Dolmen Cairn Höyük
Hellenistic (323–31 BCE)·Hellenistic·🇵🇪 Ancash, Peru
About
About Dolmen Cairn Höyük
Dolmen Cairn Höyük in Ancash, Peru is a Hellenistic (323–31 BCE) tell attributed to Hellenistic culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and test trenching, it presents a fortified nucleus with ancillary settlement. Construction employs mudbrick on stone socle and demonstrates craft specialization. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Hellenistic tell with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Cause of abandonment and collapse
- 02Construction labor organization and logistics
Theories
- 01Centralized storage and redistribution (Cunliffe)
- 02Ritual landscape and ancestral veneration
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 114 BCE
- Period
- Hellenistic (323–31 BCE)
- Culture
- Hellenistic
- Purpose
- Defensive and administrative
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 114 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 570 BCE
Secondary construction phase
c. 259 CE
Abandonment and gradual burial
1971
Archaeological identification via aerial survey
On the ground
Structures & features
9.4640° S · 76.5586° W · 1953 m · 3 mapped features
Principal Monument
gatewayOutlier feature with petroglyphs
9.4651° S · 76.5607° WStela Alignment
structureOutlier feature with petroglyphs
9.4652° S · 76.5576° WPrincipal Monument 3
gatewayBurial zone — shaft tombs
9.4659° S · 76.5607° W