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A large , charred repository containing royal human remains and decoration found inside aMayatemple - Pyramids of Egypt was likely part of a " spectacular and public rite " during a regime change .
Archaeologists discovered the aftermath of the destructive upshot in K’anwitznal ( also called Ucanal ) , an archeological website in northern Guatemala , according to a study publish Thursday ( April 18 ) in the journalAntiquity .
Fragments of a greenstone mosaic mask found inside the temple-pyramid.
After hauling away soil in bags and carefully sift through their contents , research worker uncovered bits of sear human bones , as well as hundreds of pieces of personal adornment made from valuable material , concord to a statement .
" There was a large concentration of soot , atomic number 6 and ashes mixed with bite pearl and fragments of jadeite and marine plate that were so sternly burn that they had cracked and exploded , " lead study authorChristina Halperin , a professor of anthropology at the University of Montreal , told Live Science . " At first we did n’t know what we were looking at . "
But then researchers discovered the leftover of a greenstone mask made of jade and two obsidian slice that would have served as pupils for the masquerade party , exchangeable to otherMaya masks worn by royalty .
A map of the Maya site (left) and a sketch of the pyramid (right).
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" It did n’t tally home that we were see at ornament until we find out the crown [ crown ] , " Halperin said . " Only royal individuals would have worn something like that . We knew it had to be a majestic tomb . "
The researchersradiocarbon - datedbones and charcoal receive at the internet site and discovered that the date did n’t match up . While the charcoal was from sometime between A.D. 773 and 881 , the bones were dated to decades sooner , " intimate that the tomb was reentered specifically to burn the royal stiff , which were then deposited in the structure of a new form of a temple - pyramid , " accord to the statement .
A carved pendant of a human head was one of the artifacts found at the burial site.
" The bones were very fragmented , but we were able to learn that the cadaver were from at least four person , " Halperin said . " It ’s difficult to identify them but we do have sex that one was definitely an adult male person . "
At least two of the individuals were royals , accord to the bailiwick .
Archaeologists determine that the burning event coincided with a regime change in which biotic community member " rejected a Late Classic ( A.D. 600 to 810 ) Maya dynasty and instantiate a new epoch of political parliamentary procedure " with the intromission of a young ruler known as Papmalil , " who may have been a foreigner , " according to the program line .
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" In pen texts , there ’s evidence of a political crisis taking place during this sentence period of time , " Halperin said . " This [ burning ] event pass off as part of the beginning of a new era of political rule . "
The ritual reentering of grave was a vulgar recitation for the Maya , whose hieroglyphic texts revealed similar acts of desecration over the years , the team said .
" The ancient Maya were always reworking their order for better or for worse , and were often in a province of transition , " Halperin said .
