Ditch Stone Mound Complex
Moche (100–800 CE)·Moche·🇹🇷 Central Anatolia, Turkey
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About
About Ditch Stone Mound Complex
Ditch Stone Mound Complex in Central Anatolia, Turkey is a Moche (100–800 CE) earthwork attributed to Moche culture. Systematically investigated through magnetometry and coring, it presents a monumental core with necropolis. Construction employs rubble core with facing and demonstrates long-distance exchange. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Moche earthwork with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Ritual use and symbolic landscape
- 02Cause of abandonment and collapse
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape and ancestral veneration
- 02Astronomical observatory and calendar
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 284 CE
- Period
- Moche (100–800 CE)
- Culture
- Moche
- Purpose
- Ceremonial and settlement
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 284 CE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 403 CE
Major enlargement and wall circuit added
c. 659 CE
Peak occupation and regional prominence
1950
Scientific excavation and conservation
On the ground
Structures & features
37.3998° N · 32.2370° E · 2746 m · 4 mapped features
- ShrinereservoirAncillary settlement associated with main monument37.3993° N · 32.2362° E
- Stela AlignmentmoundOutlier feature with cup marks37.3975° N · 32.2366° E
- Principal MonumenttempleHydraulic feature — well37.4006° N · 32.2351° E
- Stela Alignment 4rock artOutlier feature with standing stones37.4027° N · 32.2379° E
Gallery