Tomb with 24 dead in a conflict found in Peru

A pre-Inca tomb of 24 individuals who likely died in the same conflict has been discovered at the archaeological site of El Curaca in the Atico River Valley of southern Peru. The collective tomb is a circular pit with stone walls and contains rich grave goods, including pottery, carved bone objects, stone figures and fine textiles. The pottery in the tomb identifies it as belonging to the Chuquibamba (Aruni) culture.

The deceased were men, women and children, and all of them bore the evidence of the traumatic injuries that killed them. Because they were buried so carefully with such important funerary furnishings, they are believed to have died in a conflict that their community ended up winning, hence their burial as honored dead.

Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Wrocław (UWr) began excavating the site in October of last year. They uncovered numerous stone-lined pit tombs containing collective burials with grave goods. They are now documenting their finds, including recording 3D scans of the skeletal remains which will allow them to do osteological examinations in great detail without exposing the remains to damage.

The fieldwork will continue through the end of April, but the research into their discoveries will continue. The team will analyze and conserve the ceramics, stone and wood objects recovered from the tombs. They are also working to stabilize and conserve the fragile textiles found in the graves, which began to degrade as soon as they were exposed to air.

As part of the ongoing project, the Uwr team will perform DNA analysis of the remains to determine familial relationships and shed new light on the cultures that inhabited the Atico River Valley in the pre-Inca period.

* This article was originally published here