CUZCO, Peru, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Archaeologists have found a skull from the Wari civilization in Peru that offers insight into the Andes empire that existed 1,000 to 1,500 years ago.

The skull was found when a team of archaeologists and Earthwatch volunteers led by Mary Glowacki and Louis Tesar of the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research uncovered an elite Wari cemetery in Peru's Huaro Valley, near Cuzco, last summer.

The skull -- with a large circular hole cut in its base, suggesting that it may have been put on a pole -- is believed that of a warrior. Archaeologists estimate the man was around the age of 30 at his death and must have been a warrior of repute for the Wari to remove his head and display the skull.

In addition to the skull, the excavation teams also found whole ceramic pots accompanying the tombs of women in other parts of the cemetery.

The research is to be presented during the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, in Austin, Texas, later this year. // © Copyright 2007 United Press International


Publication date: 24 January 2007   

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