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LIMA, Peru — Digging in secret for the last three years, archaeologists in Peru say they have unearthed an ancient royal tomb and its treasures.
Thursday, Peruvian antiquity officials announced the discovery of a Wari-empire era mausoleum, its queens, dozens of individuals and golden riches and weapons. Archaeologists dug in secret after they discovered the site in January 2010, concerned that looters would get to the artifacts first, walking away with the site's history.
Polish and Peruvian archaeologists used aerial photography and geophysical imaging equipment to locate the tomb. Upon digging, they found a ceremonial room with a stone throne.
As they dug below the room, they discovered tomb markers in what they realized was the main mausoleum, in which the remains of 60 individuals were seated and wrapped in cloth. Archaeologists believe many of the remains were those of individuals used as human sacrifices.
In three small chambers nearby, three queens were found among their gold and silver, including golden looms.
"We are talking about the first unearthed royal imperial tomb," Milosz Giersz, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw, told National Geographic.
Archaeologists Roberto Pimentel Nita and Giersz said the remains were from the Wari empire, between 700 and 1000 A.D. The empire's capital, Huari, called "one of the world's great cities" by National Geographic, was home to an estimated 40,000 people. Giersz compared its power to the empire of Alexander the Great.
"It's a brief historical phenomenon, but with great consequence," Giersz said.
Top image: Milosz Giersz
