What is the surprising way ancient people transported heavy timber from distant mountains without using wheels or animals?
by Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder
The ancient ruins of
Were timbers transported to Chaco using tumplines? A feasibility study - ScienceDirect
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103876
Scientists may have solved a Chaco Canyon mystery by hauling logs with their heads | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/02/22/scientists-may-have-solved-chaco-canyon-mystery-hauling-logs-their-heads
1,000 Years Ago, Ancient Puebloans Built a Mysteriously Vast City. We May Finally Know How : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/1000-years-ago-ancient-puebloans-built-a-mysteriously-vast-city-we-may-finally-know-how
Thousands of people lived in Chaco Canyon, which flourished as a center of Pueblo culture. It was made of sandstone blocks and wood as long as 16 feet (about 5 m), and was the largest building built in North America before the 19th century.
The wood used in these constructions was transported by human power, as the Pueblo culture did not have wheels or animals suitable for transportation. However, it is extremely difficult to manually transport large logs from the logging site to Chaco Canyon, which is more than 75 km away.
A research team led by James Wilson and others at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States thought that people in Chaco Canyon transported wood using a method called `` tump line '' that hooks a belt on the head and transports luggage. We conducted an experiment to transport wood with our own power. You can see how Mr. Wilson and Professor Emeritus Roger Crumb, the instructor in charge, transport wood in the following video.
How many CU Boulder researchers does it take to carry a log?-YouTube
Chaco Canyon was one of the most sophisticated cities in pre-European North America.
As many as 200,000 logs are required to build a magnificent building, and it seems that these timbers were transported from a place about 50 miles (about 80 km) away.
Mr. Wilson points out that it is very difficult to transport these timbers without using animals or wheels. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Crumb initially tried to carry the log on their shoulders, but quickly realized that this was tiring and inefficient. 'It was just exhausting. It's a silly way to carry heavy weights,' Crum said.
Therefore, in order to confirm whether timber can be transported long distances by a tump line that hooks a belt fixed to a log to the head, after accumulating training for 6 to 7 days a week for 3 months, timber transportation using a tump line It is said that he challenged. The wood transportation challenge took place in the summer of 2020, and Crum said, ``Some people baked
Mr. Wilson and Mr. Crumb actually carry a log weighing 132 pounds (about 60 kg) on the tump line.
In order to carry the log well, it was important to adjust the timing of lifting the log and the positions of both, and to reduce the shaking by keeping pace.
They were able to carry a log weighing about 60 kg while walking at a speed that was not much different from normal, and succeeded in carrying a log of 25 km within 10 hours.
When they got tired during transportation, they supported the log with a T-shaped bar and rested without lowering the log one by one. According to Mr. Wilson, the most uncomfortable thing about transportation on the tamp line was that the strap part was rubbed against the head.
by Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder
'From our conceptual tests, we conclude that it is possible that the people of Chaco Canyon used tumplines to transport heavy timber,' the researchers said. Although there is no conclusive evidence that this is the case, we have demonstrated that this method was very effective.'
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