Reiss, Wilhelm and Alphonse Stübel | First edition, documenting one of the most important archaeological sites in Peru

Reiss, Wilhelm and Alphonse Stübel

The Necropolis of Ancon in Peru: A Contribution to Our Knowledge of the Culture and Industries of the Empire of the Incas. Berlin: A. Asher & Co., 1880–1887

3 volumes, folio (approx. 504 x 378 mm). Half-titles, 142 lithographic plates (numbered 1-119 plus variants), loose as issued, many printed in colors or tinted, some folding; title-page of vol. I reinforced with adhesive tape, many leaves with marginal chips, a few examples of marginal restoration, light toning. Modern red cloth-backed portfolios. Collector's clamshell box.

First edition, published simultaneously in London and Berlin. Based on excavations undertaken by German geologists Wilhelm Reiss and Alphons Stübel at the necropolis of Ancon, near Lima, in 1875, this monumental work provides the first systematic archaeological report of one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Peru—inhabited for over 10,000 years. Its publication was funded by the Museum of Ethnology in Berlin, in exchange for the transfer of excavated artefacts to the museum. The richly illustrated volumes include vivid chromolithographs documenting grave structures, mummy bundles, textiles, quipu notes, ceramics, and other material remains.

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Palau 256818