Megan ByrneAncient Pet Cemetery Unearthed In Peru
October 27th 2006 05:38
Last month, National Geographic News reported that archaeologists have found more than 40 mummified dogs buried a thousand years ago by the Chiribaya, an ancient people of Peru. The dogs were buried with treats and blankets for the afterlife. They were found next to their human owners in a thousand-year-old pet cemetery the archaeologists discovered while excavating a human cemetery south of Lima, Peru.
The discovery speaks to the high status the Chiribaya culture placed on their dogs, which were prized for their skill in herding llamas. It’s speculated that the Chiribaya shepherds have descendants still living today and that the dogs constitute a unique breed.
History and Culture
The people of the Chiribayan culture fished from the Pacific, grazed their llamas in the shadows of the Andes, with the help their beloved dogs, and fed themselves with an abundance of crops from irrigated fields. They also made exquisite and highly decorative pottery, often depicting their lifestyles.
The custom of the Chiribaya was to put large amounts of pottery in the graves of the deceased. These pieces provide a wealth of information for ceramics studied today. The materials also lend themselves easily to carbon dating techniques which have helped define the unusually large population of the Chiribaya.
The styles of the designs of the pottery differed between the coastal-dwelling Chiribaya and that of the same people found further inland. However, the people of both regions used the same ceramic technologies and often used the same types of paste, paints and other materials and methods to make the ceramics which were later fired. Chiribaya ware has abstract and complex geometric designs. Generally, the pots and jars were decorated with reds and browns, with black outlining.
Chiribaya, who predate the Inca, were an agricultural society thriving from about 900 to 1350. The Chiribaya lived in many small cities throughout the Osmore drainage basin until an el Nino destroyed most of their land.
The el Nino of 1350, with its torrential rains, sent enough mud through the Ilo River Valley that farms and cities were buried up to 30 feet. The mudslides forced the Chiribaya to move from the coast of southern Peru and marked the end of civilization as they had known it.
The discovery speaks to the high status the Chiribaya culture placed on their dogs, which were prized for their skill in herding llamas. It’s speculated that the Chiribaya shepherds have descendants still living today and that the dogs constitute a unique breed.
History and Culture
The people of the Chiribayan culture fished from the Pacific, grazed their llamas in the shadows of the Andes, with the help their beloved dogs, and fed themselves with an abundance of crops from irrigated fields. They also made exquisite and highly decorative pottery, often depicting their lifestyles.
The custom of the Chiribaya was to put large amounts of pottery in the graves of the deceased. These pieces provide a wealth of information for ceramics studied today. The materials also lend themselves easily to carbon dating techniques which have helped define the unusually large population of the Chiribaya.
The styles of the designs of the pottery differed between the coastal-dwelling Chiribaya and that of the same people found further inland. However, the people of both regions used the same ceramic technologies and often used the same types of paste, paints and other materials and methods to make the ceramics which were later fired. Chiribaya ware has abstract and complex geometric designs. Generally, the pots and jars were decorated with reds and browns, with black outlining.
Chiribaya, who predate the Inca, were an agricultural society thriving from about 900 to 1350. The Chiribaya lived in many small cities throughout the Osmore drainage basin until an el Nino destroyed most of their land.
The el Nino of 1350, with its torrential rains, sent enough mud through the Ilo River Valley that farms and cities were buried up to 30 feet. The mudslides forced the Chiribaya to move from the coast of southern Peru and marked the end of civilization as they had known it.
| 83 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
