Science: The Secrets of A Moche Lord

Peruvian archaeologists unearth a treasure trove

The moment the archaeologists came upon the coffin in the 1,500-year-old tomb near the coastal Peruvian village of Sipan, they sensed they were on the verge of a historic find. Working with rubber air bulbs and artists' brushes, they gently cleaned away layer after layer of earth with painstaking precision, recording each with sketches and photographs. After they had labored for two months, their efforts began to pay off: slowly, breathtakingly, the gilded remains of a Moche warrior-priest began to emerge. The ancient form, surrounded by an array of what appeared to be family members and retainers, was clothed in 13...

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