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Humans

The archaeologists recreating the secrets of prehistoric technology

It has long been unclear how ancient people built a city of wood in the New Mexico desert far from any forests. By trying prehistoric building techniques themselves, archaeologists are working it out

By Michael Marshall

14 March 2023

HHXJTH Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

How did ancient people get huge logs into the desert to structures in Chaco Canyon?

Alamy Stock Photo

The following is an extract from Our Human Story, a newsletter about human evolution. Sign up to receive it for free in your inbox every month.

One of the fascinations of archaeology is the question of how people managed to build huge structures without modern technology. How did the builders of Stonehenge lug those stones all the way from Wales to Salisbury Plain, and how did they lift them up? How did the inhabitants of Rapa …

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