29
votes
Accepted
Did pre-Columbian Americans know the spherical shape of the Earth?
Firstly, it is important to be aware that our understanding of the civilisations and culture of Pre-Columbian America is far from complete. Secondly, I don't propose to attempt to cover every ...
- 77.4k
22
votes
Accepted
How densely populated were the Americas prior to European colonization?
Disease plays a significant role. Estimates vary wildly, but there were probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 million people living in the Americas before Columbus. The vast majority of those ...
- 118k
20
votes
What did indigenous North Americans trade amongst themselves before Europeans arrived?
Flint points, obsidian, buffalo hides, salt, pearls, shells and (as mentioned by T.E.D.) copper were among item traded by Native Americans before Europeans arrived. That said, trade in North America ...
- 108k
17
votes
Why did Pre-Columbian Americans not build city walls?
The implication of the question is that Meso-American cultures didn't employ any architectural defenses ("walls"). I don't think that's true at all.
Below is a pictoral recreation of Cahokia. That ...
- 118k
9
votes
Accepted
How did pre-Columbian Americans shear their alpacas?
Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze ...
By E. J. W. Barber, a text devoted to the development of cloth in the neolithic and bronze ages, on p. 261, describes the ...
- 6,799
9
votes
Accepted
Apart from the Inuit, and candlefish on the northwest coast, did pre-Columbian America have lamps or candles?
Short answer
As you say in your question, "It is always harder to show an absence" but in this case the absence of evidence, aside from the Arctic & Subarctic regions, seems complete. In ...
- 108k
8
votes
Accepted
What events led to the Aztecs and Mayans adopting cocoa beans as a currency?
It's a stretch to say that the barter economy was "replaced" with a "cocoa bean economy". However, cocoa beans were certainly an important trade item, and appear to have taken on ...
- 18.9k
8
votes
Why did Pre-Columbian Americans not build city walls?
I believe many did.
Hopewell (mound builders) :
This Hopewell mound in Newark Ohio looks an awe-full lot like a circular wall with a gate in the upper left hand corner.
regarding the Inca, these look ...
- 692
7
votes
Native American Technology
Let's start by making two assumptions:
We're talking about the people who lived all throughout the Americas, from the far Arctic north to Tierra del Fuego in the far south. (Sometimes people use "...
- 10.5k
6
votes
Religion in present-day Colombia before Spanish colonial influence
OK, as I said in my comment above, this isn't really a subject that I know enough about, but in the absence of any other answers I'll do my best ...
Most of what is now Colombia was part of the ...
- 77.4k
6
votes
Accepted
How can I authenticate this presumably ancient Narino/Carchi pedestal bowl?
I eventually found this lady Dr. Lori, who has a really great youtube channel on all types of antiques.
I went to her site to pay for an appraisal. She does free appraisals if the value of your item ...
- 181
5
votes
Accepted
Is there a population density map of pre-Columbian South America?
For what this website defines as history (roughly, "the story of humanity"), there's rather a lot of "pre-Columbian history" in South America, and you can't really depict it all in a single map. ...
- 118k
5
votes
How densely populated were the Americas prior to European colonization?
The Atlantic actually did an article about this very question (and various other, related topics) back in 2002, titled 1491. It notes some very interesting points, including that we do have actual ...
- 2,289
4
votes
How densely populated were the Americas prior to European colonization?
Before exposure to European disease the Americas were extremely populated. There is plenty of evidence of that. Middle estimates are about 50 million, though some argue 100 million+.
But what we ...
- 149
4
votes
How densely populated were the Americas prior to European colonization?
There are no reliable records (as @Joe indicates in comments: no records from the locals, unreliable information from the colonists), so I have to resort to "educated guesswork".
Population density ...
- 26.9k
3
votes
What did indigenous North Americans trade amongst themselves before Europeans arrived?
By some accounts, oils and furs were traded in the Pacific Northwest.
Early accounts stress the enormous importance
of oils in trade, feasting, and food. The Makah used to compete to see who ...
- 191
2
votes
How did pre-Columbian Americans shear their alpacas?
Googling for native american technology "shears" brings up Goods, Power, History: Latin America's Material Culture by Arnold J. Bauer. At page 25 it hints that we don't know for sure:
Just how the ...
- 23.2k
2
votes
Why are doomsday predictions for 2012 seen as incompatible with historical Maya mythology/religion?
I think this was always regarded as an ending to a metaphysical era more than a physical ending within the Mayan calendar. I had this described to me as a cycle in humanity's heart beat as one beat ...
- 2,722
2
votes
How do we know that the Tiwanaku Empire actually existed as an empire
Well, here's what Wikipedia currently says on the subject:
There are many theories about the type of Tiwanaku state, one opinion
is that it was a far-reaching military empire, while other theory ...
- 118k
2
votes
What did indigenous North Americans trade amongst themselves before Europeans arrived?
An area which may require a closer look is the southwestern cultures. Trade routes were actually quite well established in these regions, with many items being traded. An article Indigenous Trade: The ...
- 38.7k
1
vote
What were the main centres of population in South America in 1500 AD?
According to the "Pre-Colombian era" article on Wikipedia, there were 4 major cultural groups that developed permenant settlements of significance in South America: the Muisca, Valdivia, Quechua and ...
- 18.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible