WASHINGTON - A female mummy with complex tattoos on her arms has been found in a ceremonial burial site in Peru, the National Geographic Society reported Tuesday.
The mummy was accompanied by ceremonial items including jewelry and weapons, and the remains of a teenage girl who had been sacrificed, archaeologists reported.
The burial was at a site called El Brujo on Peru's north coast near Trujillo.
They said the woman was part of the Moche culture which thrived in the area between A.D. 1 and A.D. 700. The mummy was dated about A.D. 450.
The presence of gold jewelry and other fine items indicates the mummy was that of an important person, but anthropologist John Verano of Tulane University, said the researchers are puzzled by the presence of war clubs, which are not usually found with females.
The woman had complex tattoos, distinct from others of the Moche, covering both arms and other areas. Bone scarring indicated the woman had given birth at least once. The cause of her death was not apparent.
Verano said she would have been considered an adult in her prime. Some Moche people reached their 60s and 70s.
The grave also contained headdresses, jewelry made of gold and semiprecious stones, war clubs, spear throwers, gold sewing needles, weaving tools and raw cotton.
"Perhaps she was a female warrior, or maybe the war clubs and spear throwers were symbols of power that were funeral gifts from men," Verano said. In the thousands of Moche tombs previously exposed, no female warrior has been identified.
The find is described in the June issue of National Geographic magazine.
posted
Do you suppose this could be some of that elusive archaeological evidence to prove the Book of Mormon? That would be so cool! But, even if it is, would it really make a difference to the critics?
Posts: 1305 | Registered: Jun 2001
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It is nice for someone who already believes to see small confirmations such as this. For the rest of the world, discoveries such as this one just help to break down some past misconceptions that may have been stumbling blocks. I hope that people wouldn't convert based on archaeological evidence, but if there are barriers keeping people from the truth based upon a false concept of history then I am happy to see those walls torn down.
Archaeological evidence of the Book of Mormon is not quite as elusive as we might think. I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of it. Some archaeologist that have been silent about findings that coincide with the Book of Mormon are finally starting to speak up a little.
I don't watch the Tonight Show. I wonder what the joke was behind this story.
Posts: 16 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Wait, what makes this find particularly indicative of the Book of Mormon? I'm not sure I see the significance. As the article stated, they've already found thousands of similar burials ... and I don't remember there being any female warriors in the Book of Mormon ...
Posts: 806 | Registered: Feb 2000
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quote:Wait, what makes this find particularly indicative of the Book of Mormon? I'm not sure I see the significance. As the article stated, they've already found thousands of similar burials ... and I don't remember there being any female warriors in the Book of Mormon ...
The Book of Mormon teaches that both men and women came with Lehi's group. This only confirms the fact.
But seriously, for those who would link this to Book of Mormon peoples, how would this fit in to the limited geography theories of modern LDS scholars? Peru is too far south for Book of Mormon peoples according to those geographies.
Posts: 1451 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Sorry that wasn't the point. I am not trying to show that this is major proof of the Book of Mormon. It is not direct evidence for the Book of Mormon at least not in that way. It just happened that in Institute we were finnishing up the Moroni and I read chapter 9 the same day I found this article. They fit together quite well especially as this find is dated around when the Nephites were destroyed.
"Interesting find. I think it fits in neatly with Mormon and Moroni's time."
As to the possibility that it is a woman warrior, if there ever were female wariors among the Nephites it would have been at that point in their history. I agree with the archealogist though that the weapons are not an absolute indication that she was a warrior. The human sacrifice would have fit well into that time period too.
I like any discovery that makes archeologists rethink their current picture of the pre-Columbian Americas, even if it is in a small way. For me it simply means that while archeology may not provide iron clad proof for The Book of Mormon, when it is being revised from one day to the next,it can't be used as iron clad proof against the book either.
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"if there are barriers keeping people from the truth based upon a false concept of history..."
As more than one person has said, it isn't false concepts of history that are keeping people from the truth. To this day, there are still "revisionists" who deny that the Holocaust happened. The most ironclad, indisputable historical evidence, if available, won't persuade someone who is simply not willing to acknowledge the truth.
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