Advanced geometrical constructs in a Pueblo ceremonial site, c 1200 CE

TL;DR

This study provides the first quantitative evidence that ancestral Pueblo peoples used advanced geometric knowledge, such as the Golden rectangle and Pythagorean triangles, in the layout of the Sun Temple site around 1200 CE.

Contribution

It demonstrates that prehistoric North American societies employed sophisticated geometric principles in their architectural planning without a written language.

Findings

Evidence of geometric constructs like Golden rectangle and Pythagorean triangles.

Identification of a consistent measurement unit across key site features.

Potential widespread use of advanced geometry in ancestral Pueblo architecture.

Abstract

Summer 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the excavation by J.W. Fewkes of the Sun Temple in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, an ancient complex prominently located atop a mesa, constructed by the ancestral Pueblo peoples approximately 800 years ago. While the D-shaped structure is generally recognized by modern Pueblo peoples as a ceremonial complex, the exact uses of the site are unknown, although the site has been shown to have key solar and lunar alignments. In this study, we examined the potential that the site was laid out using advanced knowledge of geometrical constructs. Using aerial imagery in conjunction with ground measurements, we performed a survey of key features of the site. We found apparent evidence that the ancestral Pueblo peoples laid out the site using the Golden rectangle, Pythagorean 3:4:5 triangles, equilateral triangles, and 45 degree right triangles. The survey also revealed that a single unit of measurement, L = 30.5+/-0.5 cm, or one third of that, appeared to be associated with many key features of the site. Further study is needed to determine if this unit of measurement is common to other ancestral Pueblo sites, and also if geometric constructs are apparent at other sites. These findings represent the first potential quantitative evidence of knowledge of advanced geometrical constructs in a prehistoric North American society, which is particularly remarkable given that the ancestral Pueblo peoples had no written language or number system.