Researchers in northern Peru say they have discovered the ruins of an entire city, which could provide the missing link between the ancient cultures of the Wari people and the earlier Moche civilisation. Ed Horton reports:

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The civilisation's capital was near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but the Wari travelled widely and are known for building Peru's first extensive network of roads. Long before the Incas established their empire, the Wari created one nearly as large, but far more enduring. While the Inca state lasted around a century, the Wari civilisation flourished for more than four hundred years.

Ed Horton, BBC

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ceramics
objects produced by heating and shaping clay

well preserved remains
dead body, or body parts that haven't decayed very much

buried
underground, covered by the ground

human sacrifice
an offering of a ritually slaughtered/killed person to honour a god

extensive network of
many interlinked

established
here, founded, created, set up

enduring
long-lasting

flourished
did well, stood strong

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