. Archaeologists believe the decline of Chaco Canyon may have been caused by a number of factors including severe droughts, lack of resources, and increasing warfare in the region. However, hundreds of years later Chaco Canyon would be occupied again as new cultures migrated into the region, such as the Navajo, Apache, and Ute tribes. As a result, many of the native tribes living in the Southwest today have cultural and religious ties to Chaco Canyon, including (but not limited to) the Navajo, Apache, Hopi, Zuni, Laguna, and Acoma.

 In addition to the region’s cultural ties to contemporary Native tribes, Chaco Canyon continues to be of significant interest to archaeologists and historians as well. Experts have been able to identify over 3,600 archaeological sites in the region, and the most well-preserved settlements contain the remains of expertly constructed multi-story buildings. One of the largest sites, Pueblo Bonito is roughly 3 acres in size and has somewhere between 600 – 800 rooms. Several sites in this region also include religious structures, known as kivas, and some locations have rock art that was oriented to mark astronomical events. The people of Chaco Canyon also built a vast network of roads that stretched over significant distances (some as far as 31 miles), which may have been used to facilitate trade, the transport of resources, and communication with other settlements in the region. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Ancestral Puebloans of Chaco Canyon were trading with people as far away as modern-day Mexico, over 1,800 miles away, and they were so influential on other villages in the region that the Chacoan architectural style was being used by other settlements in the Southwest. Today, Chaco Canyon is a National Historic Park that has also been designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 More readings about Chaco Canyon:

https://www.nps.gov/chcu/learn/upload/Chaco-Brief-History.pdf

https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/free-resources/fact-sheets/who-or-what-is-chaco/

https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/wp-content/uploads/Chaco-Roads.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/native-american-leaders-say-chaco-prayers-being-answered/2021/11/25/f0545624-4e09-11ec-a7b8-9ed28bf23929_story.html

[preservedinwriting]

The turkey is one of the most popular meals and icons of Thanksgiving, but did you know that it is also one of the few animals originally domesticated in America? Archaeologists have found evidence of domesticated turkeys on the American continent as far back as 2,000 years ago. Current evidence suggests that there were at least two separate instances in pre-contact America where wild breeds of turkey were independently domesticated. One of these occurrences took place in Mesoamerica, which is now modern-day Mexico. In this region, the Aztec and Maya civilizations used the birds both as a source of food and for ritual sacrifice to their deities. These Mesoamerican cultures also harvested the feathers and bones of turkeys to make ornaments and tools.

Archaeologists have also found evidence of domesticated turkeys in the American Southwest as far back as 2,000 years ago, but it is unclear whether these turkeys were domesticated in the Southwest or if they were brought there through extensive trade networks. What is clear is that domesticated turkeys were a utilized by several ancient cultures in the Southwest for food as well as for their feathers. Turkeys were so valuable in this region that they were artistically depicted on many Southwestern artifacts, such as decorated pottery, and archaeologists have even found the remains of an 800-year-old blanket made of over 11,000 turkey feathers!

When European immigrants began to settle in America, they found turkeys to be an abundant source of food that had adapted to the environments of 39 different states. Unfortunately, turkeys came to be in such demand that they were hunted almost to extinction. In the mid-20th century, the population was able to recover through conservation efforts and laws enacted at the time which are still in place today. Undoubtedly, the turkey has a long and interesting history as a bird native to America. As you sit down to your delicious Thanksgiving dinner, you may find that you agree with Benjamin Franklin when he described the turkey as “a much more respectable bird and…a true original Native of America”.

[preservedinwriting]

Before the bow and arrow, one of the first long distance weapons used by ancient people was the atlatl. The word “atlatl” (at-lat-ul) means spear-thrower¬ in the Nahuatl language of the Aztec people. As the name suggests, the atlatl was used to launch small, thin spears that are often referred to as “darts”. This was done by notching the dart onto the atlatl so that the back of the dart fits into the protruding lip on the back end of the atlatl. As seen with the atlatl depicted, some of them were designed with platforms on the front end which could be used to hold the dart. Then, the thrower would hold the dart in place using their fingers while drawing their arm back as if they are about to throw a ball. As they brought their arm forward, the thrower would release their grip on the dart and the atlatl, with the combined force of arm-strength, would sling the dart across long distances. Depending on the design of the atlatl and the strength of the thrower, the darts can reach up to 80 or 90 miles per hour and commonly travel 10 to 30 yards in one shot.

There is evidence of atlatls being used by ancient societies all over the world. The oldest evidence of atlatls so far has been found in Paleolithic European cave art (pictographs) that date back to 21,000 – 17,000 years ago. In the Americas, there is evidence of atlatls being used to hunt large animals as far back as 13,000 years ago. While many cultures replaced the atlatl with the bow and arrow in later periods, some societies continued to use the spear-thrower for centuries after the introduction of the bow. The Aztecs, who dominated much of central America from roughly 1300 CE to the arrival of the conquistadors, continued to expertly utilize the atlatl for both hunting and warfare for the entirety of their history. In Australia, the bow and arrow were not introduced to the continent until the arrival of Europeans in 1788. As such, indigenous Australian cultures continuously used the atlatl for at least 5,000 years, where they refer to them as “woomera”. Currently, the only continent where archaeologists have not found evidence of atlatls being used in the past is Africa.