book chapter
Lukurmata: household archaeology in prehispanic Bolivia
Princeton University Press • Princeton, N.J. • Published In 1994 • Pages:
By: Bermann, Marc.
Abstract
Marc Bermann examines the domestic remains from excavations he conducted at Lukurmata, Bolivia. He uses domestic remains to examine societal change at the household, local, and regional levels and to understand how the rise of Tiwanaku affected Lukurmata from 200 B.C. to A.D. 1000. The environment, climate, and natural setting found around Lukurmata are explored. Then the domestic remains found inside and outside a series of house floors are described. The domestic remains indicate that Lukurmata traditions persisted after the rise of Tiwanaku to power. In fact, not all the changes in the domestic remains were the result of interaction with Tiwanaku. Tiwanaku's influence on Lukurmata and Lukurmata's incorporation into Tiwanaku's political sphere were more gradual than one would expect from examining only monumental architecture or Tiwanaku-style ceramics, the traditional subjects of study. Bermann shows that small sites can give us prehistories not biased toward the actions and concerns of rulers and elites. He also argues that when different aspects of domestic remains are examined separately (ceramics, domestic architecture, etc.) they each provide a different picture os societal change. So it is important to integrate the data from household remains, middens, mortuary remains, and public architecture to achieve a meaningful picture of change in prehistoric societies.
- Region
- South America
- Sub Region
- Central Andes
- Document Type
- book chapter
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- Notes
- Marc Bermann
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 277-303)
- Only pages 42-148 and 236-303 are included
- LCCN
- 93023366
- LCSH
- Indians of South America--Antiquities