Saturday 12 April 2008
This is the royal tomb of the Lord of Sipán, a king of the ancient Mochica people. He lived about 1,700 years ago, and was buried with a wife (one of many), his military cheif, his standard-bearer, a boy, some decapitated llamas, a guardian (whose feet had been cut off to ensure he stayed in the tomb), a watchman, hundreds of pots full of food, and an unbelievably collection of jewelry and treasures. This picture here is the original tomb, but all the skeletons and such are replicas. Later we visited the museum where the real bodies and treasures are on display, which was one of the most amazing museums I've ever seen in my life. They had the gold and jewelry from this tomb, as well as from other, older tombs. The gold was skillfully worked and all of the jewelry impressively intricate. But the most jaw-dropping display was of delicate woven lace from 2,000 years ago!! These cultures are truly amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment