Wari metallurgy at Castillo de Huarmey left behind not only spectacular ornaments and copper-alloy objects, but also far less visually striking traces of ancient technologies. One of them is a small, irregular fragment of material formed during metallurgical processes, found in the burial of a young man equipped with copper-alloy objects.
Although it does not look like a typical artefact, it turned out to be an important source of information. First, it allowed researchers to identify traces of a technology connected with arsenical metals. Then it became the starting point for another question: where could the raw material whose geochemical trace survived in this fragment have come from?
New lead isotope analyses indicate that this material best matches the south-central Andes. The strongest candidate is the Pulacayo region in present-day Bolivia, although the authors of the study stress that this does not automatically mean that raw ore was transported to Huarmey. What may have circulated instead were semi-products, finished objects, fragments of technological materials, knowledge, and even specialists.
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Aida, often referred to as an “Egyptian opera,” became a classic almost immediately after its premiere in 1871. Initially, it was intended to grace the celebrations marking the opening of the Suez Canal, but ultimately this plan did not come to fruition – more than two years passed between the inauguration of the Canal and the first performance of Aida. Set in ancient Egypt, it continues to attract thousands of viewers, fascinated by the tragic story of the main character and the stunning music by Giuseppe Verdi. Few people know that the “archaeological” character of this opera was the work of a man whose name is now known to every enthusiast of ancient Egypt – the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette (1821–1881).
It is often difficult for us to imagine what everyday life was like in ancient times. We fantasize about the past, romanticize its image, and create visions of mystical, incomprehensible rituals. We also often see it through the prism of wars and elite culture. Meanwhile, our ancestors most likely had similar needs and functioned in a similar way to us. A good example of this similarity in experience is the use of ceramic vessels. Just as we cook in pots (admittedly metal ones today) and drink from cups, the ancient Egyptians used specific vessels for specific purposes.