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excavations of the site began in 2001 and are ongoing as of 2004, led by Dr. Francisco
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in the 1920s, and the major breakthrough which revealed that the Pre-Classic Maya were more highly developed and urbanized in this era than had long been thought was the archaeological project at
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Some news reports have incorrectly stated that Pre-Classic Maya cities were previously unknown. Pre-Classic buildings in the Peten have been excavated by archaeologists since the work at
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Investigations at Cival have added to knowledge of the Pre-Classic Maya, including revealing the earliest inscriptions with
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The site flourished from about the 6th century B.C. through the 1st century C.E., during the
Preclassic Period (see:
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Maya
Artifacts Found in Guatemala - Society's Rituals May Have Evolved Earlier Than Thought
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Cival on
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1st-century disestablishments in the Maya civilization
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