A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

[OpenMind]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/wo...s/17mummy.html

A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Published: May 17, 2006
A mummy of mystery has come to light in Peru.
She was a woman who died some 1,600 years ago in the heyday of the Moche culture, well before the rise of the Incas. Her imposing tomb suggests someone of high status. Her desiccated remains are covered with red pigment and bear tattoos of patterns and mythological figures.
But the most striking aspect of the discovery, archaeologists said yesterday, is not the offerings of gold and semiprecious stones, or the elaborate wrapping of her body in fine textiles, but the other grave goods.
She was surrounded by weaving materials and needles, befitting a woman, and 2 ceremonial war clubs and 28 spear throwers — sticks that propel spears with far greater force — items never found before in the burial of a woman of the Moche (pronounced MOH-chay).
Was she a warrior princess, or perhaps a ruler? Possibly.
"She is elite, but somewhat of an enigma," said John Verano, a physical anthropologist at Tulane University, who worked with the Peruvian archaeologists who made the discovery last year.
Christopher B. Donnan of the University of California, Los Angeles, was not a member of the research team but inspected the mummy and the tomb soon after the find.
"It's among the richest female Moche burials ever found," said Dr. Donnan, an archaeologist of Peruvian culture. "The tomb combines things usually found either exclusively in male or female burials — a real mystery."
The National Geographic Society announced the discovery and is publishing details in its magazine's June issue. The excavations, more than 400 miles northwest of Lima, were supported by the Augusto N. Wiese Foundation of Peru.
The Moche culture flourished in the coastal valleys of northern Peru in the first 700 years A.D. The people were master artisans and built huge adobe pyramids. The woman's tomb was near the summit of a pyramid called Huaca Cao Viejo, a cathedral of the Moche religion.
Dr. Verano's X-ray examination revealed that the mummy was a young adult. Lying near her was the skeleton of another young woman who was apparently sacrificed by strangulation with a hemp rope, which was still around her neck. Such sacrifices were common in Andean cultures.
Radiocarbon analysis of the rope indicated that the burial occurred around A.D. 450.
"Perhaps she was a female warrior, or maybe the war clubs and spear throwers were symbols of power that were funeral gifts from men," Dr. Verano said.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

[spot]

I loved the photo they printed with the story, in that she was buried with a golden bowl inverted over her face. It gave the whole scene a surprisingly delicate touch.

[chonsigirl]

Oh, such an interesting article! I am going to look up more on this..........

[OpenMind]

Originally Posted by chonsigirl

Oh, such an interesting article! I am going to look up more on this..........

I thought that might appeal to you Chonsi.

[BabyRider]

OK, now THAT was some cool sh!t. I'll be waiting anxiously for the June issue of National Geographic. Very, very neat stuff, OM, thanks for sharing it with us. I'll be checking out more of that, too.

[chonsigirl]

Always so insightful, OM.

Makes me want to go down to my Pre-Columbian group to discuss what they know about it, it has been quite a few months since I've been there.

Oh, I am pulling up legends about Peruvian women warriors.............there is one main woman connected with post-Moche civilization and Pre-Incan...................

[OpenMind]

Originally Posted by chonsigirl

Always so insightful, OM.

Makes me want to go down to my Pre-Columbian group to discuss what they know about it, it has been quite a few months since I've been there.

Oh, I am pulling up legends about Peruvian women warriors.............there is one main woman connected with post-Moche civilization and Pre-Incan...................

Chonsi, your knowledge of history is awesome. Do you think that they may possibly have found the 'main woman' you are referring to here?

[OpenMind]

Originally Posted by BabyRider

OK, now THAT was some cool sh!t. I'll be waiting anxiously for the June issue of National Geographic. Very, very neat stuff, OM, thanks for sharing it with us. I'll be checking out more of that, too.

These and other snippets I have posted to me in an email that I get daily from The Daily Telegraph, a quality daily. If you want to register, their URL is www.telegraph.co.uk
Registration gives you access to all their archives back to 1986.

[spot]

Here, let me put up the photo from the NY Times. I'm sure I ought not.

[OpenMind]

Originally Posted by OpenMind

These and other snippets I have posted to me in an email that I get daily from The Daily Telegraph, a quality daily. If you want to register, their URL is www.telegraph.co.uk
Registration gives you access to all their archives back to 1986.

Actually, I am confused. This particular snippet came from the New York Times.
www.nytimes.com