A recent study published in Communications Sustainability suggests that the ancient Zenú people of Colombia constructed their extensive canal network, known as the Zenú hydraulic systems, through collective, bottom-up labor rather than top-down hierarchical organization. Researchers analyzed a 1,200-acre sample of the 2,000-square-mile network, estimating that with a workforce of approximately 800 people, the largest structures could have been built in a matter of hours, and the entire system could have been maintained with minimal annual effort. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that large-scale engineering projects necessitate centralized leadership and instead supports a growing body of archaeological evidence indicating cooperative community efforts in ancient societies. AI
RANK_REASON Study published in a scientific journal presenting new findings on ancient societies. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.0]
- Colombia
- Communications Sustainability
- Jasmine Vieri
- La Mojana
- McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research
- University of Cambridge
- Zenú
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