A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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OpenMind
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/world ... mummy.html



A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: May 17, 2006

A mummy of mystery has come to light in Peru.

She was a woman who died some 1,600 years ago in the heyday of the Moche culture, well before the rise of the Incas. Her imposing tomb suggests someone of high status. Her desiccated remains are covered with red pigment and bear tattoos of patterns and mythological figures.

But the most striking aspect of the discovery, archaeologists said yesterday, is not the offerings of gold and semiprecious stones, or the elaborate wrapping of her body in fine textiles, but the other grave goods.

She was surrounded by weaving materials and needles, befitting a woman, and 2 ceremonial war clubs and 28 spear throwers — sticks that propel spears with far greater force — items never found before in the burial of a woman of the Moche (pronounced MOH-chay).

Was she a warrior princess, or perhaps a ruler? Possibly.

"She is elite, but somewhat of an enigma," said John Verano, a physical anthropologist at Tulane University, who worked with the Peruvian archaeologists who made the discovery last year.

Christopher B. Donnan of the University of California, Los Angeles, was not a member of the research team but inspected the mummy and the tomb soon after the find.

"It's among the richest female Moche burials ever found," said Dr. Donnan, an archaeologist of Peruvian culture. "The tomb combines things usually found either exclusively in male or female burials — a real mystery."

The National Geographic Society announced the discovery and is publishing details in its magazine's June issue. The excavations, more than 400 miles northwest of Lima, were supported by the Augusto N. Wiese Foundation of Peru.

The Moche culture flourished in the coastal valleys of northern Peru in the first 700 years A.D. The people were master artisans and built huge adobe pyramids. The woman's tomb was near the summit of a pyramid called Huaca Cao Viejo, a cathedral of the Moche religion.

Dr. Verano's X-ray examination revealed that the mummy was a young adult. Lying near her was the skeleton of another young woman who was apparently sacrificed by strangulation with a hemp rope, which was still around her neck. Such sacrifices were common in Andean cultures.

Radiocarbon analysis of the rope indicated that the burial occurred around A.D. 450.

"Perhaps she was a female warrior, or maybe the war clubs and spear throwers were symbols of power that were funeral gifts from men," Dr. Verano said.

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by spot »

I loved the photo they printed with the story, in that she was buried with a golden bowl inverted over her face. It gave the whole scene a surprisingly delicate touch.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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Oh, such an interesting article! I am going to look up more on this..........
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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chonsigirl wrote: Oh, such an interesting article! I am going to look up more on this..........


I thought that might appeal to you Chonsi.:)
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by BabyRider »

OK, now THAT was some cool sh!t. I'll be waiting anxiously for the June issue of National Geographic. Very, very neat stuff, OM, thanks for sharing it with us. I'll be checking out more of that, too.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by chonsigirl »

:-4 Always so insightful, OM.

Makes me want to go down to my Pre-Columbian group to discuss what they know about it, it has been quite a few months since I've been there.

Oh, I am pulling up legends about Peruvian women warriors.............there is one main woman connected with post-Moche civilization and Pre-Incan...................
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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chonsigirl wrote: :-4 Always so insightful, OM.



Makes me want to go down to my Pre-Columbian group to discuss what they know about it, it has been quite a few months since I've been there.



Oh, I am pulling up legends about Peruvian women warriors.............there is one main woman connected with post-Moche civilization and Pre-Incan...................


Chonsi, your knowledge of history is awesome. Do you think that they may possibly have found the 'main woman' you are referring to here?
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by OpenMind »

BabyRider wrote: OK, now THAT was some cool sh!t. I'll be waiting anxiously for the June issue of National Geographic. Very, very neat stuff, OM, thanks for sharing it with us. I'll be checking out more of that, too.


These and other snippets I have posted to me in an email that I get daily from The Daily Telegraph, a quality daily. If you want to register, their URL is www.telegraph.co.uk

Registration gives you access to all their archives back to 1986.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by spot »

Here, let me put up the photo from the NY Times. I'm sure I ought not.

Attached files
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by OpenMind »

OpenMind wrote: These and other snippets I have posted to me in an email that I get daily from The Daily Telegraph, a quality daily. If you want to register, their URL is www.telegraph.co.uk

Registration gives you access to all their archives back to 1986.


Actually, I am confused.:thinking: This particular snippet came from the New York Times.:-5

www.nytimes.com
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by BabyRider »

spot wrote: Here, let me put up the photo from the NY Times. I'm sure I ought not.
Why would you ought not, spot? :yh_giggle
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by chonsigirl »

The mummy photo is very cool, nothing wrong with posting it.

OM, I am sure historians and archaeologists will have lots of fun studying and writing about this find. You never know where it will lead them, it will take years and decades for them to ruminate about them.

I am still pylling up stuff, this is fun........................:)
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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BabyRider wrote: Why would you ought not, spot? :yh_giggleI fear I have broken several federal laws, at least one state law, placed the FG management in a position where lawyers' letters may rain down at any moment on their unsuspecting heads to be followed by civil claims for damages, and probably made myself liable to extradition on demand, all for the sake of education. Woe is me.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

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spot wrote: I fear I have broken several federal laws, at least one state law, placed the FG management in a position where lawyers' letters may rain down at any moment on their unsuspecting heads to be followed by civil claims for damages, and probably made myself liable to extradition on demand, all for the sake of education. Woe is me.
Umm....in English, please? We are not allowed to post such pictures on the web? Heck, we had a pic of a guy hanging out a window with his bare ass showing. Why would this be offensive or improper or wrong in any way??? :confused:
[FONT=Arial Black]I hope you cherish this sweet way of life, and I hope you know that it comes with a price.
~Darrel Worley~
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Bullet's trial was a farce. Can I get an AMEN?????


We won't be punished for our sins, but BY them.




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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by spot »

BabyRider wrote: Umm....in English, please? We are not allowed to post such pictures on the web? Heck, we had a pic of a guy hanging out a window with his bare ass showing. Why would this be offensive or improper or wrong in any way??? :confused:The image is owned by National Geographic, at a guess. They might argue that by posting it here we have reduced sales of their esteemed magazine by several million copies. They paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that photo, and they want to preserve their investment in their Intellectual Property Rights. They only retain those if they enforce them at least some of the time, and a small board like this one is an ideal target since it can't afford to mount a Free Speech defense in the courts.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by BabyRider »

spot wrote: The image is owned by National Geographic, at a guess. They might argue that by posting it here we have reduced sales of their esteemed magazine by several million copies. They paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that photo, and they want to preserve their investment in their Intellectual Property Rights. They only retain those if they enforce them at least some of the time, and a small board like this one is an ideal target since it can't afford to mount a Free Speech defense in the courts.
Well then, that's a bunch of horse pucky. If they didn't want the picture used elsewhere, they shouldn't have put it on the web in the first place. It's easy enough to swipe just about any picture you want. SO, the heck with 'em. I'm sure enough people will buy the magazine for the sake of the article to compensate for your blatant disregard for copyright laws. :yh_rotfl
[FONT=Arial Black]I hope you cherish this sweet way of life, and I hope you know that it comes with a price.
~Darrel Worley~
[/FONT]










Bullet's trial was a farce. Can I get an AMEN?????


We won't be punished for our sins, but BY them.




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OpenMind
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A Peruvian Woman Warrior of A.D. 450

Post by OpenMind »

spot wrote: The image is owned by National Geographic, at a guess. They might argue that by posting it here we have reduced sales of their esteemed magazine by several million copies. They paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that photo, and they want to preserve their investment in their Intellectual Property Rights. They only retain those if they enforce them at least some of the time, and a small board like this one is an ideal target since it can't afford to mount a Free Speech defense in the courts.


I have to confess that changes in laws even in the Uk concerning copyright has even affected research for educational purposes. Essentially, I think that it is still allowed providing the rightful owner is acknowledged and only that part of the work is copied that is necessary for the research; notwithstanding, the researcher cannot profit from research containing the copyrighted works of others without their express permission.

Newspapers also have copyright ownership over the contents of their publications. Hence the reason why I always post the copyright at the bottom of the article.
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