The Nasca Culture : An Introduction

Polish Contributions in New World Archaeology, 2008

The paper discusses Moche and Nasca pottery featuring forms of religious representation. In the Andean cultures, pottery was the means of information transfer and even played the role of a script. The vessels included in the Barcelona collection present splendid examples of ritual pottery decorated with forms of mythological representation. Anthropomorphic representations, as well as vessels depicting erotic and narrative scenes functioned as a specifi c tool used for transferring cultural messages. The variety of complex representations of mythical creatures, hybrids and trophy heads used by the Nasca society refl ected the complexity of Nasca religious life, while the frequently reoccurring fi gure of the Anthropomorphic Mythical Being may suggest that the Nasca culture was in fact a theocracy. Moreover, a detailed analysis of decorative motifs leads us to a deeper understanding of the rules according to which pre-Columbian civilizations functioned and provides ample information about the various aspects of life as it was lived by the societies of the Early Intermediate Period.

Springer-Nature, 2021

In this chapter, the economic and symbolic relations between animals and pre-Hispanic indigenous people from the Middle and Lower Paraná River of Argentina, South America are discussed. This issue is approached throughout the analyses of pottery zoomorphic appendages, which represent birds, mammals, reptiles and mollusks, and are assigned to the Goya-Malabrigo archaeological entity (~2000 14 C yrs BP to seventeenth century). These appendages have realistic morphological details that allowed taxonomic identification at class, order, family, genus or species level. These pottery representations of the animals are contrasted with the faunal remains from the Goya-Malabrigo archaeological sites. The combination of these different information sources shows that the preys that were regularly eaten were not depicted in the appendages, and that the nutritional role of animals was not favored in these representations. The present study allows a discussion about the human-animal interrelation, which in turn contributes to global theoretical approaches, related to the humanization of nature.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2006

We report the results of an instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) undertaken on a regional sample of pottery from the Southern Nasca Region. The samples included specimens primarily from the Early Nasca (ca. A.D. 1e450) and Tiza (ca. A.D. 1000e1476) cultures from a total of 16 different prehispanic sites. The results of the analysis demonstrate centralized production of Early Nasca polychromes and decentralized production of pottery from the Tiza culture. The results of this analysis confirm previous conclusions about the organization of these two indigenous cultures of the south coast of Peru and support the hypothesis of an excess production of polychromes at the ceremonial center Cahuachi for Early Nasca, and multiple centers of production for the Tiza culture.

2005

book to our beloved colleague lou and his enduring legacy at the museum. Finally, we wish to thank Barbara and James Block for their support of the exhibition Born of Clay, and Dr. Richard Mansfield for his generous donation of Southwest pottery to our collections.-Kevin Gover (Pawnee) Director, National Museum of the American Indian 9 Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian Tiwanaku pedestal-based censer with condor, a.d. 600-900. tiwanaku, department of la Paz, Bolivia. Molded and painted ceramic, 10.5 by 13.5 in. 24/4450 RAMIRo MAtos The Andes embracing tradition SchOlaRS SOMetIMeS ReFeR tO ceRaMIcS as "the book of andean cultural history," for pottery is the principal source of our understanding of the societies that rose in the mountain peaks and river valleys of present-day western South america. the high quality and great variety of pottery found throughout the andes, classified by date, style, and location, has enabled archaeologists to define distinct cultural areas within the region and to construct cultural chronologies of its history. So central is the ceramic record to our understanding of this world that the early history of the region is divided into the Preceramic and ceramic periods. No evidence has been found, however, of the possible invention of ceramics in the americas. Rather, the craft of pottery-making simply appears within the same archaic cultures that developed early agriculture and textiles woven from plant and animal fibers. the oldest ceramics known in the americas, made between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago, are found along the Pacific coast of present-day ecuador, at Valdivia and Puerto hormiga, and in the San Jacinto Valley of colombia. In Peru, at yarinacocha and Wairajirca, objects between 3,800 and 4,000 years old have been recovered. From these locations the production of ceramics spread throughout the andean cultural area. Some archaeologists believe ceramics technology was also carried by sea to Mesoamerica, the second great cradle of civilization in the americas.the appeal of ceramic technology is no mystery. ceramics are one of the best answers to the needs of civilizations, from the demands of domestic life to the observance of public and religious activities. the earliest andean ceramics appear to have been associated with temples, pastoral-agricultural economies, and a very complex society that had established priesthoods and centralized political power. this pottery is extremely beautiful, often of black and brown color, almost baroque, with decorations made by embossing, incising, rocker-stamping, or burnishing. the best-developed styles found in the central and southern andes are the ceramics found near the ceremonial site at chavín de huántar (800-400 b.c.) and cupisnique (1000-400 b.c.). 11 Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian Paracas feline-shaped, bridge-handle bottle, 400-200 B.c. cahuachi, department of ica, Peru. Modeled, incised, and painted ceramic, 6 by 9 in. 23/8375 Moche toad-shaped, stirrup-spout bottle, a.d. 1-200. Northern coast of Peru. Modeled and painted ceramic, 6.5 by 7.5 in. 23/6189 13 Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian 16 Born of Clay left: lidded bowl with puma handles, 2005. Made by exaltación Mamani amaro (Quechua, b. 1962) and irma rodríguez Moroco (Quechua, b. 1969). raqchi, department of cusco, Peru. Modeled and painted ceramic, 2 by 3.5 in. 26/5291 right: Qero (ritual vessel), 2005. Made by exaltación Mamani amaro (Quechua, b. 1962) and irma rodríguez Moroco (Quechua, b. 1969). raqchi, department of cusco, Peru. Modeled and painted ceramic, 2.5 by 3.25 in. 26/5293 Middle Woodland (Deptford culture) jar, 100 B.c.-a.d. 100. hall Mound, Wakulla county, florida. Modeled, incised, and painted ceramic, 8.75 by 4.5 in. 17/4993 27 Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian

In Ceramics of Ancient America: Multidisciplinary Approaches, ed. by Yumi Park Huntington, Dean E. Arnold and Johanna Minich,, 2018

Clay is the most malleable raw material used by many cultures across the world. Its fired product, ceramics, are commonly studied by archaeologists, art historians, and anthropologists. This introductory chapter describes the various perspectives and how these disciplines study the ceramics of ancient America and the cultures that produced them. Bringing together a variety of approaches and terminologies used by these three disciplines, this chapter reveals the complementarity of the differences of these varied approaches. Since ceramic objects constitute part of the history and identity of a specific group of people, it is also important to consider the archaeological ethics of studying Pre-Columbian ceramics, especially how archaeologists and art historians perform authentication and respect cultural heritage. Summarizing the unique properties of ceramics, the operational sequences of their production, and considerations of both human and material agency, the chapter also shows ho...

We report the results of an instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) undertaken on a regional sample of pottery from the Southern Nasca Region. The samples included specimens primarily from the Early Nasca (ca. A.D. 1e450) and Tiza (ca. A.D. 1000e1476) cultures from a total of 16 different prehispanic sites. The results of the analysis demonstrate centralized production of Early Nasca polychromes and decentralized production of pottery from the Tiza culture. The results of this analysis confirm previous conclusions about the organization of these two indigenous cultures of the south coast of Peru and support the hypothesis of an excess production of polychromes at the ceremonial center Cahuachi for Early Nasca, and multiple centers of production for the Tiza culture.

This thesis presents a typology for Formative Period ceramic styles from the Jequetepeque and adjacent valleys. The materials in question have historically been considered as Chavín or Coastal Chavín and more recently as Cupisnique, however, these terms remain vague and ill-defined. Other stylistic labels have also been applied (notably Chongoyape and Tembladera) but a lack of definition means that the use of these terms remains contradictory. Few attempts have been made to systematically consider let alone classify the artistic diversity of Formative Period North Peruvian ceramics. The first point raised in the course of this research is that not all these ceramics should be grouped under one monolithic label. There is a huge amount of diversity that can make generalised stylistic descriptions problematic. This research addressed this issue by using a quantitative multivariate approach. Statistical tests applied to the thesis dataset (c.900 ceramics) identified statistically significant combinations in the permutations used to classify variables such as chamber-shape, 3D-sculpting, handle-shape, spout-shape and spout-rim, the application of different kinds of paint, and the use of surface-texturing techniques, amongst others. The recurring of specific and mutually exclusive combinations of traits strongly indicates distinct manufacturing processes (chaînes opératoires) that in turn point to separate cultural traditions of ceramic-making. In particular, the identification and classification of two distinct handle-spout types and their consistent co-occurrence with other formal and decorative techniques are decisive in defining distinct ceramic styles. Within the Formative Period North Peruvian ceramic complex, two ceramic classes and seven types are thereby classified, plus a number of varieties. Through comparison with archaeological data, it was possible to assign some of these to geographical and/or chronological ranges, while also revealing a complex and fluctuating situation of ceramic-making and exchanging of techniques and motifs in the past.