{"id":5814,"date":"2022-02-04T05:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T04:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=110856"},"modified":"2022-02-04T05:20:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T04:20:11","slug":"ancient-spines-threaded-onto-sticks-found-in-peru","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/ancient-spines-threaded-onto-sticks-found-in-peru\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient spines threaded onto sticks found in Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By James Cutmore\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 04 February 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Researchers working in Peru have unearthed 192 human spines that were ceremonially threaded onto posts made of reeds 500 years ago. The discovery, published in the journal Antiquity<\/a><\/em>, highlights an Andean burial tradition that has only been found in this specific area of Western Peru, which is known as the Chincha Valley.<\/p>\n

Teams of archeologists excavated 20 sites around the region, and found the spines in elaborate graves known as chullpas<\/em>. The fact that these \u2018vertebrae-on-posts\u2019 were discovered at multiple sites may suggest this was a common and well-known practice, they say.<\/p>\n

It is thought that the spines were reconstructed and held-together with reeds many years after death, possibly due to the graves being looted and damaged by European settlers. The dead being buried intact was an important part of the culture of the Chincha people, so their reconstruction and reinterment would have been highly significant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This coastal region was once the heartland of the Chincha Kingdom, but between 1533 and 1583 its population declined massively due to epidemics, famines and the arrival of foreign invaders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Unearthing the posts<\/h2>\n
\""Vertebrae-on-postsassociatedwithdisturbedtextilebundles.\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Vertebrae in-situ at one of the excavation sites in the Chincha Valley, Peru. Photo by Jacob L Bongers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Craniums at the dig site<\/h2>\n
\""Vertebrae-on-postsassociatedwithdisturbedtextilebundles(scalesincm;photographsbyJ.L.Bongers)"\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Vertebrae and human skulls in-situ at one of the excavation sites, showing textile bundles on their right-hand-side. Photo by Jacob L Bongers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Vertebrae-on-posts<\/h2>\n
\""Examples\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
After being removed from multiple excavation sites, examples of vertebrae-on-posts found at the Chincha Valley were documented and carbon-dated. They are thought to date from\u00a0the Late Horizon (1400\u20131532 AD) and Colonial (1532\u20131825 AD) periods. Photo by C O\u2019Shea<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Graves filled with bones<\/h2>\n
\""Chullpa\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
An elaborately built grave, known as a Chullpa, is shown here partially excavated, and full of human remains.\u00a0Photo by Jacob L Bongers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Cranium and spine<\/h2>\n
\""Cranium\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Vertebrae-on-post inserted into a cranium, as found within a chullpa. This was the only example unearthed where the head was still attached to the spinal column. Photo by Jacob L Bongers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

See more images on Science Focus<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n