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| Wari Women from Huarmey: Bioarchaeological Interpretation of Human Remains from the Wari Elite Mausoleum at Castillo de Huarmey, Peru
ISBN: 9781789691856
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / Archaeopress
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Archaeology;
Excavations at the Castillo de Huarmey archaeological site brought to light the first intact burial of female high-elite members of the Wari culture. It was found beneath a large adobe mausoleum, a landmark and focal point of the lower Huarmey Valley. Abundant grave goods, among which were precious metal artefacts, luxurious pottery, beautifully decorated bone and wooden objects, as well as spinning and weaving utensils, leave no doubt about the social status of individuals buried within the main chamber. The very unique character of the find was additionally emphasized by the fact that all of the buried individuals were women, accompanied by two grave guardians, and the remains of ancestors. This book presents the results of bioarchaeological analyses performed to date, and focuses on reconstructing the funeral rite and social status of the deceased.
WIESLAW WIECKOWSKI (born 1974) is a graduate of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. He has also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he specialized in bioarchaeology and funeral archaeology. He has worked on many sites, including Ashkelon, Gesher, Tel Zahara in Israel, Achaia Klaus in Greece, Churajon, and Maucallacta in Peru, both as archaeologist and bioarchaeologist. Since 2010, he has been a member of the Polish-Peruvian research team, led by Miłosz Giersz, that in 2013 discovered the first completely preserved burial of the highest elites of the Wari culture at the site Castillo de Huarmey. He is currently professor at the Department of Bioarchaeology of the University of Warsaw. |
