Archaeologists in northern Peru have unearthed a 3,000-year-old tomb believed to be that of an elite religious leader in the country.
Dubbed the “Priest of Pacopampa”, in reference to the archaeological zone where the tomb was found, the priest was buried under six layers of ashes mixed with black earth, with decorated ceramic bowls and seals indicating ancient body painting with rituals used by people of the elite, Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Saturday (26).
Two seals were also found on the upper edges of the tomb, one with an anthropomorphic face facing east and the other with a jaguar design facing west.
Project leader Yuji Seki said the size of the tomb, almost two meters in diameter and one meter deep, was “very peculiar”, as was the position of the body lying face down and feet crossed.
The body was also found with a bone shaped like a “tupu”, a large pin used by Andean Amerindians to secure capes, which would have been used to hold a blanket, he added.
“Although this person is a male, the associations are very peculiar,” said Seki. “I think this was a leader of his time.”
The Archaeological Project of Pacopampa has been active in the area since 2005, the ministry said, adding that the rock layers indicate that the priest, who would have been buried around 1,200 BC, was about five centuries older than the tombs of the “Lady of Pacopampa”. ” and the “Priests of the Serpent Jaguar of Pacopampa”, discovered in 2009 and 2015, respectively.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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