Sweden returned a Paracas funeral shroud to Peru 80 years after a Swedish diplomat smuggled it out. The shroud, which is rich in color and character, belonged to a civilization that existed even before the rise of the Incan Empire.
The beautifully preserved shroud is 2,000 years old.
The Paracas civilization is known for its beautiful textiles, but scholars know very little else about the people that lived for centuries in the southwest peninsular region of modern-day Peru.
The agreement between the Peruvian and Swedish governments ensures the safe return of 85 historic textiles to the South American nation. Four of the textiles are of Paracas origin. The shroud was previously displayed in Sweden's National Museum of World Culture, where it was nicknamed "The Calendar," due to its design resembling that of a record of farming seasons. It was permanently dubbed "The Shroud of Gothenburg" because of the museum's location in Gothenburg, Sweden.
"Despite being more than 2,000 years old, the colors of the Paracas textiles are still fantastic and well preserved. The natural colors of pure Alpaca yarn range from grey, white and beige to brown and black. The yarn was dyed and as a result of the Alpaca wool fibers absorbing dye better than cotton fibers, most of the colored segments in the textiles are wool fibers," says the museum.
The shroud is made from dyed Alpaca wool fibers and depicts complex patterns of human figures, animals and crops such as corn and cassava. The colors are still vibrant hues of blue, green, red and yellow. While it is surprisingly preserved, it shows evidence of time and movement due to "UV light, oxygen and variations in humidity and temperature," according to the Museum of World Culture. Before the textiles were found, they were protected by "dry, cold and salty desert sand."
The uniqueness of this particular shroud, according to Peru's Ministry of Culture, lies in its changing patterns. Most Paracas textiles exhibit patterns of repeated designs, but the 2,000 Gothenburg shroud is a complex blend of colorful and distinctive images.
The museum displayed its Paracas textiles for three years and is now returning them to their birthplace. Both the method of creation and specific details of the Paracas civilization remain unknown. Hopefully, once all the Paracas artifacts are consolidated together under the Peruvian government, officials will take steps to understand more of the mysterious culture.
