Workmen Examine Copper and Gold Artifacts in Elite Burial
After the carob log roof was removed, a layer of oxidized copper and gilt copper was identified at this tomb in Sipán.
The green in the burial was created by corroded copper and gilt-covered copper ornaments which likely cover the person buried in the tomb. The discovery of the gilded copper means the excavation will now progress exceptionally slowly, because of the need to record the elements in situ, and because the fragility of the objects requires preservation prior to their removal from the burial.
Investigations at other sites such as Huaca de la Cruz, El Brujo, and Loma Negra have taught archaeologists that the quality and quantity of metals at a site are a direct measure of the status of the buried individual. Metals recovered from Moche sites regularly include copper, gold, silver, and lead in pure form, and in combination with one another. Metal ornaments have been found of gilded and silvered copper as well as hammered from pure thin gold sheets; cast copper bells and chisels and copper and gold ingots have also been discovered.
They also added a silver layer to gold in a manner not yet understood by archaeologists. Other techniques used by Moche metalsmiths include soldering, such as when the individual legs of intricate gold spiders were attached to a silver backing for the Lord of Sipán's burial.
The soils of the Peruvian coast are saline and highly corrosive for archaeological objects; metals in particular are difficult to handle and may be highly mineralized.
The green in the burial was created by corroded copper and gilt-covered copper ornaments which likely cover the person buried in the tomb. The discovery of the gilded copper means the excavation will now progress exceptionally slowly, because of the need to record the elements in situ, and because the fragility of the objects requires preservation prior to their removal from the burial.
Investigations at other sites such as Huaca de la Cruz, El Brujo, and Loma Negra have taught archaeologists that the quality and quantity of metals at a site are a direct measure of the status of the buried individual. Metals recovered from Moche sites regularly include copper, gold, silver, and lead in pure form, and in combination with one another. Metal ornaments have been found of gilded and silvered copper as well as hammered from pure thin gold sheets; cast copper bells and chisels and copper and gold ingots have also been discovered.
Moche Metallurgy
Studies of Moche metallurgy suggest that many of the objects recovered from Moche tombs were created by hammering sheets of gold or copper into low relief. Such sculptured sheets were frequently used to create headdresses and nose ornaments. In some cases, the Moche added uniformly thin surfaces of gold and/or silver to copper sheets by dissolving the precious metals in an aqueous solution of acids, and then placing the copper objects into the solution.They also added a silver layer to gold in a manner not yet understood by archaeologists. Other techniques used by Moche metalsmiths include soldering, such as when the individual legs of intricate gold spiders were attached to a silver backing for the Lord of Sipán's burial.
The soils of the Peruvian coast are saline and highly corrosive for archaeological objects; metals in particular are difficult to handle and may be highly mineralized.
Source
Jones, Julie. 2001. Innovation and resplendence: Metalwork for Moche lords. pp. 207-221 in Pillsbury, Joanne (ed), Moche Art and Archaeology in Ancient Peru. Yale University Press, New Haven.
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