LIMA (AFP) — A Canadian-led team of archaeologists has unearthed the 1,700 year-old tomb of a leader of the pre-Columbian Moche culture in northern Peru, the scientists said.
Canadian archaeologist Steve Bourget said the tomb was discovered in the Ucupe dig 39 kilometers (24 miles) from Chiclayo on Peru's northern coastal plain.
The leader's remains were found, decorated with pieces of copper, in a wooden sarcophagus.
Inside the researchers found bracelets, a staff and a breastplate made of smaller metal plates, according to Bourget, an expert in Peru's ancient Moche culture which flourished in the area during the first millennium AD.
During their excavations at the Pepe Quinones site in Ucupe, they also found crowns, earflaps, nose pieces and other gold and copper objects.
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