• Archaeologists have discovered an ancient city named Penico in Peru’s northern Barranca province.

• The 3,500-year-old city is likely to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.

• The footage released by researchers shows the city center is marked by a circular structure on a hillside terrace, with remains of stone and mud buildings constructed some 1,970 feet above sea level.

• The urban center is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC. 

• It is close to where the Caral civilisation, the oldest in the Americas, developed 5,000 years ago.

• Caral, comprised of 32 monumental structures, is considered a contemporary of civilisations in Egypt, India, Sumeria and China. 

• Penico’s importance lies in it being the continuation of the Caral society.

• After eight years of studies, researchers have identified up to 18 structures in Penico, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes.

• The walls of a central plaza stand out for their sculptural reliefs and depictions of the ‘pututu’, a conch shell trumpet whose sound carries over long distances.

• In other buildings, researchers found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, ceremonial objects and necklaces made from beads and seashells.

• Peru is a center of ancient cultures and home to archaeological sites such as the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Cusco and the mysterious Nazca lines located in the desert region along the country's central coast.

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