From the birth of Chavin culture in around 1200 BC to the fall of the Incas in 1532, this display at the British Museum (11 November–20 February 2022) charts the history of six successive Andean societies. More than 40 objects, most of which have never been seen in the UK, travel to London from Peruvian museums, complementing around 80 pieces from the British Museum’s collection. Highlights include a gold headdress and ear plates – regalia from a burial site around 2,500 years old, discovered at Kuntur Wasi in the Andean highlands – and a ceremonial vessel in the shape of a contorted human body. Find out more from the British Museum’s website.
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Miniature gold figure of a llama (c. 1500), Inca, Peru. Photo: © 2021 The Trustees of the British Museum
Ceremonial pottery drum depicting a mythical scene (100 BC–650 AD), Nasca, Peru. Private collection, on loan to the Museo de Arte de Lima. Photo: Daniel Giannoni
Painted pottery vessel in the form of a warrior (100–600), Moche, Peru. Photo: © 2021 The Trustees of the British Museum
Pottery vessel in the shape of a contorted body (1200–500 BC), Cupinisque, Peru. Museo de Arte de Lima. Photo: Daniel Giannoni