essay

Theocracy vs. militarism: the significance of the Casma Valley in understanding early state formation

origins and development of the andean stateCambridge [Cambridgeshire]Published In 1987 • Pages: 15-30

By: Pozorski, Shelia Griffis.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Pozorski describes some of the changes that occurred among the polities of the Casma Valley on north coast of Peru, from the Late Preceramic through Early Intermediate periods (only data pertaining to the Early Formative/Initial period are indexed for content). The early Initial period monumental sites of Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke, Tortugas, and Las Haldas are described. First two probably exchanged craft and food items, while the latter appears to have been less strongly affiliated as its ceramics and textiles are not similar. The late Initial period monumental sites of Sechín Alto, Sechín Bajo, Las Haldas, and Taukachi-Konkan are also described. There was a time when the valley had two coexisting polities, but by the late Initial period Sechín Alto dominated. Shortly before the beginning of the Early Horizon the valley was invaded by a militaristic state society from the highlands, bringing many changes. Monuments at Las Haldas, Taukachi-Konkan, and Sechín Bajo were left unfinished and these sites do not have noticeable midden accumulation from this period. There is brief coverage of developments in other coastal valleys.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Historical reconstruction
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Cultural participation
Settlement patterns
Miscellaneous facilities
Religious and educational structures
Inter-community relations
Territorial hierarchy
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Coastal Andean Early Formative
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2014
RegionThe area the document pertains to
South America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Andes
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry; 2012
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
4250-2000 BP (2250-1 BC)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Casma province, Ancash, Peru
NotesAdditional notes
Shelia Pozorski
For bibliographical references see document 24
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
86019332
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Andes Region--Antiquities