All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Sican

Artist’s rendition of Inca skull surgery. Credit: ThomasH

Horrifying Surgical Kit Found in 1,000-Year-Old Surgeon Tomb in Peru

An ancient surgeon’s tomb has been discovered in Peru containing his grisly surgical weapons, including knives, needles and tumis – sharp metallic tools used for medical or sacrificial purposes...
An ancient Peruvian funerary mask. Source: Olena / Adobe Stock

Ancient Peruvian Gold Mask Was Painted with Human Blood!

Archaeologists with the Sicán Archaeological Project , a decades-long study of a lost pre-Incan culture, unearthed a tomb and its contents along the northern coast of Peru in the early 1990s...
Moche Sacrifice Illustration

By the Cut of a Tumi: An Iconic Ceremonial Artifact of Ancient Peru

The tumi was a ceremonial knife used by several pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited the Peruvian coast, including the Moche, Sicán, Chimu, and Inca cultures, to carry out blood sacrifice and...
Funerary mask, Sican culture, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA

Grave Goods and Human Sacrifices: Social Differentiation in Sican Culture Reflected in Unique Burials

The Sican culture, also known as the Lambayeque culture for the region they once inhabited, was one of the many cultures that existed in Peru prior to the coming of the Incas. The Sicans inhabited...
Gold earrings, two knives, a collection of shells, and ceramic containers were uncovered from a flooded Lambayeque tomb.

DNA tests to unravel mystery of Peruvian priestess and burial companions

About 800 years ago, a high status Peruvian woman was buried with seven people and a llama. Some theorize that her burial companions were her relatives, while others maintain they were servants. Now...
4,000-Year-Old Mochica Temple and Tombs Unearthed in Peru

4,000-Year-Old Mochica Temple and Tombs Unearthed in Peru

A 4,000-year-old temple and tombs of 14 ancient Peruvians have been excavated at an ongoing archaeological dig in the Lambayeque area. The temple belongs to the mysterious Moche civilization, while...