Moche Culture

When looking at the three cultures of the Moche, the Qin, and the Egyptians, it is clear to see that these cultures hold a strong belief in the afterlife. As archaeological evidence has shown, many special burials of ancient leaders were buried with artifacts. It was believed that these dead leaders would go on to another life and bring these artifacts with them. The artifacts also served as an indicator of the importance of these leaders. In 1987, grave robbers unearthed a spectacular, gold-laden burial near the village of Sipan. Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva recovered three unlooted royal burials. Each of these burials contained an elaborately costumed man, buried in complete ceremonial regalia, including crescent-shaped headdresses …show more content…
Instead of lowering the body in a casket down into a six foot hole (much like how Americans do today), they prepared a whole room which served as the burial chamber. Hundreds of ceramic vessels were lowered into the chamber and two sacrificed llamas were put on the floor. This is evidence that the Moche believed in sacrifice, and perhaps the llamas symbolized some important aspect of the afterlife. There were also drawings of warriors with prisoners which suggest that public parading and display of the spoils of war was an important part of Moche militarism. The Sacrifice Ceremony in Moche art was also an important aspect of the Moche religion. Based on these archaeological findings, it can be deduced that the afterlife played a prominent role with the Moche culture. A main part of the afterlife for them was …show more content…
An example of this is the mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor. From looking at the gallery, there are many statues of warriors standing in rows. This was to serve as the Emperor’s army; even in the afterlife, he still had an army. The reason for this was so that Qin can “conquer the afterlife”. It is obvious that great detail and care went into creating this terra-cotta army; the faces are lifelike and are so delicately carved, you can see each strand of hair! This dedication to creating the mausoleum shows the immense amount of love Emperor Qin must have had. It appears the Emperor planned to conquer the afterlife by riding his chariot, as there are also many horses. Based on all of this, it can be deduced that even in the afterlife, the Emperor remains just that: an Emperor. When one dies, they do not lose the importance they once upheld when they were alive. Emperor Qin had an army when he was alive and he still had an army even when he passed