Functional Interpretations from Microscopic Analysis

1971 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Nance
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Functional Significance ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Projectile Point ◽  
Central California ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
Binocular Microscope

AbstractFor many years, small, serrated, obsidian artifacts characteristic of late central California cultural manifestations (Late Horizon), have been regarded as projectile points (arrow and dart points). A functional analysis of a number of these tools based on examination with a binocular microscope revealed evidence of wear patterns including striations which makes it quite clear that these artifacts were used for other purposes. This brings the projectile point interpretation up for serious questioning, at least for the area under consideration. It is suggested that further investigation of artifact assemblages, using similar methods, will in all likelihood alter many existing ideas regarding the functional significance of many artifact types. It is further pointed out that many times discrepancies exist between ethnographic accounts and other sources of data relative to the functional significance of artifacts.

Displays of Violence and Power at the Edge of the Empire: Provincial Trophy Heads during Inca Times

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (03) ◽  
pp. 606-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Garrido ◽  
Catalina Morales
Keyword(s):  
Local Communities ◽  
Southern Andes ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
New Form ◽  
Trophy Heads ◽  
Ritual Practices ◽  
Grave Goods

The Inca expansion to the southern Andes catalyzed important political and symbolic changes in local communities. In addition to economic changes in mining production and the installation of logistical and administrative infrastructure, new forms of ideological violence emerged in the Copiapó Valley, Chile. One new form was the display and discarding of human heads, a burial pattern unprecedented in the region. In this article, we present evidence of perforated heads buried without grave goods next to a local cemetery in a Late Horizon village. We argue that the performative use of modified severed heads from young individuals at the Iglesia Colorada site was part of Inca ritual practices. Their use represented an effort to ideologically rule over newly incorporated subjects by demonstrating power and ensuring their compliance.

Spatial Analysis of Basin of Mexico Settlement: Problems with the Use of the Central Place Model

1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 866-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan T. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Settlement Pattern ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Michael Smith ◽  
Basin Of Mexico ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
Primary Determinant

In a recent report, Michael Smith proposes that the primary determinant of the settlement pattern of the southeastern Basin of Mexico during the Late Horizon (A.D. 1350-1520) was marketplace exchange. This assumption, and the use of the central place market model in analyzing the pattern, are critically evaluated and found to be unwarranted. A review of data and theory leads to the conclusion that environmental and political factors outweigh commerce in shaping the settlement pattern in this area.

Edge Abrasion during Biface Manufacture

1973 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Payson D. Sheets
Keyword(s):  
Projectile Points ◽  
Late Horizon

AbstractNance intended to demonstrate that certain small, bifacially chipped obsidian artifacts from the California Late horizon were used for cutting purposes, and were therefore not projectile points. However, both categories of edge abrasion noted by Nance, attrition and striation, may also appear on the edges of bifacially flaked artifacts during the process of manufacture. The purpose of abrading a biface edge is to strengthen the edge preparatory to pressure or percussion flaking. Criteria to distinguish edge abrasion during manufacture from abrasion deriving from use are presented.

Late horizon silver, copper, and tin from Machu Picchu, Peru

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Gordon ◽  
Robert Knopf
Keyword(s):  
Machu Picchu ◽  
Silver Copper ◽  
Late Horizon

Artificial Cranial Deformation at the Omo M10 Site: A Tiwanaku Complex from the Moquegua Valley, Peru

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hoshower ◽  
Jane E. Buikstra ◽  
Paul S. Goldstein ◽  
Ann D. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Social Groups ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Skull Shape ◽  
Southern Peru ◽  
Site Group ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
Competing Models ◽  
Moquegua Valley ◽  
Skeletal Collections

Artificial cranial deformation is a recognized attribute of many archaeologically recovered Andean skeletal collections. Ethnohistoric sources document the diversity of forms used to mark both vertical and horizontal status distinctions among Late Horizon peoples. Region-specific social groups were characterized by distinctive deformation styles, as were individuals of Inka heritage. Review of early Spanish accounts and consideration of various strategies commonly used in analyzing deformation forms suggest that investigators be sensitive to both final skull shape and the nature of deforming devices. This case study maintains that detailed descriptions of skull form will permit interpretations of technique and apparatus used, without the actual deforming artifacts. We examined archaeologically recovered skeletal remains from Huaracane-phase, Tiwanaku-related Chen Chen-phase (Tiwanaku V), and Tumilaca-phase cemetery components of the Omo site group, located near the present-day town of Moquegua in southern Peru. Our analysis demonstrates that the pattern of cranial deformation within the Omo M10 cemetery complex clearly emphasizes homogeneity within individual cemeteries and heterogeneity across cemeteries. We enlist current competing models for Tiwanaku hegemony to interpret this pattern.

scholarly journals Two (Missing) Left Feet

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megann Phillips ◽  
Vanessa Cruz ◽  
Erin Martin ◽  
Dylan Smith ◽  
Bernarda Elias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Contexts ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Functional Mobility ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Intermediate Period ◽  
The North ◽  
Social Elites ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
La Caridad ◽  
North Coast Of Peru

Understanding pre-Hispanic Andean medical practices through skeletal evidence of surgery has been the focus of a number of bioarchaeological investigations in recent years. Amputation is an especially interesting topic of research due to the variety of social contexts in which it might have occurred. Interpretations for amputation found on the north coast of Peru have included therapeutic intervention, punitive measures, and ritualistic dismemberment. Here, we present two new cases of successful left foot amputation in young adult females excavated from Huaca Las Balsas (Late Intermediate Period, A.D. 1100–1470) and Huaca Las Abejas (Late Horizon, A.D. 1470–1535) at the ancient religious and administrative center of Túcume. Chronologically, they are the latest cases of pre-Hispanic amputation published to date. Contextual evidence supports a therapeutic motivation for the procedure, as individualized burial treatment and placement within a cemetery group of social elites is not consistent with punitive or ritualistic action. Modification of the malleoli, extensive bone proliferation covering the talar articulations, and asymmetrical cortical bone thickness of the tibiae and fibulae (revealed radiographically) suggest the return of some functional mobility using the affected limb after healing. This long-term recovery is evidence of access to quality medical care and accommodation of functional impairment within the amputees’ communities. The presented research uses the bioarchaeology of care to explore the lived experiences of these amputees and their social identities, making an important contribution to the anthropology of disability across cultures and time periods. Comprender las prácticas médicas andinas prehispánicas a través de evidencia esquelética de cirugía ha sido el foco de una serie de investigaciones bioarqueológicas en los últimos años. La amputación es un tema de investigación especialmente interesante debido a la variedad de contextos sociales en los que podría haber ocurrido. Las interpretaciones para la amputación que se encuentran en la costa norte del Perú han incluido la intervención terapéutica, las medidas punitivas y el desmembramiento ritual. Aquí, presentamos dos nuevos casos de amputación exitosa del pie izquierdo en hembras adultas jóvenes excavadas desde Huaca Las Balsas (PeríodoIntermedio Tardío, A.D. 1100–1470) y Huaca Las Abejas (Horizonte Tardío, D.C. 1470–1535) en el antiguo centro religioso y administrativo de Túcume. Cronológicamente, son los últimos casos de amputación prehispánica publicados hasta la fecha. La evidencia contextual apoya una motivación terapéutica para el procedimiento, ya que el tratamiento y la colocación individualizados del entierro dentro de un grupo cementerio de élites sociales no es consistente con la acción punitiva o ritualista. La modificación de los maléolos, la extensa proliferación ósea que cubre las articulaciones talares y el grosor óseo cortical asimétrico de las tibias y los peronés (revelados radiográficamente) sugieren el regreso de cierta movilidad funcional utilizando la extremidad afectada despuésde la curación. Esta recuperación a largo plazo es evidencia del acceso a atención médica de calidad y alojamiento de deterioro funcional dentro de las comunidades de amputados. La investigación presentada utiliza la “bioarqueología de la caridad” para explorar las experiencias vividas de estos amputados y sus identidades sociales, haciendo una contribución importante a la antropología de la discapacidad a través de las culturas y períodos de tiempo.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon chronology of Andean khipus

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Cherkinsky ◽  
Gary Urton
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Calibration Data ◽  
Middle Horizon ◽  
Recording Technology ◽  
University Of Georgia ◽  
Inca Empire ◽  
Early Colonial ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

Unlike every other high civilisation of the ancient world, the Incas did not develop a system of writing based on graphic signs on twodimensional surfaces. Rather, Inca administrative records took the form of three-dimensional knotted-cords made of spun and plied fibers. It is widely believed that khipu technology associated with the rise and expansion of the Inca Empire, during the Late Horizon period (ca. 1400-1532 AD), developed out of an earlier cord recording technology associated with the Wari culture of the Middle Horizon period (ca. 600-1000 AD). There were good studies of the patterns of thread-wrapping on a few Middle Horizon samples and archaeological recovery of one sample from Middle Horizon context. Three Middle Horizon, Wari khipus have been dated between 780-1024 AD. The principal problem of khipu chronology arises with respect to the dating of Inca samples. Thirty-one samples of Inca khipus from museums in the USA, Latin America and Germany have been analysed. The samples were analysed by the accelerator mass spectrometry technique at three laboratories. About half of the samples analysed at the University of Georgia have been analysed twice to get a higher precision. Most of the samples have been dated from Late Horizon times to the early Colonial period, 1500-1600 AD. One of the samples was dated to the beginning of the Late Horizon 1390-1423 AD and another sample was even earlier, i.e. 1188-1282 AD. Unfortunately, the existing calibration data for Inca khipus do not allow high enough sensitivity for precise analysis, thereby requiring a reappraisal of the calibration curve for South America.

Human Sacrifice at Pachacamac

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Eeckhout ◽  
Lawrence Stewart Owens
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Human Sacrifice ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Coastal Site ◽  
Higher Power ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
First Time ◽  
Anatomical Evidence

This is a study of the historical, archaeological, and anatomical/pathological evidence for human sacrifice at the Peruvian coastal site of Pachacamac during the Late Intermediate and Late Horizon Periods (A.D. 1000-1475 and 1475-1533). It highlights the problems associated with the identification of archaeological sacrifice, then goes on to summarize the pathological and cultural evidence from the site. The significance of this evidence is evaluated using not only traditional paradigms but also the notion of “deviant” burial; this is proposed as a formalized means of identifying archaeological sacrifice in collaboration with—and in the absence of—other indicators. Comparisons are carried out with selected sites and periods, and in both coastal and inland regions. Supplementary evidence from international contexts is also considered. The anatomical and contextual findings from Pachacamac reflect a shift from the somewhat sanguineous cultures such as the Nasca and the Moche, to the perfection-obsessed sacrificial modality of the Incas. The former seems to be concerned primarily with retainer burials and the punishment of enemies or opponents, which were offered to an uncertain eternity as a gesture to some higher power. The iconographic, archaeological, and anatomical evidence for sacrifice in these groups is commensurately dramatic. In the case of the Incas, the sacrifices were intended to bless objects or missions, give thanks, or to appeal for supernatural favors or assistance. We go on to propose—for the first time in Latin America—a theoretical framework for identifying and interpreting “deviant” burials in the Andean archaeological record.

Rocks in the Landscape: Managing the Inka Agricultural Cycle

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 36-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Meddens
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Agricultural Society ◽  
Local Setting ◽  
State Administrators ◽  
Late Horizon ◽  
Structured System

In this paper an extensive structured system of carved stones in Peru's Chicha valley is presented in its local setting, analysed within its agricultural and social context and compared with similar landscape features elsewhere. In any agricultural society, the timing of planting, irrigation and harvesting events is crucial to maintaining crop yields. To a state system where the administration is dependent on non-written systems of record-keeping, highly visible landscape markers would be essential in defining labour allocations and designating the appropriate allotment of irrigation water. This paper presents evidence that boundaries for water distribution and for management of the irrigation cycles during the Late Horizon period of Peruvian prehistory (c AD 1438–1534) were clearly set out and marked in a manner that enabled state administrators to manage the agricultural round. Though clearly the use of quipu-based recording systems should not be underestimated in this context, timing of the agricultural cycle on a local level could not solely be dependent on central directives from Cusco: local cakndrical tools were necessary to ensure successful agricultural seasons.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document