14 Nov 2017 01 Apr 2018

Before the Incas

Gods and Kings in Ancient Peru

Cupisnique, Mochica, Chimú, Lambayeque… Far from imagining the evocative power of the Incas, what these ancient northern Peruvian cultures gave us was in fact the most extensive of the pre-Hispanic empires. An investigation into the vestiges of these lost civilisations with an undercurrent of reflection on power.

About the exhibition

At the foot of the Andes, on the northern coast of Peru, lies one of the most arid deserts on the planet, an inhospitable land where many now-forgotten cultures that have been eclipsed in the collective imagination by the Inca Empire flourished. These ancient societies included the Mochicas (or Moche) – undoubtedly one of the first populations to have created any form of state structure –, who laid the foundations for pre-Hispanic civilisation over 1,500 years ago.
Drawing on recent archaeological developments in the region, notably at the Huaca site near Trujillo and the royal tombs of Sipán, the exhibition offers an insight into the origins and organisation of power within these ancient societies. Who held this power - the celestial gods, the kings, the urban elite and masters, the warriors, the priests and priestesses? How did it manifest itself? An archaeological investigation into the evolution of these political systems through nearly 300 pieces, including unique ceramics. 

  • Place:  Mezzanine est
  • TimeSlots:
    From Tuesday 14 November 2017 to Sunday 01 April 2018
  • Accessibility:
    • Handicap visuel,
    • LSF,
    • Handicap auditif bim (T),
    • Handicap mental,
    • Handicap moteur
  • Public: All publics
  • Categorie : Exhibitions
Le Pérou avant les Incas | Exposition au...

Bande annonce de l'exposition "Le Pérou...

2:22

Around the event

Guided tours, workshops, concerts, etc.
all activities organized as part of the event

Around the event