Saturday, August 08, 2009

Ancient Dog Cemetery

Archaeologists in Peru have discovered a thousand-year-old cemetery with 43 mummified dogs buried in separate plots side by side with humans. They were naturally preserved by the dry desert climate and had been buried with treats for the afterlife. The cemetery belonged to the Chiribaya culture, an agricultural society that thrived from A.D. 900 to 135.

Many people believe that the modern day human take better care of their pets than ever before. In this cemetery, though, dogs were buried alongside the humans, both full-grown dogs and pups. In some cases, they have been buried with blankets and food. If the dogs have been treated as fully equal with the humans in the face of afterlife, they were probably held in high regard in their lives as well. I like my life in Sweden, A.D. 2009, but if I would have lived in a different time and place, the Chiribaya culture would probably have been one of the very best alternatives.

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