Moche ceramic vessel in the form of a head of a nobleman (c. 400, CE Private Collection, Lima Peru) The faces on Peruvian Moche pots are startlingly realistic. But we know very little about the culture that created them, and even less about why these pots were made, making them one of the great mysteries of world art. One explanation is that they were communal drinking cups, passed round on special occasions, celebrating heroic leaders. Each time the cup was tilted, the hero’s face looked up at the stars, from whence his spirit had come. Then, as the liquor poured, his spirit flowed into the communityPhotograph: Nathan Benn/CORBIS