Чимү иргэншлийн нийслэл Чан Чан хотоос археологчид зургаан зууны турш хөндөгдөөгүй, элит давхаргын хүний оршуулгын газрыг илрүүлжээ.
Перу улсын Чан Чан хотын Утзх Ан цогцолбороос археологчид 600 орчим жил битүүмжлэгдсэн булшийг олсон нь түүхэн ач холбогдолтой нээлт боллоо. Энэхүү бунхан нь Инкийн эзэнт гүрэнд эзлэгдэхээс өмнөх Чимү иргэншлийн нийгмийн дээд давхаргынхны оршуулгын зан үйлийг судлах ховор боломжийг олгож байна. Судалгааны багийн ахлагч Хорхе Менесесийн мэдээлснээр, тус оршуулгын газар нь тоногдоогүй үлдсэнээрээ онцлог бөгөөд 38 хүний шарил бүхий цогцолбор дотор төвлөрсөн нэгэн бие даасан танхим байжээ.
Төв танхим доторх гавлын яс гүн улаан өнгөтэй байсан нь судлаачдын анхаарлыг татаж байна. Археологч Хенри Гаёосо Руллиерийн тайлбарласнаар, энэхүү өнгө нь эртний Андын бүс нутагт зан үйл, гоёл чимэглэлд өргөнөөр ашиглагддаг байсан мөнгөн усны сульфид агуулсан киннабар хэмээх эрдсээс үүдэлтэй байх магадлалтай юм. Энэхүү олдвор нь тухайн үеийн элитүүдийн оршуулгын зан үйлд киннабар ямар үүрэг гүйцэтгэж байсныг тодруулахад чухал баримт болж байна.
Оршуулгын газраас алт, зэс эдлэл, үнэт эдлэл, нэхмэл эдлэл болон металл зэвсгүүд олдсон нь тус булшийг өндөр албан тушаалтны оршуулга болохыг илтгэж байна. Зарим шарилын яснууд дутуу эсвэл дахин оршуулсан шинж тэмдэгтэй байгаа нь эртний Андын иргэдийн талийгаачдаа хүндэтгэх өвөрмөц уламжлалыг харуулдаг. Вандербилтийн их сургуулийн антропологич Ари Караманикийн үзэж буйгаар, энэхүү нээлт нь амьд болон үхэгсдийн ертөнцийг холбосон эрх мэдлийн төвлөрлийг судлах бүрэн дүр зургийг гаргаж өгч байгаа юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A tomb sealed for nearly 600 years has been opened in Peru, revealing gold, human remains, and a mysterious blood-red skull. Archaeologists made the discovery at Chan Chan, the ancient capital of the Chimú civilization, where a burial chamber had remained almost untouched for centuries.
The tomb was found inside the Utzh An walled complex, a section of the ancient city dating back to the 15th century. Although archaeologists have explored Chan Chan for more than 100 years, this particular burial site had escaped the looters who disturbed many other tombs.
This discovery is especially interesting is the condition of the remains and objects inside. The burial platform offers a rare look at how the Chimú elite buried their dead before their kingdom fell to the Incas in the late 1400s.
A Hidden Tomb Filled With Gold And Ancient Treasures
Inside the funerary platform, archaeologists uncovered gold, copper objects, jewelry, beads, colorful textiles, and metal weapons, along with the remains of 38 people buried in different parts of the complex. As reported by Peru’s Andina news agency, the discovery points to a burial ground associated with high-ranking members of Chimú society.
At the center stood a chamber containing just one individual. The space measured around four feet wide and 16 feet tall, with an eight-foot-long staircase leading down to it. For lead archaeologist Jorge Meneses, finding the chamber in this condition was particularly unusual. He told the BBC that it was the first time Peruvian archaeologists had found an almost intact funerary platform built for an elite individual, with its main chamber sealed for nearly six centuries.
Most elite tombs previously discovered at Chan Chan had already been looted, especially after the Inca conquest. This one was different: much of its original contents remained in place, allowing researchers to examine objects and human remains in their original burial setting.
Why Was This Ancient Skull Stained Red?
One of the strangest discoveries was inside the central chamber, where the skull of the person buried there had been stained a deep, blood-red color. Researchers believe the substance was cinnabar, a bright red mineral containing mercury sulfide that was widely used across the Central Andes for decoration and ceremonial purposes.
Speaking to The Art Newspaper, archaeologist Henry Gayoso Rullier explained that cinnabar appeared on pottery, murals, warriors’ bodies, and funerary masks. It was also used in sacrifices and other rituals. Its presence on the skull adds another detail to the burial practices of the Chimú elite.
The red skull wasn’t the only unusual finding. Some of the other skeletons had missing bones, while others showed signs of being buried more than once. This wasn’t necessarily unusual in the region, where ancient Andean communities sometimes kept the bones of deceased relatives and honored them long after death.
The 38 sets of human remains were spread across two rooms beside the central tomb and the larger burial platform, giving archaeologists a rare opportunity to examine these customs in a largely undisturbed setting.
The Tomb of the Kingdom That Rivaled the Incas
Long before the Incas conquered northern Peru, Chan Chan was the center of a powerful kingdom. The city flourished between approximately 900 CE and the late 1400s, reaching its peak during the 15th century. Built largely from adobe, it became the largest city of its kind in pre-Columbian America. Its inhabitants also faced the challenge of living in one of the driest regions on Earth, relying on a network of canals to bring water across the desert.
The city’s rulers left behind enormous walled palace compounds. As Smithsonian Magazine explains, each Chimú king is believed to have built his own palace, often with a funerary platform inside. The newly discovered tomb appears to belong to that tradition, although archaeologists have not identified the person buried in its central chamber.
“This discovery provides,” stated Ari Caramanica, a Vanderbilt University anthropologist, “a nearly complete picture of a context of intense meaning centered on an elite individual—the node of power around which choreographies of the living and dead would have been directed.”
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