PROVIDENCE, R.I.—A 1,600-year-old Mayan royal tomb that contained well-preserved ceramics, textiles, carvings and other artifacts has been discovered in Guatemala by a team of archaeologists led by a Brown University professor.
The 6-foot-by-12-foot tomb was found in May and announced this week by the university.
The tomb, discovered in the city of El Zotz under the El Diablo pyramid, is notable because of its rarity and the extraordinary conditions of preservation, Brown Professor Stephen Houston said.
"Few tombs of this period have ever been found, and fewer still with this abundance of royal wealth," he said.
He said the find includes colorful artifacts from about 350 to 400 A.D., a key time in Maya history, and include textile, wood, stuccoed objects, and the remains of what are probably sacrificial victims.
The team found what they believe to be remains of seven people, including an adult male they believe was a king who may have started a dynasty, and six children who may have been sacrificed at the time of his death.
Houston said the discovery will require years of study to understand.
"We now need to work intensively, with specialists, on conserving and analyzing these unusual deposits," he said.
