ILO (Peru)
Sep. 13, 2006
An archaeological exhibit may have people scratching their heads ...for more than one reason.
Peru's El Algarrobal museum is exhibiting a mummified mutt which was found remarkably preserved at an excavation in the Moquegua Valley dated around 900 AD. Also remarkably preserved were the dog's fleas.
The small brown dog, belonging to the pre-Incan Chiribaya culture, was one of several pooches found at a human burial site. They were buried individually with special offerings, food and blankets to keep them warm in the afterlife.
And now let's talk about their fleas. Scientists were surprised to find that the same species of flea (Pulex simulans) was also present on human mummies and in human dwellings.
This shows that Chiribaya people kept dogs in their homes, perhaps even as "bed warmers" as did the Inca nobility 400 years later.
Studies also show that Chiribayan dogs ate "people food". Zea mays (corn) was found in the dogs' intestines, and the report states that the dogs were "healthy and probably had a sufficient and varied diet."
"The separate burial, the offerings and the overall good health status suggest that dogs had a distinctive and important place in this early society." 1  |
Sep 12, 2006: A museum worker prepares the 1000-year-old dog exhibit at El Algarrobal in Ilo, Peru.
The 