Ancient Unlooted Royal Wari Tomb Discovered In Peru

[Judi Lynn]

1. Undisturbed ancient royal tomb discovered in Peru

Undisturbed ancient royal tomb discovered in Peru
Published: June 27, 2013 at 11:38 PM

LIMA, June 27 (UPI) -- An ancient, artifact-filled royal tomb of the Wari people has been discovered in a pyramid in Peru, archaeologists say.

The pre-Incan mausoleum, located at the El Castillo de Huarmey site 175 miles north of Lima, is the first to be found that hasn't been looted, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Among the more than 1,200 artifacts are gold- and silver-inlaid jewelry, ceremonial axes, looms and spindles, the newspaper said.

Milosz Giersz, an archaeologist with the University of Warsaw in Poland who headed the expedition, told the Times it holds an altar-like throne and the bodies of 63 people, mostly women. Giersz said the bodies were positioned sitting and wrapped in cloth. The archaeologists surmise some were likely human sacrifices, and three were thought to be Wari queens.

More:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2013/06/27/Undisturbed-ancient-royal-tomb-discovered-in-Peru/UPI-47971372390698/#ixzz2XUQfgEfH

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Mummified women, sacrifices found in Peruvian tomb
4 hr ago | By Reuters

An ancient Peruvian tomb has revealed secrets about the empire that ruled the Andes before the Incas, including a greater role for women in political life.


LIMA — Archaeologists in Peru on Thursday said they have unearthed a massive royal tomb full of mummified women that provides clues about the enigmatic Wari empire that ruled the Andes long before their better-known Incan successors.

"For the first time in the history of archeology in Peru we have found an imperial tomb that belongs to the Wari empire and culture," lead archeologist Milosz Giersz said.

Researchers said the discovery will help them piece together life in the Andes centuries before the rise of the Incan empire, which was written about in detail by the conquering Spaniards.

The mausoleum, unearthed a few months ago at a coastal pyramid site called El Castillo de Huarmey 185 miles north of Lima, contained gold pieces, ceramics and 63 skeletons about 1,300 years old.

More:
http://news.msn.com/science-technology/mummified-women-sacrifices-found-in-peruvian-tomb

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A few images at:
http://peru21.pe/actualidad/castillo-huarmey-hallazgo-mas-importante-desde-sipan-2137681