Red paint used to paint a 1000-year-old, gold-colored mask was used to make human BLOOD proteins. It was found on the skull and brain of an elite man who was buried at Peru in 1021.

  • The original discovery of the mask was made in the 1990s. However, experts couldn’t identify the organic binder within the red paint.
  • A new analysis of the paint revealed that it contained human blood and bird eggs. proteins
  • The mask was discovered on the skull of an elite Peruvian man who died 1,000 years ago.

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A new analysis revealed that red paint that was used to decorate a golden mask worn by an elite Peruvian man 1,000 years ago, contained trace amounts of human blood. 

The man, who was between 40 and 50 years old at the time of his death, lived during the Sicán that spanned from 750 A.D. to 1375 – an era known for its dazzling array of gold objects, many of which were buried in tombs of the elite class.

The tomb was first discovered in the 1990s, and archaeologists at that time were able to locate it. concluded the red paint cinnabar, a brick-red form of mercury, but the effective organic binder remained a mystery – until now.

Scientists, led by Izumi Shimada, founder of the Sicán Archaeological Project, reassessed the ancient burial mask and Unique peptides have been discovered that match both human blood and bird egg protein. 

In a study published by the Journal of Proteome Research, the team stated that “the presence of human blood would support previous beliefs that red cinnabar painting may represent ‘life force’ meant to support rebirth.”

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A gold mask discovered on the remains of an elite man who died 1,000 years ago in Peru is decorated with red paint that contains human blood, a new analysis reveals

A new analysis has revealed that a gold mask found on the remains of a Peruvian elite man died 1,000 years ago is covered with red paint that contains human blood.

The mask, made from gold, was found on the man, whose skeleton had been painted red and was seated inside the tomb.  

Two young women’s skeletons were found in close proximity to each other during birthing and midwifing. According to a statement two children crouching on their skeletons were placed at higher levels.

Shimada and his associates analyzed a small amount red paint from a mask in the hopes of determining its organic binder.

Using a spectroscopy, a study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, the team found six proteins from human blood in the red paint, including serum albumin and immunoglobulin G (a type of human serum antibody). Other proteins, like ovalbumin, were obtained from egg whites. 

The tomb was originally unearthed in the 1990s and archaeologists at the time concluded the red paint cinnabar, a brick-red form of mercury, but the effective organic binder remained a mystery – until now

The tomb was originally unearthed in the 1990s and archaeologists at the time concluded the red paint cinnabar, a brick-red form of mercury, but the effective organic binder remained a mystery – until now

The researchers were unable to identify the exact species bird egg that made the paint because of the way the proteins were degraded. However, they did find the Muscovy duck as a possible candidate.

The Sican culture lived on the north coast of Peru, predating the Incas. However Ancient Origins reports that their development is still unclear.

However, some say Sicáns are descendants of the Moche culture that flourished in the country from 100 A.D. to 700 A.D.

The Sicán culture put a large focus on the funerary practices of the elites, who were often buried with stunning grave goods.

Another aspect of Sicán funerary practice that has gained attention relatively recently is that of human sacrifice – and it was mostly women who were sacrificed and laid in the tombs of men.

WHY WAS ANCIENT SOUTH AMERICAN CULTURES SACRIFICED THEIR CHILDREN

Child sacrifice appears to have been a common occurrence in ancient Peru’s cultures, including the preincan Sican culture or Lambayeque culture, and the Chimu people that followed them, as also the Inca.

The mummified remains and bones of a child’s body were among the many finds that reveal this ritual behavior. They were discovered by a group made up of mountaineers in 1985.

The remains were found at approximately 17,388ft (5300m) on Cerro Aconcagua mountain’s southwest ridge in the Argentinean Province of Mendoza.

Child sacrifice seems to have been a relatively common occurrence in the cultures of ancient Peru. Among the finds revealing this ritual behaviour were the mummified remains of a child's body (pictured), discovered in 1985 by a group of mountaineers

Child sacrifice appears to have been a common practice in ancient Peru’s cultures. This ritual behaviour was revealed by the mummified remains a child’s body (pictured), which were discovered in 1985 by a group from mountaineers.

The boy is believed that he was a victim of an Inca ritual called capacocha. Children of great beauty, health, and wealth were drugged and taken into the mountains to freeze to their deaths.

A discovery of the Ruins of a Sanctuary used by the Inca for child sacrifice to their gods was made by archaeologists in at a coastal ruin complex in Peru in 2016.

Experts digging at Chotuna-Chornancap, in north Lima, discovered 17 graves dating to at least the 15th century. This included the graves of six children placed side by side in pairs of shallow graves. 

Capacocha was a ritual that most often took place upon the death of an Inca king. The local lords were required to select unblemished children representing the ideal of human perfection.

Ruins of a sanctuary used by the Inca to sacrifice children to their gods was discovered by archaeologists in at a coastal ruin complex in Peru in 2016. Experts digging at Chotuna-Chornancap (pictured), in north Lima, discovered 17 graves dating to at least the 15th century

Ruins of a sanctuary used by the Inca to sacrifice children to their gods was discovered by archaeologistsIn Peru, at a coastal ruin complex. Experts discovered 17 graves at Chotuna Chornancap, north Lima (pictured), that date back at least to the 15th century.

Children were given sets of miniature llama and human figurines in gold and silver, copper, and shell. Male figurines have long ears and a braided band while female figurines wear their hair in plaits.

The children were returned to their original communities and honored before being sacrificed on the Llullaillaco Volcano to the mountain gods. 

Capacocha is a translation of Capacocha which can be translated as’solemn sacrifice’ or a ‘royal obligation.

This type of sacrificial ceremony is meant to honor important life events of Incan emperors, to send them to the deities upon their deaths, to stop natural disasters and encourage crop growth or religious ceremonies. 

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