Royal Tombs of Sipan [Paperback]

Walter Alva (Author), Christopher B. Donnan (Author), Los Angeles Fowler Museum of Cultural histor University of California (Corporate Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0930741307 | ISBN-13: 978-0930741303 | Publication Date: July 1993 | Edition: 2nd

This text describes the excavation of three royal tombs of the Moche, a civilisation that flourished on the north coast of Peru between AD 100 and 800. The tombs, which contained extraordinary gold and silver jewellery and ceremonial attire, are the richest ever excavated in the Western Hemisphere. The accounts of the tombs and methods of excavation detailed should be useful for scholars, but the authors have made the non-specialist reader their primary audience. The format of the book and its fold-out pages are helpful in relating tomb artefacts to text descriptions. Providing an exemplary view of an ancient culture, the Sipan tombs have had a profound impact on our understanding of Moche civilization.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Walter Alva is Chief Archaeologist of the excavations at Sipn and Director of the Bruning Archaeological Museum in Lambayeque, Peru. Christopher B. Donnan is Professor of Anthropology at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Univ of California Museum of; 2nd edition (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930741307
• ISBN-13: 978-0930741303
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book with many beautiful photos and reconstructs., January 11, 1998

By 

Stanley C. Sargent "Stanley C. Sargent" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Royal Tombs of Sipan (Paperback)

As an ancient history enthusiast, I found this book to be a fabulous discovery on my part. The oversized format and pull-out recreations are pure joys to the reader. The excellent text, penned by the excavating archaeologist and by the leading authority on Moche iconography, is illustrated with wonderfully detailed photos as well as line drawings of scenes imprinted upon the artifacts themselves. I recommend this volume to anyone interested in pre-Inca history and art, as well as to anyone fascinated by the mystery revolving around the discovery of ancient treasures.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for students of Archeology & Peru, March 19, 2001

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Royal Tombs of Sipan (Paperback)

Much is known and published about the Incas of Peru, but, in comparison, little is known about the great Kingdom of the Moches. In the Northwest aired coastal plains of Peru flourished the Moche kingdom between the first and eighth century A.D.

This highly stratified culture, constructed and maintained a vast irrigation canal system, pyramids, places and temples. The Royal Tombs of Sipan was written to serve as a museum catalogue of the finds. The discovery, excavation, and current

interpretation of the three royal tombs recovered from Sipan happened between 1987 and 1990.

This book is wonderful. The beautiful color plates that chronologically lay out this amazing discovery makes the archeological dig at Sipan come alive. Highly recommended for those students of Archeology and those who are interested in the diverse Peruvian Culture.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best picturebook waiting for an update, May 11, 2009

By 

Brian Allen "neotropical birding" (Manistee, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Royal Tombs of Sipan (Paperback)

I purchased this after our return from Peru and a visit to the Museo Tumbas Reales De Sipan in Lambayeque. The Museum and its collections were stunning and we wanted to have something to show people when we returned about the fabulous artwork and cultural artifacts of the Moche as photograpy was prohibited in the museum.

There was no bookstore at the museum so I purchased this book on Amazon. As noted in the description it was published in 1993 and therefore could not have included all of the more recently excavated finds or restored artwork present in the museum which is the only problem with the book. The book is a good purchase for the account of the excavation and the description of Moche culture. There are many images included of Moche arts that were excavated at Sipan that to the surprise of most visitors eclipse the quality of the later Incas and are some of the most beautiful and intricate arts of antiquity.