The Peruvian telephone was made 1200-1400 years ago. This invention amazes almost everyone who hears about it. The phone was found in the ruins of the city of Chan Chan, Peru. This device is the earliest prototype of a telephone found in the Western Hemisphere.
The 1200-year-old telephone was created by the Chimu people who inhabited the Rio Moche Valley in northern Peru. It was created in a society that had no written language. Found only one copy.
Man dressed as a chieftain or priest in the middle of the ruins of Chan Chan, Peru
Photo: Johnathan Hood / Flickr / CC BY-ND
The ancient "telephone" resembles a primitive device for transmitting speech like the "lovers' telephone", which was created several hundred years ago, but gained real popularity in the 19th century. It was usually made from two connected cans. At the time, it was considered a novelty.
The ancient chimu device consists of two gourds, connected by a cord. The pumpkins, each 8.9 centimeters long, are coated with rubber and act as sound transmitters and receivers. There are leather membranes at the base of each gourd. The 22.8-meter line connecting both gourds is made of cotton cord.
The first experiments to create telephones began in 1833. Thus, the Chimu were ahead of Western society by a thousand years.
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The gourds are too fragile for the phone to be tested, but scientists were able to analyze how it worked. The main mystery remains the purpose of this ancient telephone.
Chimu is a society with a strict hierarchy, so only the elite, that is, the priests, could possess such a valuable tool, Matos believes.
The telephone, which was magical for the people of that time, the ability to transmit voice over a distance, served as "a tool for communication between dignitaries," says Matos.
It could be used to communicate between assistants and their superiors through a room or reception area. Thus, face-to-face contact was not required, which ensured the safety of the leader and emphasized his high status.
Like many ancient inventions, it could also be used to surprise believers. The voices emanating from the object in the hand amazed the common people and made the priests believe. And some believe that the gourds with a cord were just a child's toy.
The artifact belonged to Baron Walram von Schöler, a Prussian aristocrat and adventurer like Indiana Jones. He participated in many excavations in Peru in the 30s. Most likely, the artifact was dug up personally by the baron in the middle of the ruins of Chan-Chan.
He distributed his collection of finds among various museums, and the artifact ended up in the vault of the National Museum of the Indian in Maryland. There it was kept in proper conditions at the right temperature as one of the museum's greatest treasures.
Chimu: advanced culture
Anthropologist and archaeologist Matos, who specializes in the study of the central Andes, explained: "The Chimu were an advanced and resourceful people." It was an advanced engineering society. This can be seen in their hydraulic irrigation system, metalwork, and other artifacts.
Amazing constructions in Chan Chan, the capital of Chimu
Photo: Carlos Adampol Galindo / Flickr / CC BY-SA
Chimu inhabited the kingdom of Chimor, the capital of the country was the beautiful city of Chan-Chan (which translates as the Sun-Sun). The city was home to a colossal adobe complex, the largest in the world. It was the largest Indian city in South America. Chan Chan's area was almost 20 square kilometers. In 1200, its population reached 100,000 inhabitants.
The entire city was built from sun-dried clay. The buildings were decorated with many sculptures, reliefs and ornaments. The Chimu reached their heyday around 900, but were conquered by the Incas around 1470.
The Chimu telephone and many other amazing ancient technologies remind us that ancient peoples were capable of amazing inventions long before our "advanced" modern society came up with them.