Archaeologists working thousands of miles apart have recently reported on new finds from two ancient civilizations, a reminder that while there are many ancient sites that have become modern tourism draws, much remains undiscovered—'new' ancient sites, as it were.
In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, in an area that has seen little exploration, a team from the Archeology Council of the National Institute of Anthropology and History discovered the city, which they named Ocomtun, meaning “stone column” in the Yucatec Maya language.
They discovered large pyramid-like buildings, stone columns, three plazas with 'imposing buildings' and other structures arranged in almost-concentric circles scattered throughout the thousand-year-old ancient settlement. It's believed to have been inhabited between 250 and 1000 AD.
In Portugal, the find is even older, a series of burial monuments on top of the Monte do Oural, a mountain northeast of Porto. The excavation is being done by archaeologists and students from the University of Minho. The site is believed to date back as much as 5,000 years, to around 3,000 BC
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