Archaeologists have discovered an ancient tomb containing an impressive collection of gold artifacts of great historical and cultural value.
Gold artifacts buried in the lord's tomb. Photo: Panamanian Ministry of Culture
The tomb was discovered at the El Caño archaeological site in the Central American country of Panama, according to a statement from the country's Ministry of Culture. The El Caño site contains a large cemetery of the pre-Hispanic Gran Coclé culture, which was built around 700 AD and abandoned around 1000 AD. The Gran Coclé culture existed in the region from 200 BC to 1550 AD, according to the University of South Florida. Gran Coclé is known for its distinctive artistic style, especially its large number of finely crafted gold objects, which make up the majority of artifacts excavated in Panama's Coclé province, Newsweek reported on May 2.
Archaeologists found a large number of artifacts in the tomb, mainly ceramics but also many gold objects, including two belts made of spherical gold beads, four bracelets, two earrings in the shape of a man and a woman, an earring in the shape of a crocodile, five earrings made of gold-plated sperm whale teeth, and a series of gold discs. The team also recovered a number of artifacts made of dog teeth and a bone flute.
The historical and cultural value of the gold treasure in the tomb is “incalculable,” said Linette Montenegro, national director of heritage at Panama’s Ministry of Culture. The tomb likely belonged to a man of high status, said Julia Mayo, director of the El Caño Association and head of the excavation project at the site since 2008.
The remains of a man in his 30s or 40s were found alongside burial objects in the tomb. But the tomb also contained the remains of several people sacrificed to accompany the lord in the afterlife. The excavation of the tomb is not yet complete, so the team does not know exactly how many people are buried in the tomb. However, the lord was buried in a prone position, as is common at many other sites in Coclé.
An Khang (According to Newsweek )
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