How were the Puma Punku andesite blocks cut so precisely, and could the Tiwanaku have done it?
Answered: Tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over…Passed its tests and review.
Where it stands
Four answers have been proposed. Tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over… leads, with evidence 3 for: supported by its tests. Three are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet.
Why it matters
The regular modules, flat faces and sharp interior angles are the reason the site draws claims of lost or alien technology; the measurements and tool marks are the test[1].
Answers 4
History
- Protzen & Nair: h-blocks, niche blocks and lintels were cut to standard modules from templates and any block of a type fits…For: Tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over…
- Vranich: the platform's lowest fill dates to the sixth century AD.Against: The blocks were made with a technology beyond the Tiwanaku (lost civilisation or non-human), and are much…
- Janusek et al.: quarries at Ccapia and Kimsachata hold abandoned blocks at intermediate stages.For: Tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over…
- Janusek et al.: the andesite matches the Ccapia volcano and the sandstone matches Kimsachata, where quarry faces and…Against: The andesite and sandstone blocks were cast in moulds from crushed rock and an organic binder.
- Protzen & Nair puts forward: tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over…
- Protzen & Nair puts forward: the blocks were made with a technology beyond the Tiwanaku (lost civilisation or non-human), and are much…
- Protzen & Nair: tool marks show pecking with stone hammers followed by grinding; experiments reproduced the cuts with such…For: Tiwanaku masons cut the blocks with stone hammers and abrasives to standard modules using templates, over…
- Protzen & Nair: measured tolerances and tool marks are those of pecking and abrasion.Against: The blocks were made with a technology beyond the Tiwanaku (lost civilisation or non-human), and are much…
- Protzen & Nair: the surfaces carry pecking and grinding marks, not mould seams.Against: The andesite and sandstone blocks were cast in moulds from crushed rock and an organic binder.
- Davidovits et al. puts forward: the andesite and sandstone blocks were cast in moulds from crushed rock and an organic binder.
- Davidovits et al.: sEM images were read as showing an artificial matrix with organic matter.For: The andesite and sandstone blocks were cast in moulds from crushed rock and an organic binder.
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