Female attribute found in a male burial
Archaeologists have found the tomb of an ancient priest in Peru, which is estimated to be 3,000 years old. This discovery intrigued scientists with its unusual details.
In northern Peru, archaeologists have unearthed a 3,000-year-old tomb that they believe could be dedicated to an elite religious leader in the Andean country some three millennia ago, Reuters reports.
Named “The Priest of Pacopampa” (meaning the high-mountain archaeological zone where the tomb was found), a clergyman who lived in ancient times was buried under six layers of ash mixed with black earth, decorated with ceramic bowls and seals, indicating ancient ritual body paint used for people of an elite status, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
Two seals were also found along the upper edges of the tomb, one with an anthropomorphic face facing east and the other with a jaguar face facing west.
Project leader Yuji Seki said the large size of the tomb, almost two meters (2.2 yards) in diameter and one meter (3.3 feet) deep, seemed «very unusual», as did the position of the body lying face down with elongated half of the torso and crossed legs.
He added that a bone in the form of a blunt was also found on the body – a large pin used by the Andean Indians to fasten cloaks and ponchos, which was probably used to hold a woman's blanket.
“Although this man is a man, his associations are very peculiar, Seki said. – I think it was a chief at one time”.
The Pacopampa Archaeological Project has been operating in the area since 2005, the ministry said, adding that rock layers indicate that the priest, who was buried near 1200 BC, was about five centuries older than the tombs of the “Lady Pacopampa” and “Pacopampa Snake Jaguar Priests discovered in 2009 and 2015 respectively.