Kirk Dock Ancient City
Iron Age (1200 BCE–500 CE)·Iron Age·🇬🇹 Petén, Guatemala
About
About Kirk Dock Ancient City
Kirk Dock Ancient City in Petén, Guatemala is a Iron Age (1200 BCE–500 CE) ancient city attributed to Iron Age culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and coring, it presents a monumental core with workshop zone. Construction employs rubble core with facing and demonstrates long-distance exchange. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Iron Age ancient-city with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Cause of abandonment and collapse
- 02Social hierarchy and elite control
Theories
- 01Defensive refuge and tribal capital
- 02Centralized storage and redistribution (Cunliffe)
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. 173 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age (1200 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Iron Age
- Purpose
- Defensive and administrative
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 173 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 228 BCE
Secondary construction phase
c. 335 CE
Abandonment and gradual burial
1966
Archaeological identification via aerial survey
On the ground
Structures & features
16.4442° N · 89.2570° W · 1301 m · 3 mapped features
Shrine
hydraulicPrimary ancient city at Kirk Dock Ancient City — ceremonial avenue
16.4456° N · 89.2552° WBurial Cluster
reservoirPrimary ancient city at Kirk Dock Ancient City — rock-cut facade
16.4423° N · 89.2579° WGranary Cluster
structureBurial zone — tumuli
16.4430° N · 89.2580° W