100K Q&A: Better Late Than Never

[@MajoraZ]

Some additional thoughts: Question 6: Tlaxcala was probably not unique: MOST Nahua/Aztec city-states seem to exist on a spectrum of being more autocratic to more democratic: Even in Tenochtitlan, you have chronicles that have rulers consulting the public for their opinion or deferring to public sentiment (though this was likely nominal), and the title of king/tlatoani was technically up to a council of 4 officials (there's also a larger council of nobles though the specifics of this it/both worked varies from source to source) even if in practice it was always from the same royal line. Tlaxcala's senate may have been a homogeneous institution to the councils in Tenochtitlan that simply developed to wield more political power then a singular ruler, and some sources likewise state Tlaxcala had Tlatoani as well in addition to it's senate, and they merely just had less power (though there's some debate here, some argue this is a misinterrpetation and Tlaxcala only had a ruling senate). Smith's excavations at Cuexcomate and Yautepec etc show that at those sites, commoners had access to polychrome ceramics and bronze tools and chocolate drinks, which were traditionally thought to be limited to the elite (this may be because Tenochtitlan was just more classist: But again, even Tenochtitlan shows some vestigial signs of more egalitarian aspects). Moving away from the Aztec; Teotihuacan is famously thought to maybe be democratic and had basically all of it's denizens living in palaces and the city lacks depictions of rulers or royal tombs. There's also been some recent studies establishing Monte Alban had a more egalitarian social and maybe pollitical system earlier in it's history but still/after when it was a major political center. I think I came across some other papers about more egalitarian Mesoamerican cities, but I forget the specifics... the bottom line is that i'm of the opinion that there was signficant variation in political situations at different Mesoamerican cities, though certainly having rulers and nobles was the most common and even the states which deviated from that probably/usually didn't entirely abandon those things. Question 7: not gonna get into this too in depth, but in Tenochtitlan, nobles could own private land/residences, while commoners could not (unless granted land for military service alongside a title of honorary noble), with the land/homes commoners lived on/in and managed as farms being held communally by capulli, a sort of barrio/neighborhood unit. Each capulli had an elected leader who also acted as a judge for the local courts, a police force, etc. A given family was allowed to live on a given tract of land in exchange for working and managing it, but if it wasn't properly taken care of it could be taken away.. Question 8: There's actually a piece of Mesoamerican obsidian found at Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma. That's not to say you had Mesoamerican merchants traveling that far directly (as they were to the US Southwest), but the obsidian got there likely through intermedaries (IE: A traded to B, B to C, and so on) Question 9: There's a LOT I could talk about here, but just to clarify/correct: It's important to not over-emphasize captive taking/the ritualistic nature of warfare here. I'm moreso speaking about the Aztec here since i'm less familar with Maya (or Mixtec, Zapotec etc) warfare, but while the Aztec absolutely took captives during battles and it was an important part of achieving status and higher titles and offices within the military rank structure for soldiers; it was not as if they were going out of their way to "avoid" killing enemies combatants either in most contexts: There's a distinction between normal wars and flower wars (which themselves had pragmatic utility and were not purely ritualistic) here, and these were big, organized armies that had tactical objectives and training, experience, etc to do it. There were obviously some ritual aspects, but it's not as if that/superstition defined all of warfare (or society in general). I suspect (AFAIK Maya captive taking more revolved around enemy nobles rulers?) the Bonampak murals show mostly captive taking not because the Maya armies were going out of their way to only/moreso capture enemies then kill them (especially considering there's a good amount of evidence for total warfare and razing of cities for the Maya), and rather because the act of captive taking was seen as prestigious and a greater feat of dominance and skill then merely killing somebody in combat, which is sort of the situation in Aztec warfare (In fact, at different points in time, there were decrees establishing that capturing a soldier from X or Y city-state would be "worth" more or less based on how militarstically capable that city was seen as). In general, holding a captured soldier or figure by the hair is itself a symbol/pictograph representing the conquest of a given place in Aztec codices, even outside of Mesoamerica AFAIK it's pretty normal to have a similar dynamic in art or monuments showing military victories. Question 10: There's actually some proposed decipherements of Epi-Olmec/Isthmian inscriptions (such as La Mojarra Stela 1), which I found out in a conference last week, but it's somewhat contentious. Also, it should be noted here that Nahuatl/Aztec script is mostly pictographic like Mixtec. There's MORE language based elements to Aztec codices and glyphs, and allegedly you can use it like a full true writing system, but in practice it was never fully used like that and most of the language based elements amount to rebuses and some language based puns. Mixtec is also "deciphered" in that much of the iconography and meaning behind the pictographs are understood, though admittedly I'm not super familar with the content of the Mixtec group codices so maybe there's a lot more of it that's debated then say the Borgia group ones? Question 11: The main argument I've seen for why the more "developed" true writing system of the Maya didn't spread to other parts of Mesoamerica (beyond just the geographic origin of Central/Western Mesoamerica having developed more logogram/pictographic scripts vs the Maya area having more language based ones) is that firstly, the Yucatan Peninsula had less diverse linguistic landscape: Maya is, of course, it's own giant language family, but at least as I understand it, a Maya noble from the northern Yucatec area could still read the inscriptions on a site as far away as Copan down in Honduras because it still used the Maya script and all the Maya languages tied into that script. But in Central or Western Mexico, there's a lot more less mutually intelligible languages in close proximity to one another, so if you're a kingdom or an empire, a lot of the towns or cities you conquered or interact with wouldn't easily be able to adopt the script you're trying to use if it's fully language based like the Maya script, wheras pictographs or a more logogram based system (The Maya script had logograms too, but it also had a complete syllabrary, in general it's best to think of all mesoamerican scripts as more in a specturm of being more language or more picture based) doesn't require fluency in another spoken language to read. Furthermore, Maya were very big on public facing monuments with inscriptions on them, partially as a result of this more unified linguistic situation: Assuming somebody could read, they'd be able to read these big stela with writing about the kings and nobles in power and their exploits, as well as the ties rulers had to gods that legitimized their rule, and there was also a higher emphasis of public display by kings in ceremonies. This was not as much of a thing in Central Mexico, Oaxaca, etc There's some stuff I wanted to say about question 4 and 5 as well, but i'm less familar with the points at play and don't wanna mislead people so I didn't mention it. Something we can talk about over email though!

[@AncientAmericas]

I always love your comments! You never fail to bring a lot of information and insight. I was completely unaware of the work at Cuexcomate and Yautepec and now I want to know more. I am familiar with Kaufman's proposed decipherment of Isthmian but from what I've read it's not accepted by other scholars. If there are more recent proposals, I'm not aware. Honestly, I'd be surprised if anyone deciphered it because there's only a handfull of examples. Also love your input on questions 9 and 11. I think for next year's Q&A should just be Q&A with MajoraZ!

[@xsloshua9188]

I am one of those silent majority people you mentioned. I’ve watched all your videos and absolutely love your content. You got me really interested in native history and now it’s one of my favorite topics. I went to the field museum in chicago recently and visited the indigenous American exhibit and felt like a scholar cause I already knew everything in there 😂

[@AncientAmericas]

It's a nice feeling.

[@strongjohn10956]

One last thought - thank you very for putting these videos together. As a now retired professional archaeologist, I appreciate your interest and your ability to make rather complex material understandable to a general audience. We archaeologists have been pretty terrible at this! I have also learned something I did not know from each episode!

[@bumbleguppy]

It's almost like great science needs a translator class of folks for us ordinary layman full-time. Would that be a secular priest then? I know that my curiosity is greater than my cognitive ability almost all the time lol

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Coming from a professional, that compliment means a lot!

[@PRDreams]

I wanted to be an archeologist - and a mom - when I was young. I was told by a teacher that I had to pick one or the other because "You simply can't do both. How can you travel the world doing important work and raise children?!" She felt really strongly about it, so I believed her. I am a mom, very happily so; these documentaries/ podcasts on archeology keep my other dream satisfied as well. I'm thankful for it everyday. Funny thing? I've being a homeschooling mom for the good part of two decades. I could have made it work. What a regret to have, huh?

[@AncientAmericas]

@@PRDreams on the bright side, your kids have a mom who's pretty rad. They are very lucky kids.

[@strongjohn10956]

@@PRDreams I'm sorry to hear that - too often well-intentioned people who, well, frankly, do not know much about the subject, give poor advice to young people and dissuade them from interests/careers that, while challenging, are not as impossible as advisors believe. I was fortunate enough to stumble into archaeological fieldwork while in high school and found part time/seasonal work that paid about 3x minimum wage, so the "how are you going to make a living doing that" conversation with my parents was avoided. Over the course of a 40+ year career, I moved around the US a lot following jobs, but I never worked overseas or more than a couple hours from home.

[@theodoresmith5272]

Love this channel. I've spent a lifetime going to native American sites. I love the no drama format.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@AncientPottery]

Great video. Gourds and potatoes are two of my favorite often overlooked topics that show a prehistoric connection between the Americas and the Old World.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! The bottle gourd inparticular is a very well traveled plant.

[@AncientPottery]

@@AncientAmericas yes and was here quite early.

[@alaskansummertime]

One thing about the Sweet Potatoes. I lived in Hawaii. Pretty much everything washes up there. Even pre Captain Cook they had a variety of plants and animals from around the world. More important to look at are ocean currents. For instance the coconut would not have been able to transit to Hawaii as it would have been going against the current. But if an ocean current travels to Hawaii it seems that more than likely the flora and fauna of the other lands will eventually end up landing and growing in Hawaii. Pretty much anything that gets to Hawaii thrives. Oceanic DNA is found in some south American people and that is probably more conclusive.

[@amronnog]

I was listening to a podcast episode about Polynesia and there was a segment about how similar the word for sweet potato is in some indigenous South American languages and austro-asiatic languages. It's like cumar in SA and kumara in maori (as an example)

[@einenglander3223]

Minor correction to your coconut point, the currents to Hawaii allow for things to travel to the islands in that direction for a couple months a year

[@lumppump1182]

one of my favorite history channels. i feel like theres a serious shortage of channels talking about ancient american history in a way thats digestible to most, and youre really doing educational youtube a service

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@martijn9568]

To be fair, there's a shortage of KZbin channels focusing ancient human cultures in general. Most history/archaeology focused KZbin channels only go as far back as the classical world and things before that aren't important.

[@big_sk4ian424]

In my culture Wampum belts documented everything from wars, alliances, religion and stories in a beaded hieroglyphic language. The interpreters we're few but highly regarded for their craftsmanship and translations before going extinct Also pottery might've been more popular for documentation in other tribes

[@AncientAmericas]

I'd heard that before but completely forgot about it. I'm glad you brought it up!

[@alanl.4252]

I’m curious to see whether you could some day cover the Calusa culture in southern Florida, or just any Caribbean/Gulf coast cultures? So many American cultures are under appreciated, so I really am thankful your channel exists! It’s so hard to come across history channels that go over the Native American history in such detail like you do. Keep up the amazing work!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks! I've gotten quite a few requests on the calusa so I'm sure we'll get to them someday, I'm just not sure when.

[@Genubath1]

Your video on Cahokia inspired me to visit. Unfortunatly, the museum was closed for rennovations, but it was still very cool and I had your video to inform me.

[@AncientAmericas]

I'm glad you could visit! If you catch the museum when it reopens, I'd highly recommend it.

[@premodernist_history]

I want to thank you for your rant about ancient civilizations (Question 3). I 100% feel the same way.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I'd be willing to bet that you've got some good pent up rants as well.

[@kilpatrickkirksimmons5016]

1491 is indeed incredible. I'd be curious to see more Mississippian content. I know there's not a ton of sources but it seems like it was way more widespread than most people suspect. Amazing channel btw

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! More Mississippian content will come eventually though, regretfully, not any time soon.

[@kilpatrickkirksimmons5016]

@@AncientAmericas No worries. Keep up the good work, it's all fascinating and (for me anyway) almost always new info.

[@atlasaltera]

Thanks for answering our questions with nuance. And congrats again for reaching this milestone. You deserve it!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@gleedads]

I'm glad you mentioned "The Dawn of Everything" in your answer to question 6. That's an excellent book in my opinion and should be on everyone's required reading list.

[@AncientAmericas]

It's a good read!

[@tesstesseract]

Love your work! I sent your Old Copper Culture video to my mom last night because she read a book about union actions at Michigan copper mines. She’s really excited to learn about the ancient history of the region. Thank you for what you do!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@spacebunny4335]

As a long time viewer congratulations on 100/130K and I hope that channel grows even larger.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@lemos360]

An idea for a video: Caminho do Peabiru, a path in South America that would connect the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. Aleixo Garcia and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca were europeans that tried to follow the path looking for gold from the Incas. This is a story that I barely saw any english content creator try to cover, but when I learned about it, made me really happy to see how people would travel in such hard conditions in that context.

[@GringoLoco]

An excellent study of Aleixo Garcia and the Peabiru trail is a book by Rosana Bond: A Saga de Aleixo Garcia-, COEDITA, Rio de Janeiro, 2005. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, this book is only available in Portuguese.

[@hamaljay]

To say that you have surpassed my expectations is the understatement of the century. What a great channel! I have learned so much and you are a very good presenter/ teacher/ KZbinr. Keep up the great work and, thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Pauliey365]

I appreciate you, and your videos. Definitely helps me when studying Peru and other S.A. cultures. Much love.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Congratulations, bro. You're my favourite American history channel and these are some great questions and answers too.

[@DanDavisHistory]

And that Miniminuteman video is great but I wish he didn't use so much bad language.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! No one makes better Neolithic or Bronze Age videos than you, good sir! Also, the Godborn series is really awesome. Speaking of which, when can we expect book 3?

[@FlimsyIndo]

Historia Civilis is one of the coolest KZbin channels I've ever come across. I hope there is a possibility of collaboration between you two

[@AncientAmericas]

Historia Civilis is the history channel I've followed the longest and it was a huge inspiration for me. I'd love to collaborate with them but I'm not sure if they're the collabbing type.

[@FlimsyIndo]

@@AncientAmericas well I'm glad you exist and that at least you would be willing to collaborate

[@freealter]

I’m so happy to see you here, I’ve been with this channel for a long time and will continue to watch all your videos. Hope you make it to a million!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! It's always nice to hear from a long time viewer.

[@gordybishop2375]

Thank you for all you do.

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@zomboidcrossing]

Hands down the best history channel on KZbin. I love this format and it's always a joy to see a new video come out.

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

Fall of Civilisations

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@portalthefella]

Crazy to think about how much this channel has grown! One of my favorite youtube channels, keep up the amazing work! It's so cool to have such a dedicated channel dedicated to the amazing history of the americas

[@portalthefella]

Side note after watching a bit of the video, very cool to see you mention other channels i also really enjoy

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks Portal! Always lovely to see your comments chilling here.

[@kalrandom7387]

The algorithm has recently showed me your channel, and I have been thoroughly enjoying it. Thank you, for your work.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@dracomadness792]

To add onto Question 9. I know for certain tribes (One of them being mine the Chata or Choctaw tribe) used long sticks on horse back to tap the enemies on their body. It was a sense of “I could’ve taken you life but I spared you from it, now you must serve me.” This was indentured servitude to its finest. It’s also where the 7 years rule came from too, it’s was an indigenous practice before the Europeans did so. One interesting side note, prominent warriors that performed this kind of combat used shorter sticks. They called them capture sticks or coup sticks. The shorter the stick the greater the warrior because you have to get even closer to your enemy.

[@dracomadness792]

@@TheDredConspiracy Although it’s friendly treat it like you are going to a sports game and it’s your state versus the rival state. Or your school versus the rival school. It’s in good faith and no one will die but there will be a ferocious battle to see who comes out first. It’s a pride thing and is common in lots of games and custom our ancestors did.

[@dracomadness792]

@@TheDredConspiracy Funny enough it was my tribe who participated in stick ball the most and still plays the game to this day. Stick ball is one hell of a game lmao. Intense as hell

[@hillaryclinton1232]

I am 74 Years old and Always loved Geology and History- my Grandfather was a Geologist whose famous study on the New Madrid Seismic Event In 1811, there were no seismographs in the region until the first seismograph was installed at St. Louis University in 1909. Today approximately 270 seismic stations monitor the region in a cooperative network. More About the 1811-1812 What many refer to as the Great New Madrid Earthquake, was actually a seismic event made up of 3 major quakes, followed by thousands of aftershocks, ranging from strong damaging quakes and diminishing to weaker quakes that lasted for years after the main shocks. The 3 main shocks were estimated at magnitudes 7.7, 7.5, and 7.7. As there were no seismograph stations in the region at that time, magnitude estimates vary widely (from 7.7 to 8.1) based on interpretation of journal accounts, damage reports, and descriptions of effects from that time. The main shocks were felt as far away as the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and Quebec. The area of damage is estimated at 600,000 square kilometers; the quakes were felt over an area of approximately 5,000,000 square kilometers. The area of strong shaking was approximately 10 times that of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Aftershocks In addition to the main shocks, 4 aftershocks estimated at greater than 6.0 occurred between December 16, 1811 and February 1812. More than 200 aftershocks ranging from large to moderate were reported between December 1811 and March 1812. An estimated 1,800 additional aftershocks took place during the same period. Aftershocks strong enough to be felt extended through 1817. Aftershock activity continued over the next decade. Land Changes The effects of the quakes were extensive and dramatic. Land deformation and elevation changes, both uplift and subsidence, created major land features such as the St. Francis Sunklands in northeast Arkansas, Reelfoot Lake in western Tennessee, and temporary waterfalls on the Mississippi River. Vast tracts of land were flooded. The most severely affected area is estimated at between 78,000 and 129,000 square kilometers. Large regions of fertile land were made unfit for farming for many years afterward by landslides, sandblows, fissures, and flooding. Thousands of sandblows are still visible today. On the Mississippi River, miles of high river embankments collapsed and entire islands were reported submerged. The river was filled with debris, navigation channels changed, and large waves were generated. Turbulence capsized boats.

[@jeffaltier5582]

For those who have not, I have also taken the Mesoamerica series by Barnhart on Great Courses, along with his series on Ancient North American history. I have his South American course lined up. I highly recommend these courses.

[@AncientAmericas]

Oooo! You haven't watched the South American series yet? You are in for a treat! Also, Dr. Barnhart has a youtube channel that you should check out if you have not already: www.youtube.com/@archaeoedpodcast

[@oscarmurillo5815]

I have watched every episode. I recommended the channel to friends who I consider intelligent and curious. I love the perfect balance of accessibility of the presentation without diminishing or dumbing down the material. Perfect!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@simplyhistory3998]

Too few people know about your content. You do such a good job of explaining things that the average person wouldn't normally think about. Keep up the good work!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@IndigenousHistoryNow]

Great work as always my friend! I always love hearing your perspectives on complex topics and I very much admire your ability to address them in good taste.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@ElJosher]

About question number 3. I feel that. Interest in pre-columbian Caribbean civilizations is also overshadowed by Mesoamerica and the Inca. Being from Puerto Rico, I would definitely like to see more archeologists (apart from the local ones that already do) take interest in Arawak/Taino civilizations from PR, Dominican Republic and Cuba.

[@AncientAmericas]

Yeah, the Caribbean is very neglected. It's a shame because it's a place with some great archaeology.

[@elderberryjamz3654]

A specific desire for archaeologists to study indigenous civilizations in spanish speaking countries sounds more like a personal agenda than enthusiasm for scientific exploration.

[@leesenger3094]

Great to see your channel growing to a broader audience. Unfortunately for me, I was at work running a job site when this went live. It is however always a joy to come home to another episode of Ancient Americas! I remember when I found you like 1-2 years ago I binged it all and smiled smiled smiled the way through. I work with a lot of Indios from Central Mexico and points South and they are always surprised that this 51 year old gringo knows so much about their history with respect. Thank You Very Much for enriching my heart and mind!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! You are most welcome!

[@hudsonfrank1121]

glad your actively back posting videos. been highly enjoying your lectures. methodically thought out and well planned.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@zedd6257]

Absolutely love this channel. I have learned so much about my local area.

[@HVLLOW99]

This channel is amazing!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! You're amazing too!

[@dollyhorton2579]

So glad I found your channel. As someone with a background in the hard sciences and being a hobby botanist, I really enjoyed your videos on potatoes and maize. I hope you do another video or two on foods developed in the New World. They are fascinating and are very relatable to everyone--always a good combination presenting these histories. Thank you for all your hard work. It is greatly appreciated!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@smae433]

I love your work. Like @theodoresmith I appreciate, No drama. Thank you for No distracting music.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@terrywallace5181]

Another very interesting and informative video...as always.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@evanturner-ewert6373]

I’m just waiting for you to collaborate with other KZbinrs I love, like Miniminuteman or AtunShei

[@thefisherking78]

Stoked to see you getting the recognition you deserve 😁

[@chadgrant3355]

This is what me of new favourite channels. Very informative and well laid out. I look forward to each new video. Thank you for the effort.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@bizuko2307]

Love your channel! I love learning about the more overlooked parts of pre-colombian Americas. Looking forwards to whatever else you have in store for us.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@rohmarts]

Quality will show. Congrats.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@hollymorris785]

Really enjoyed it, thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jwknauf]

Thank you for creating this Masterpiece of history Alive! 💘

[@hezekiahwallace2412]

Your KZbin videos are more educational than all the Indian Ed I got an early 2000s.

[@strongjohn10956]

Re the third question: One consideration is the biases of the editors of academic journals. For a good bit the 70s and 80s the most prestigious archaeology journal in the US, American Antiquity, was lead by Mesoamerican-specialist scholars and the content of the journal reflected this. (The journal Latin American Antiquity was spun-off c. 1990.) The content of the journal impacted the topical focus of students and emerging young scholars and the profile of the authors was enhanced, helping them attract students and project funding.

[@LoisoPondohva]

​@@purplesyndicalist1861that is factually untrue. I don't see explicit bias the original commenter alludes to, but editors have a lot of influence on what gets published. The paper can be desk rejected before it ever gets to peer review.

[@LoisoPondohva]

@@purplesyndicalist1861 I don't need to trust you on that, I know. I have some experience in the matter myself, though wouldn't call myself a veteran by any means. But criteria and internal politics of the process differ greatly depending on country, discipline and specific journal. And the blanket statement "editors don't control what's being published" is still objectively untrue, they do, and they have the capacity to introduce certain biases. I'm sure they are at play in certain places. Again, the specific example the original commenter provided seems dubious to me from what I know on the topic. But two wrongs don't make a right.

[@strongjohn10956]

@Purple Syndicalist Speaking as a former editor of a regional archaeological journal and as an editorial board member and peer reviewer for several national and international journals, in archaeology anyway, the editor has near determinant influence - they solicit manuscripts, choose the peer reviewers, and make the final decision on manuscript acceptance. The regional specialization of the editors of Am Ant in the period I mention can be clearly seen in the table of contents of the journal.

[@Carloshache]

I'm a real food historian at a university. I would say that the prevalence of sweet potatoes in Polynesian cuisines is a STRONG indicator of cross-cultrual contact, and the "washing up on shore" theory doesn't hold up. This is because that even if some sweet potatoes would get washed up on the shore it, it DOES NOT mean that humans will eat them, plant them or adapt them in their diet. More likely, people won't. Not without any knowledge about them. Because of this it is much more likely that the islanders learned about sweet potatoes from the South Americans. Just because something is delicious or nutrious does not mean that people will eat or grow it. There are alot of nutricious and delicious food all around us even today that we won't eat or touch for different reasons even if it would be kind of rational to eat it. Lots of wild herbs are delicious but are seen as weeds, sorghum is delicious but unpopular in most of the world, lots of freshwater fish goes uneaten, the whole ocean is full of krill, dogs are kind of tasty I hear. Yet they have not much of a place in the diet. But that's how human food culture work. Humans are generally very suspicious to new foods that we don't already eat. We sometimes don't even classify some perfectly fine foods as food. Because of this we won't even eat them during a famine. It requires often ALOT of learning from others and a long time to adapt new foods as part of the diet. Growing and cooking a new plant requires alot of knowledge. It's much easier to learn it from others than to invent it yourself. This is not without reason, alot of common foods are poisonous if you don't cook them correctly - like cassava or potatoes originally. Growing a new crop could also be disruptive to the whole agricultural system and cause food shortages. Traditional farmers wouldn't normally do a thing like that. There is also linguistic evidence. The Qechua word for sweet potatoes is "kumar" (also reported as "kumal" ) which is very likely related to the Maori (New Zealand) word for sweet potatoes "Kumara". It's too much of a coincidence if this is a coincidence. Some of the cooking methods like the prevalence of roasting sweet potatoes on hot stones are also very similar. Remember that for example that Europeans adapted native cooking methods when they began cooking tomatoes and potatoes. It however could be just a one time contact - because that's all that it would take.

[@AncientAmericas]

I really liked this comment! Although I've thought the washed up theory is possible but less likely, the points you brought up are new to me and very compelling. Well said! Thank you so much for the insight!

[@Carloshache]

​@@AncientAmericasThank you yourself for your wonderful channel. One of my cherished favorites on KZbin. I think the "washed up" theory is possible, but almost in an "anything is possible" way. I don't really see how it will be really formulated as a plausible theory really. It would be helpful. The thing is with delicious foods that spreading them all around the globe is something we human are excellent at. Banana peels have been found in the ancient tells of Bronze Age Syria. Coconuts were common in Italian medieval cuisine. The different foods that were cultivated and bred in Ancient Americas are some of the most important calories globally today for billions of people, even though most of these civilizations are almost gone. Spreading a delicious, nutricious food is something that is more likely to happen with intent than without. Food travels easily among humans. Alot of "scientific" reasoing is about removing "intent" from explanations, but in most of these cases, human intent is always more likely. The other most likely alternative is animal distribution.

[@AncientAmericas]

@@Carloshache Just wanted you to know that I've thought a lot about this comment and just this evening, as I finished my audiobook, I downloaded an audio lecture series on culinary history so I appreciate your inspiration!

[@Carloshache]

​@@AncientAmericas Sounds wonderful! If you do more in depth food history. I can help with sources, ideas or anything! Many of the cultures you feature had quite a fine dining culture that's still around today in a way. Some foods are very complicated to make like the Hopi "Piki bread". There is another weird "maybe" culinary evidence of a cross cultural connection. In the 1990s a chili pepper was found in an archaeological dig in a medieval Nunnery in Lund, Sweden. The amazing thing is that it was found in an earth layer from the 13th century. WAY before Columbus. This might be an archaeological mistake, however. If not, it's perplexing how it got there. The conventional wisdom is that Chili peppers first arrived in this region in the 17th century but nunneries were long gone by then because of the Protestant reformation (they would be a very typical place to store spices). One example doesn't do much, however.

[@strongjohn10956]

Re the eighth question on trade. We need to take care not to think exclusively in terms of European/modern notions of exchange. Objects found at a long distance from their origin may have passed through many, even dozens, of hands before being deposited into the archaeological record. Gift-giving may have been more significant than exchange via barter, their being no notion of abstract interchangeable exchange value (money, as we know it) in the pre-contact Americas. Some societies may have had trade specialists who traveled (similar to the merchant class that developed in Europe), but they would be the exception.

[@warrendourond7236]

Indeed… but at the same time sometimes we should consider Eastern hemisphere notions of trade being understood in the western hemisphere as well. Often when reading about Mediterranean bronze to Iron Age civilizations we learn a lot about economics and commerce. However when talking the Americas this rarely come up, as often they are portrayed as primitive religious zealots with few other motives. However I find it just as likely that a city in the Americas was founded by economic factors as was a European city. Teotihuacan wasn’t just a religious Center, it dominated obsidian production, and we find trade good from all over the Americas there. There are hundreds of other examples.

[@AncientAmericas]

Very well said! I wish I had made that point but you put it better than I would have. Thank you!

[@vyshap.6315]

Love this channel, I genuinely thought you were a grad student or postdoc of the subject, such is the level of rigor! I find the videos quite inspirational. Keep up the good work.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@nathans299]

Speaking of disease, the book American Slavery, American Freedom covers early English settlement in Virginia in detail and there is a brief mention in there of a sickness that was killing newly arrived colonists for maybe a decade before vanishing.

[@kimberlygaray7860]

Love this channel. Thank you for the video.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@michaelbrown7430]

It was very entertaining and enlightening

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Ruedas30686]

Man I havent been able to be there just as the notification pops up recently because of uni but it was always such a great pleasure seeing a new video from you, Im actually getting a degree in physics with an orientation in astrophysics and then I plan on getting some masters and PhD in anthropology or something like that because I really love archaeoastronomy and this channel has been such a big motivator alongside other things, keep up the amazing work!!!

[@m1w3m]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and well done to everyone who asked such thought provoking questions. I've long loved that Historia Civilis video and eagerly await your take on the Haudenosaunee confederacy

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@wintermute31]

This was rlly inspiring, I can sincerely relate. The way in which you conveyed your rational when you're explaining "why American ancient history" felt like it was my conscience ecoing back to me (altho in a very unfamiliar language and way to put facts and points). Also, as for what you do "in life" funny enough It's also my working subject and field. Keep doing what you doing, It's a service to humanity, I meant it.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@mexico.gexperience]

I just finished watching the whole thing. So I just can add in Mesoamerica there are many artefacts that traveled thousand of kilometers to be used in their final destinations. For example the Spondilous Peruvian sea shells, they are found in multiple sights and were common deposits for blood in autosacrifices, for example, In COBÁ near Cancún where I do tours, they found Spondilous underneath stelea 11. I'm sure you can find an article about the Stelea 11 in Pari Journal or Mesoweb. Also in CHICHÉN ITZÁ for example they found a Turquoise shield, and they established that was brought from Arizona - New México area. And if we go further in time corn and other farming products travel from Mesoamerica to South América 5k years ago. And other products carne from there to here. Great video as always! Congrats

[@AncientAmericas]

All very good points! Although there's actually been some recent scrutiny on the Southwest-Mesoamerica turquoise trade but that's a topic for another video.

[@doktortutankamazon31]

One of the best channels on tube.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@aliciataylor57]

Hello from one of your silent fans! I found this channel when searching for solid Olmec info for my homeschooled daughter. Of course I had to screen you first to be sure that aliens or other wacky theories weren’t mentioned anywhere. 😂 Not an alien reference to be found and by the end of the video I was hooked! I’m 2 videos short of being fully up-to-date and have LOVED learning so much about these overlooked cultures.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I find that the facts are far more interesting than the farfetched theories.

[@thefolder3086]

Hi, I’m probably too late but I’ll post this anyway Could you do a video on native Brazilian groups? Both Amazon groups or southern highland groups and maybe other groups would be fine. Im a dev in one game fantasy sci fi project where I try to take inspiration from some underrepresented world cultures instead of just generic western sci fi and one Brazilian game dev asked me to add Brazilian culture to it. However I didn’t know a lot about their culture and researching them especially non Amazon group is pretty difficult. Your video on marujohara is amazing so far. If anyone in the comment know a lot about them you could give me some advice btw, thx ^^

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I'd like to get into more Amazonian archaeology this year but we'll see.

[@thefolder3086]

@@AncientAmericas ah, that’s great ! Thank you so much

[@Nikoooo_swag]

I want to add that the guarani people traded with the Inca empire, Incas gave them gold and silver items and jewelry, things that guarani people weren’t able to found in their subtropical/ temperate forests, beaches and meadows. Meanwhile the guarani exported to incas beautyful shells only founded in the Atlantic, araucaria angustiflora pinecones and wood from the Atlantic forest.

[@pedrozatravel]

I hope I am not too silent but I really appreciate the content and congratulations on such a big achievement.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@robertb6889]

One note: açaí is pronounced with 3 syllables. Ah-sai-EE. Love this channel, and it's changed my world view.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Appreciate the tip!

[@montieburchett8103]

I love this channel and all the work you put into each episode.One thing I would add to the information presented in this episode is that you mentioned Dr. Ed Barnhart's lectures on MesoAmerica available through "The Great Courses". Dr. Barnhart has also done separate series of lectures for The Great Courses on both North America and South America in which he goes into great depth on pre-contact cultures just as he did in the series on MesoAmerica. All 3 lecture series contain a great deal of information and more than a few surprises for someone with an amateur interest in ancient American culture and history. Dr. Barnhart also produces a podcast "ArchaeoEd which I truly enjoy (almost as much as I do "Ancient Americas").

[@AncientAmericas]

I've seen the other courses. They are wonderful. The archaeoed podcast is also a real treat. I never miss an episode.

[@andrewlucero3631]

would you ever do a video on the caffeinated hollies: Yaupon, Yerba mate, Guayusa; or how the people of mesoamerica used ethogens like psilocybin mushrooms and imported peyote.

[@AncientAmericas]

Probably not on there own. If I did cover a specific entheogen, it would be as part of a larger discussion of the culture(s) that used it.

[@pearlpicker2174]

Thank you for your work. I love it.

[@a.foster199]

Just got around to watching the interview you did with Yucatán mag. I can recommend checking out Xunantunich if you’re ever in Belize. I believe it backs right up against the Guatemala border. Absolutely beautiful, and features a pretty awesome ball court.

[@AncientAmericas]

One of my relatives was recently there! It's a beautiful site. One of these days, I'd like to get there.

[@heremapping4484]

1491 is exactly what started my road down the exploration of native peoples & their history as well. Its true the book hasn't aged the best, and it has quite a few errors (blaming demographic collapse on disease...), but nonetheless was a real inspiration. I couldn't believe I grew up in the US midwest and was never told or taught anything about the complexity of what was here before.

[@jacobmccalla8375]

From what I've read, the demographic collapse is still attributed in large part to disease, is this no longer the majority opinion?

[@warrendourond7236]

Demographic collapse wasn’t due to desease? I mean I’ve always believed that the story of deliberate genocide has quietly gone untold, but desease wiped populations out before Europeans even arrived in some parts of the Americas.

[@heremapping4484]

@@warrendourond7236 Yeah, thats a pretty common myth.

[@jacobmccalla8375]

@Here Mapping Could you provide some links to literature or resources covering this? This is the first time I've heard someone say disease killing the native populations in the Americas is a myth

[@heremapping4484]

@@jacobmccalla8375 Not to say disease didn't play a role, but that it killed off most of the 70% or so that died, it didn't. I recomend the work of Paul Kelton, Livi-Bacci, John S. Marr, & James C. Riley. To put it simply, the main causes of native demographic collapse was war, famine, & slave raiding which across the hemisphere worked to dismantle and destroy existing native political-economic-social structures & malnourish populations (thus making them more susceptible to disease).

[@phoebehill953]

Fun change! Please don’t throw away your scripts - but this more off-the-cuff episode was enjoyably different.

[@CaucAsianSasquatch]

Proud of you bud.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks Sasquatch!

[@CaucAsianSasquatch]

@@AncientAmericas you've absolutely earned it.

[@fmac6441]

on item 3, I agree, but I think that the bias towards Stone constructions also has a practical nature. A huge city monument in massive stone with sculptures that tell the history of the people are "simpler" to study than archaeological sites where the only evidence are piles of waste, broken pottery and the possible skeletons.

[@lachirtel1]

Interesting discussion. I would say for the Khipu, that the people studying them (especially the after people noted the color information) do think it is a writing system that can be deciphered. Jon Clindaniel at U Chicago is attempting to do so, among others.

[@AncientAmericas]

I hope they are right. At the moment, I think it's a bit premature to say whether it's a writing system with certainty but I hope that that changes someday.

[@Strider_Bvlbaha]

My two cents on disease, based off what I’ve heard from elders: Syphilis was almost certainly not an STD over here pre-columbus. There is evidence of pre-natal syphilis infections in the ancient Mediterranean that indicate it was an STD there, though not as virulent as it became in the 16th Century. In the Americas, syphilis generally took the form of a skin infection most folx caught from playing in the dirt as kids and then had immunity from for the rest of their lives-until the highly virulent form was brought here by Europeans. I’ve always thought the “no disease bc no domesticated animals” argument was suspect-my ancestors were in constant close contact with wild animals, and they carry all sorts of diseases. We have oral histories that indicate what finally did the mammoth and mastodon in was some sort of highly contagious disease, and that was used as a reminder wild animals should be kept at a distance (ie, it was a deterrent to ‘Afro-Eurasian style’ domestication of livestock). Beside that, before pesticides were a thing especially, native mosquitos & biting flies (of which there are many!) would have been a massive potential disease vector. So there is ample room for “missing” diseases & a lot of questions about how and why to be asked. Tick-bourn diseases like Rocky Mtn Fever and Lyme disease have been around, but neither were wide-spread: until after the pre-columbian fire regime came to an end. Fire reduces tick habitat and cuts down on rodent populations (they’re critical for tick lifecycles & disease transmission both). Fire also kills ticks directly in a way neither cold weather nor drought can. Given how tightly the supposed ‘wild’ lands of the Americas were controlled by fire, I’ve a suspicion pyrotechnical resource management had a side benefit of working to cut down on transmissible deadly diseases. What the exact mechanism was is highly debatable, but I’d bet regular burning helped cut down on viral reservoirs to start off with. It may help explain why viruses humans almost certainly brought with them to Turtle Island originally seem to have weakened or died out-even the most ancient viruses like TB spread up trade routes faster than Europeans could ‘discover’ them and killed with unmatched ferocity (which goes to show if there had been any such native viruses, they would have spread up and down trade routes just like they did in Eurasia, and just as fast, but there’s no sign they did before 1492!)

[@FrankBocker]

The plain, low-budget format is actually refreshing to me in a sea of youtubers who throw down lots of money to dress up their videos. Infographics, maps, and that sort of thing do add to an informative youtube video, but fancy intros and high-budget editing kinda don't. If you're wondering how this happened, I would suggest that it's a confluence of relatively rare longer-format and pleasantly dry (not boring, just not overdressed) videos and a sorely under-documented but broad topic. Personally, I haven't seen much if any pre-contact American history content that isn't on your channel or referenced by it.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you. I deliberately take a very thrify approach in my animation to keep production time limited. I prefer to spend more effort researching and writing. If you want other good channels that deal with the pre-columbian Americas, check out the other channels listed on my channel page. They are really good.

[@suem6004]

Congrats

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@timothyvancil4965]

I love your channel! I really appreciate the hard work you put into the content! ❤

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@faithnoelle5]

I would love deep dive videos on questions 1 and 4!

[@thefolder3086]

This might be a bit random but does anyone have a link to any discord server about reliable info on native civilizations? If you feel like you have some knowledge you can tell me your username code as well so I can dm you

[@strongjohn10956]

OK, yet one more last thought - I'd like to suggest a topic for an episode topic - Black Drink.

[@AncientAmericas]

I'll probably discuss that when we discuss Mississippian culture as a whole. I actually had a section about it in the first draft of the Cahokia episode but ended up cutting it out, figuring that it was better to cover it elsewhere.

[@boborson5536]

Your videos are amazing and incredible. I do a lot of country worldbuilding and it had been a goal of mine for several years to expand on Pre-Columbian civilizations, as my home country of Guatemala its something basically dead. The interest had been growing for years, until someone introduced me into Terra Preta and the floodgates just opened. I'm currently listening to 1491, and honestly its the best book I've ever read, and I'm not halfway through it. What I would love is anything about the Amazon, I'm obsessed with it. I've seen your video on Marajo, many times, and honestly I got the shivers every time you brought it up in this video. If you could make any content on that, or give guidance on it, I'd be forever in love.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Yeah, Terra Preta blew my mind when I first heard about it. 1491 is a really good read. You are in for a treat. I do want to get back to the Amazon but I'm still trying to pick a good topic. We'll see where the path takes us.

[@boborson5536]

@@AncientAmericas I didn't believe the person that brought up, until they gave me research article on the matter. I approached the subject from a Scientific/Microbial outlook, which just fit in like a puzzle piece as I'm a Bio Major. What are the possible topics you have in mind? I've spoken with MajoraZ on twitter on the subject a little.

[@AncientAmericas]

@@boborson5536 Currently, the Llanos de Mojos and the Xingu basin are promising leads. Give MajoraZ my regards. He's been a huge help to the channel.

[@boborson5536]

@@AncientAmericas Both are great subjects. Funnily enough using Charcoal is a well established technique in building Terrariums and Aquariums if your goal is a self-sufficient environment. I'm in disbelief that nobody else thought about using Charcoal for a long time. Incredible natural filters.

[@tecpaocelotl]

Question 3, I would say the bias is most of us in the united states are descendants of Mesoamerican cultures. Question 4, I think of milpas.

[@chrisvalentine3563]

Very interesting questions and answers.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@calibaba2739]

Great videos about ancient Americas. Thanks. There’s not much talk about South America but not Peru like the Amazon, Columbia.. .. It is a huge area but not much study or I don’t know. Recent LIDAR images show many ancient structures, roads… in the Amazons. Can you talk about Ancient Amazon? Thanks

[@AncientAmericas]

I have one episode on the Amazon. Check out the marajoara episode. I do need to get back to Amazon one of these days though.

[@a-complished4406]

I appreciate so much your work ❤

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@GringoLoco]

Excellent episode! Please post more episodes like this one! A few thoughts from me. Regarding question 2, South American contact with Polynesia: the sweet potato may have drifted across the the Pacific but remembering the Quechua name "kumara" also travelled with it as far as New Zealand lends credence that it was spread by human voyagers, and DNA evidence suggests its dispersal occurred in the period 1100-1300 CE, ie, long before Europeans were sailing the Pacific. Question 5, regarding European diseases versus native American diseases, there is some evidence that the disease that devastated the Incas around the time of the conquest was not smallpox, but rather a native disease known spread by the bite of an insect ( see "Why Blame Smallpox? The Death of the Inca Huayna Capac and the Demographic Destruction of Tawantinsuyu (Ancient Peru)" by Robert McCaa, Aleta Nimlos, and Teodoro Hampe Martínez) Question 10, regarding pre-Columbian writing systems, there are several Spanish chronicles relating how Quipu knots could convey both numerical data and also detailed narrative information such as epic poems and histories. And then there are the tocapus, which some experts believe are a form of hieroglyphic writing. (the Spanish wikipedia webpage for tocapu contains much more detailed information on this topic than the one in English)

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I never realized that that may have been a native disease that ravaged the Inca empire. I'll have to check that out.

[@FTA4evr]

Excellent!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@lewhensilvar3521]

In which episode are acai palms talked about 10:34?

[@AncientAmericas]

This one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/joWwY3eVnL6Cp8U

[@Justpuffin4]

Will there ever be a possibility you can do a video on the tongva and the chumash? Would love to hear more about their trade and economy.

[@AncientAmericas]

The chumash on my list. They interest me a lot.

[@dylanroberts3666]

👋🏻hey, thanks!🙏

[@ruthnovena40]

In 1988 the US Senate passed a resolution to recognize the influence of the Iroquois confederation on the Constitution. It reads in part " the Confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederation.

[@louargyres5370]

Thanks for the great videos. An in-depth background for Q5 re diseases is University of Oklahoma history professor Kyle Harper’s recent book “Plagues upon the Earth” covering the impact of viruses bacteria protists and helminths (worms) that have sickened certain of us primates throughout history

[@AncientAmericas]

Ooo! Thanks! That's good to know!

[@hillaryclinton1232]

There is a book about a man who made a raft of Balsa Wood and went to Austrlia using the methods done When you are speaking on. Kon Tiki I think, BTY I am Senile so I Remembered that cause I read that book in 1950's or 1960's.

[@StrotherPitzke]

That mastodon dated to 130,000 subscribers ago.

[@AncientAmericas]

Lol

[@devinsmith4790]

Out of curiosity have you seen the recent documentary from Nova that covers the recent archeological discoveries being done in the Amazon region? If you have not, it's currently available to watch for free (as of the time of me typing this comment at least) on KZbin, it's called Ancient Builders of the Amazon. Let's hope more discoveries like those will help us better understand the pre-Colombian history of the cultures and civilizations of Amazonia.

[@AncientAmericas]

I wasn't even aware of it but I'll be watching that soon! I've been meaning to make another video about the Amazon.

[@brennantate1901]

Hello you need to update significantly on other Homo Sapiens migrations. Even IF one accepts out if Africa Narrative (and I have many many questions at best on that) discoveries put Homo Sapiens and likely Homo Sapiens Sapiens in the Levant corridor at least 185,000 BCE if not 217,000 BCE (Collapsed cave evidence in Israel). The Moroccan finds (given known sea levels) are conclusively dated to 310,000+ BCE with a land bridge to Spain in existence. Even those who champion the Genetic Count back methods are presenting dispersal at over 200K BCE (I have considerable doubts as these count back methods produce results that defy physical evidence - The splintering of the Australian Aboriginals is one (as they MUST have separated off earlier than 65,000 BCE) - the dating for the inland cave work - Dated by overlaying mineral deposits to paintings and carving

[@otherperson]

Do you plan on doing a video on the Haudenosaunee confederacy?

[@AncientAmericas]

Most definitely but I don't know when I will get around to it.

[@otherperson]

@@AncientAmericas that's fair! I'm here for the ride. Love all your videos. It would be nice to see how society functioned on a more local and day to day level than what the video you linked describes.

[@torrawel]

Hi all, First of all, thank for explaining a bit about yourself in this episode. I've been wondering for some time now😂. Great to hear that my friend Charles helped you getting more interested 😉. It was of course one of his goals with the book: to do the same as you do with your channel. I'm pretty sure he's following your channel as well! As someone who (among other things) has been focusing on indigenous writing systems in the Americas for many, many years now (more than 20 already, how time flies 🎉), I'd like to add some further details: The Mixtec script IS a full writing system, very similar to the "Nahuatl" one (I prefer to call that one something like "Central Mexican"). It was the first one I and my fellow students from Leiden University focused on. No surprise as we were taught by two of the greatest specialists out there, Aurora Perez & Maarten Jansen. Like the "Nahuatl" one (and in fact the Maya one although in a different way) it's a combination of non-phonetic & phonetic symbols that help each other to create the story. Like someone mentioned here before, a lot of the specialists on khipu nowadays are actually moving more and more to calling it a writing system. And given the evidence (among them: the scale of the corpus, the size of some of them, Spanish and (quasi) indigenous sources, the use of it by both Wari and modern communities, the amount of "knot options", etc) I tend to agree. I also saw people mentioning the Moche beans, the Mik'maq signs and wampum belts. Especially with wampum (be they belts or strings), they are very clearly a communication system. It might not be seen as "true writing" by colleagues of us who specialise in "Old World" writing (2 terrible terms that really deserve the use of the quotation signs, " "😅😆), but they, like "true writing" used a lot of conventions: sings, colours, pictures and positions with a fixed meaning) Something about the spread of writing. It has more to do with empire I believe than with the things you mentioned. We see that Teotihuacan & Nahuatl script, but also khipu spread throughout the 3 empires. In Mesoamerica these empires were a lot smaller than in Eurasia, so the total area over which it spread wasn't as impressive maybe. In the Andes however, we see a huge area, with even signs of the system being spread outside of the empire (Panama and Costa Rica for example. Note: also the Maya script and potentially the Teotihuacan script reached these countries). There aren't a lot of other empires that we know of (so far...) but even with "just" large immigrations and spread of language families, we are seeing the same phenomenon : Arawakan signs from the Amazon into the Caribbean or Anishnaabe /"Ojibwe" signs around the North American Great Lakes). Huge areas were covered. The spread of the Chinese script of course is a counter argument for what you said in the video. It has many more signs than Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec, Teotihuacano or "Nahuatl" but was adopted by many, many different peoples. Also: stuf like pictograms and logograms make the spread easier instead of more difficult. Think of your own job: IT is full of logographic signs! :) I'll stop here. Us, poor scholars... We always make it too long. Not just to complicated, too long as well! 😂 But... 1 last thing: thank for this wonderful project of yours! And congratulations. The topics are always well chosen and well researched. Please keep on going!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. You've given me a lot to think about and now, I have questions for you. 1. Is there a good work or study on Mixtec writing that you would recommend. I've never seen it described as a full writing system and I'd love to read into that more someday. 2. You mentioned that the Khipu spread throughout three empires. I know the Inca and Wari used them. Is Chimor the third? Are there others I'm not aware of? 3. The spread of writing or khipus to Panama and Costa Rica is something I'd never heard of before. Is there a good place to read up on this? It sounds really fascinating. Next time you see Charles Mann, please extend him my thanks and warmest regards. His work was a catalyst for this channel.

[@torrawel]

​​​@@AncientAmericas Hi, Sorry for answering so late. I was and am quite busy at the moment with (among many other things) the very interesting topic of Indigenous Americans travelling to Europe, Africa and Asia. Anyway, even now, I cannot fully answer your questions (I have to look up some stuff for you, do some digging in the paperwork. Not easy since we're in the process of moving to an other apartment and the office is a big mess 🤣), but here are some: 1. Work on the Mixtec script was started in earnest by Alfonso Caso. As we have learnt from the last 30 years or so (see the development in "Nahuatl" writing and the latest wonderful book by Whittaker), the so called pictographical scripts of Mesoamerica, now appear to be a lot more phonetic than people initially thought. Also, the systems were fully developed by the time the Spaniards arrived and not, as some have suggested in the past, stuck in a stage halfway between pictography and an alphabet. Jansen and Perez dedicated a lot of their lives to "deciphering" the script and bringing it to the attention of the public, including the descendants of the original scribes in Oaxaca. The following is free to download. Especially the first chapters explore how the system works : brill.com/display/title/15090 2) that's my mistake. Sorry. What I meant was that there are three empires that "actively" seem to have spread their "script", both in Perú and Mexico: Teotihuacan, Wari, and Inka. (not counting the Aztecs here). As Whittaker (and others like Nielsen) shows, it is quite likely that the "Nahuatl" script has its origins in Teotihuacan. That's one reason why I prefer to call it "Central Mexican" since we still don't know for sure yet what the main language of the Teotihuacanos was. Inka khipu probably was based on Wari khipu (when something like khipu was found in Caral, people even linked it to that ancient culture) so we have basically 2 systems that became more wide spread due to the existence of empires. From Teotihuacan to Tenochtitlan in Mesoamerica, and from Wari to Cuzco in the Andes... 3) about Panama and Costa Rica. The Spaniards claimed these things. Just like they mentioned that the local people there were aware of Andean llamas. For the last, there is also some archaeological evidence (see for example "The South American Camelids" by Duccio Bonavia). I don't remember having read about archaeological evidence for khipu or a system like khipu. I know I read about the Spaniards telling about it. Have to look that one up. I'll come back to you as soon as possible :)

[@AncientAmericas]

@@torrawel thank you! Really appreciate your reply!

[@RenatoRo]

I would love to timetravel to Chavin or maybe my own hometown in the amazonian Andes, Tarapoto.