In pics | Peru: Archaeologists unearth 3,000-year-old priestly tomb

Archaeologists in northern Peru have unearthed a 3,000-year-old tomb which they believe honoured the elite religious leader in the Andean country some three millennia ago, said the Peruvian Culture Ministry, in a statement on Saturday (August 26)

The "Priest of Pacopampa," refers to the highland archaeological zone where the tomb was found. 

The tomb was found in at a site where the Pacopampa Archaeological Project has been working in the area since 2005, adding that the rock layers indicate the priest, who would have been buried around 1,200 BC. According to the officials, the priest was buried under six layers of ash mixed with black earth. 

The archaeologists, in addition to the tomb also found decorated ceramic bowls and seals which suggest the use of ancient ritual body paint which was used for people of elite standing, back then.

They also found two seals along the upper edges of the tomb. One of the seals shows an anthropomorphic face looking east and another with a jaguar design facing west, according to a report by Reuters. 

 

As per Reuters, project leader Yuji Seki said that the large size of the "priestly tomb" which is nearly two meters in diameter and one meter deep, was "very peculiar."

Additionally, the body was also positioned lying face down with one-half of his body extended and feet crossed, reported Reuters. 

The body was also reportedly found with a bone shaped into a tupu - a large pin used by Andean Amerindians to hold cloaks and ponchos. He added, that it would also be used to to hold a woman's blanket. 

"Though this person is a man, the associations are very peculiar," said Seki. "I think this was a leader in his time," he added. 

According to the Pacopampa Archaeological Project, the rock layers indicate the priest was some five centuries older than the tombs of the "Lady of Pacopampa" and the "Priests of the Serpent Jaguar of Pacopampa," discovered in 2009 and 2015 respectively.

However, the discovery of last year's "Priest of the Pututos" is believed to be older.