Archaeologists have discovered a city in Peru thought to be about 3,500 years old.
The city, called Peñico, is likely to have served as a trading post linking early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.
Located around 200 miles north of Lima in the country’s Barranca province, the urban centre sits on a hillside around 1,970ft above sea level and is believed to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500BC – around the same time as early civilisations flourished in the Middle East and Asia.
Drone footage of the site taken by researchers shows a circular structure on a hillside terrace at the city’s centre, surrounded by the remains of stone and mud buildings.
The site bears a striking resemblance to the ancient city of Caral, the oldest civilisation in the Americas, 17 miles to the west.
Scientists believe the city may have been formed after Caral collapsed as a result of climate change.
