Dying to Rule: Sex and Power in Moche Society – 2007
Crossing the Threshold
This outstanding vessel depicts the journey of the deceased from the World of the Dead to the World of the Ancestors. As in other depictions of this rite of passage, his task is difficult; indeed, a skeletal being holds firmly onto him by the legs, as though seeking to hinder his exit. This vessel may have been part of the Ruler’s funerary offer.