An Unexpected Discovery of Signs of Ancient Life

After climbing the Whale Head: • Can We Find a Route Up... , we decided to go on another adventure, but little did we know, there were signs of ancient life along the whole mountain. This is not something I found on Google Earth, we were just exploring and discovered pit houses and pottery sherds. Please follow me on this adventure. Also, if you visit these sites, please be respectful, do not take anything, leave artifacts where you find them, and do not climb on ancient walls. If you like this content, please subscribe and thank to all of my existing subscribers! #adventure #desertexploration #ancienthistory #geology #climbing #explore #hiking #ancientsites #mountains #arizona #ancient #ancientdiscoveries

[@FriendlyBear-re6ln]

Nicely made video. This looks like a beautiful area.

[@ruinsandridges]

Thanks so much!

[@I_am_Junebug]

This is amazing stuff. Thanks for taking us along. Keep it going!

[@ruinsandridges]

Thank you!

[@grapesw8]

Beautiful place! glad you left the sherds untouched :)

[@ruinsandridges]

Thank you for watching! Yes, it is important to leave everything where it has laid for many centuries.

[@deejayy3421]

that was an interesting video thumbs up

[@ruinsandridges]

Thank you so much!!

[@huckleberry5653]

Great music!

[@ruinsandridges]

Thank you!

[@sliceofheaven3026]

Well I think one major reason to live there is increased visibility so you can see potentially any approaching potential predators or other humans. This place also looks like it can be defended more easily than a place on a more even land.

[@ruinsandridges]

Thank you for watching and commenting! Yes, indeed, there are hundreds if not thousands of hilltop locations in this area, so often hilltop locations were chosen very strategically. What is interesting is that from one hilltop dwelling you can often see many more, almost formed in a line or a network. It would have been easy to signal from one to another.

[@davemichelson1330]

The area is unique because it's the only region in the Southwest to be entirely fortified AD1000-1200. Although the archaeology is well defined, archaeologists haven't been able in the last 75 years to define the circumstances, motivation, nor the violence that led to building high investment mountain top forts.

[@ruinsandridges]

Yes, a few theories and no clear answers.

[@simonjones3863]

Perhaps it was an island.

[@ruinsandridges]

A few million years ago, yes. Because we find a lot of fossils. Thank you for watching!

[@jamesn.economou9922]

I think that the whole mountain, is built from ancient building blocks.

[@ruinsandridges]

The summit rocks are natural volcanic basalt. there is 1 or 2 ancient pit hoses on top.

[@tomjones6777]

Depending on location, high altitude domiciles may be a way of escaping the heat (?).

[@ruinsandridges]

Good point, but here we are already at 5,000 feet elevation, and climbing to 6,000 feet does not provide too much difference. Yes a few degrees cooler, but probably would not be primary reason to build high. Often it is actually cooler by the creeks and in canyons. They did use cave shelters for coolness and food storage. Also, when they built on hilltops, those were usually pit homes dug in into the dirt, which made them cooler. Sometimes, there are villages below, and then on top of buttes a lookout place. Sometimes the whole village is on a butte or very steep cliffs.
Some high points would have kept them safer from floods and fires.
Thank you for watching!

[@rachelleasedwalker6313]

Maybe they just liked the view 😊

[@ruinsandridges]

Maybe, but definitely a lot of work to carry all the rocks and carry water and food daily.