clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk   
Tomb find reveals pre-Inca city
A%20%27tumi%27.%20Image:%20AFP/Getty
The discover of tumis in situ is particularly exciting to scientists
Archaeologists working in northern Peru have discovered a spectacular tomb complex about 1,000 years old.
The complex contains at least 20 tombs, and dates from the pre-Inca Sican era.
Among the discoveries are 12 "tumis", ceremonial knives which scientists have not been able to study in a burial site before, as well as ceramics and masks.
The Sican culture flourished from approximately AD 800-1300, one of several metalworking societies which succumbed to drought and conquest.

Archaeologists working on the project say the find will help them understand details of the culture.

Sican was a very organised society
Izumi Shimada
"It is a religious city, a sacred settlement, and at each excavation site is a cemetery," Izumi Shimada told Peru's El Comercio newspaper.
The dig. Image: AP

The Sican were noted for producing gold, silver and copper in quantities which were substantial for the period.