Archeologists were able to unearth a 4,500-year-old mummy, which may possibly reveal more information about the ancient history of Peru.
The mummy was specifically found in northern Peru in the coastal ruins of Aspero. The exact location is approximately 14 miles away from the city of Caral, which houses a number of the most ancient pyramids in the Americas.
The Caral civilization is considered to be the earliest urban settlement in the world. Although excavations at the site were performed years ago, the new discovery may shed more light about the history of Peru, specifically about how people at that time chose to become urban dwellers.
The Artifacts
Aside from the mummy, the experts also discovered funeral-related materials such as a pot with vegetable pieces and seeds, a necklace with mollusk beads, a pendant also made of mollusks and bone broaches with monkey and bird themes.
These artifacts give possible details about the trade industry in the area during that time.
For archaeologist Ruth Shady, the objects came from different locations and that the mummified woman belonged to a high class society.
The cause of death of the woman was not identified by the experts. The story angle that the woman may had been a sacrificial lamb was voided by Shady. She said residences in the Caral civilization do not regularly practice that and was in fact, very rare.
Archeologists estimates that the mummy dates back to 2,500 B.C., which is the same time when the people started building pyramids.
Implications Of The Discovery
The discovery may particularly help experts understand the movement of what is probably the oldest social group in the Americas.
"This find shows evidence of gender equality, that is, both women and men were able to play leading roles and attain high social status more than 1,000 years ago," says Solis.
There are still so much more to discover about this particular subject of human history. With new technologies and unprecedented eagerness of experts today, more and more things about the ancient time are likely to be unravelled.
Photo: Mel Patterson | Flickr
