War has long been thought to have been the primary creative force in civilization. Recent research at the archaeological site of Caral in Peru challenge this theory. A little over 6,000 years ago, in several places on the planet, man left forests and savannahs to build grandiose cities and monuments, and live together in organized societies. Since then, we have constantly wondered about the mysterious forces that pushed humanity from the stage of nomadism to sedentary life, opening the way to civilization .
The rise of mother cities at the end of prehistory
During prehistory, man's main concern was summed up in one word:to survive. Organized in small family clans and in search of hospitable lands, he wandered the earth according to climatic and geological changes. Then one fine day, the man put down his backpack, clans gathered and decided to live together. Over a very short period in terms of the history of humanity, centers of civilization emerged abruptly from this transition.
Whether in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, Central America or Peru, "mother cities" suddenly rise from the ground by the will of these groups of men. We begin to build monumental constructions, we work metals, we invent ceramics, mathematics, calendar systems and writing. If we exclude divine or extra-terrestrial intervention, this proliferation at the origin of civilization has three explanations today:the discovery and mastery of irrigation, the development of trade and ... war.
War. Society and civilization are said to have been born out of fear and the need to come together to protect themselves. The theme of war is so present in art, writing and architecture from the beginnings of these civilizations that we ended up resigning ourselves to deducing that from war flowed everything else, that from war was born and civilization developed. Until the discovery of Caral.
The discovery of Caral
Supe Valley, north of Lima, Peru. In a desert valley, archaeologists discovered in the 1940s a pre-Columbian city made up of an impressive pyramidal ensemble. Since the end of the 1990s, work carried out by archaeologist Ruth Strady, among others, has made it possible to date the contours of this civilization to 3000 to 1800 BC. It would be the oldest Amerindian civilization, contemporary with the pyramids of Egypt and an exceptional and unique example, because intact, of "mother city" or center of civilization.
And the research carried out on the spot in recent years shows quite surprising results. Caral constitutes a sophisticated urban and architectural complex, made up of several pyramids, a monumental central building, a temple and even an amphitheater, witnesses of a complex social, political and religious organization. What surprised the archaeologists is that there is no trace of war or conflict on the spot and around. No fortifications, no walls, no weapons, not the slightest remnant of any battle scene. Over a period that covers more than a thousand years of history, this is puzzling!
No war. So why and how was this civilization born and prospered in this a priori inhospitable region? First of all, the site was not chosen at random by its future inhabitants. All the rivers of the region converge there, facilitating the development of irrigation and therefore of subsistence agriculture. From this desert was born a luxuriant and fertile oasis where fruits, vegetables and ...cotton were grown.
The excavations carried out on the spot revealed a massive cultivation of cotton, with which clothing and fishing nets were made. These nets were exchanged with the fishermen of the neighboring coast for fish, and the increase in the quantities of fish caught using these nets led to an increase in food resources, in turn generating an increase in the population. This embryo of trade seems to have been the trigger for the prosperity of Caral. Thereafter, an intense commercial activity developed with the other surrounding populations (up to 300 km around), Caral bartering its textile against objects, food, raw materials and even substances more or less lawful.
A peaceful civilization?
Car Caral seemed to practice a rather zen way of life. Although neither ceramics nor forms of artistic expression were found on site, numerous musical instruments were discovered on the site, in particular flutes carved from bones, the intense local windy activity having to serve as a inspiration to artists. Moreover, it would seem that our peaceful "Caralians" consumed aphrodisiacs, even drugs, and not only for religious ceremonies. A civilization of cool pyramid builders who lived in peace for more than a thousand years!
Let's be honest, the research has only just begun and we still know very little about Caral to draw conclusions too hastily. Nevertheless, the first elements discovered make this civilization an exciting and exhilarating primary focus of civilization, a civilization that was born and prospered without war, thanks to trade and exchanges. By its singularity, Caral cannot leave indifferent. UNESCO has understood this well, by classifying this site as a world heritage site.
It would seem that it is the elements and not another group of men thirsty for blood and any wealth that are at the origin of the end of this civilization. Repeated earthquakes and an El Nino-type weather phenomenon would have overcome Caral, destroying its irrigation system and agricultural activity. To meditate. And let's not doubt that Caral will be talked about a lot in the years to come.
To go further
- Sacred city of Caral-Supe on the Unesco site