Photo Gallery: New World's Oldest Gunshot Victim Found?

Photo Gallery: Inca Cemetery May Hold New World's Oldest Gunshot Victim
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Archaeologist Guillermo Cock examines a skeleton in a newly found Inca cemetery just outside Lima, Peru.

The skeleton is one of 72 buried at the site under what must have been chaotic conditions, experts say. The bodies were not facing the right direction, and they had been tied up or hastily wrapped in a simple cloth and buried at shallow depth, without the usual Inca adornment.

Many of the skeletons were also victims of terrible violence, showing signs of being hacked, torn, or impaled. "We were not expecting to find as many traumatic injuries as we have so far," said bio-archaeologist Melissa Murphy of Bryn Mawr College.

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Photo by Elena Goycochea © 2007 National Geographic/Puruchuco-Huaquerones Archaeological Project
 

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