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Researchers have discovered a mass grave consisting of 25 to 30 skeletons in the ancient Peruvian city of Chan Chan, which archaeologists believe was the resting place of elite members of society.
The remains were discovered in a small area of only 107 square feet, about 10 feet long and 10 feet wide, and located within what was once the capital of the Chimú Empire, which reached its zenith in the fifteenth century before it fell to the Inca hands in 1470 AD.
Archaeologist Jorge Menes told Reuters that although this ancient community is known for human sacrifices, there is no evidence to suggest that this happened at the site.
However, the researchers plan to run tests in the future to determine the cause of death for each individual.
The Chimo was a pre-Inca culture that emerged from the remains of the Moche culture along the coast of Peru in AD 900.
These ancient people lived in a strip of desert, 20 to 100 miles away, in the South American country, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains.
The Chimu culture is believed to have reached its zenith in the first half of the 14th century, developing a complex civilization with different levels of social hierarchy.
Most of the mass graves found in and around the Old City were the result of human sacrifice, but Mennes said the location of these 25 to 30 skeletons suggested they were buried shortly after the individual's death.
In a video clip filmed at the site, archaeologist Cynthia Cueva said that although the remains are men, women and children, most of them belong to women as young as 30 years old.
The Chemo empire is famous for human sacrifices, specifically one that was revealed in 2019, the largest the world has ever seen.
More than 140 children were found, along with the llamas, butchered in what is believed to be a mass sacrifice to appease the gods of a now-extinct religion. The hearts of many children and small animals were cut during the horrific ritual. The ages of the children ranged from 5 to 14 years.
The massive El Niño event is believed to have caused great floods and storms that caused the bloody sacrifice.
Study author John Ferrano, professor of anthropology at Tulane University, said: 'This site opens a new chapter on the practice of child sacrifice in the ancient world. This archaeological discovery came as a surprise to all of us - we had never seen anything like this before, and there was no suggestion from ethnic sources or "Historical accounts of child sacrifice, or camel sacrifices on this scale in the northern coast of Peru. We were fortunate to be able to excavate the entire site, and have a multidisciplinary field and team to do the excavation and preliminary analysis of the material."
Source arabic.rt
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