1,300-year-old throne room of powerful Moche queen discovered in Peru

Archaeologists in Peru have discovered a 1,300-year-old throne room painted with murals depicting a female Moche ruler, although they have yet to find the queen's skeletal remains.

This throne room, found at the archaeological site of Pañamarca, dates to the seventh century A.D., when the Moche were thriving in the area, archaeologists said in a statement. The Moche flourished in northern Peru between roughly A.D. 350 and 850 and are known for building elaborate buildings and tombs, as well as for constructing intricate works of art, such as ceramics that depict human faces. They lived before writing was used in Peru.

Although other female rulers are known from pre-Incan Peru, "a throne room for a queen has never been seen before at Pañamarca, nor anywhere else in ancient Peru," the statement reported.