Chavin, the early horizon and the initial period

Pozorski, Thomas George; Pozorski, Shelia Griffis

essay

Chavin, the early horizon and the initial period

origins and development of the andean state • Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] • Published In 1987 • Pages: 36-46

By: Pozorski, Thomas George, Pozorski, Shelia Griffis.

Abstract
The authors reassess existing definitions of the Initial Period and Early Horizon, considering evidence from ceramics, absolute dating, iconography, and architecture, and including a discussion of Preceramic through Early Period polities and interactions (only information pertaining to the Late Formative and Early Horizon or Period is relevant to this collection). They show that coastal sites attributed to the Early Horizon predate by up to a millennium highland sites attributed to the same time period on the basis of traits like decorative friezes. Therefore, late Early Horizon Chavín can no longer be considered the "Mother Culture" of later Andean civilizations, for states originated during the Initial Period of the north and central coast, with the Chavín phenomenon radiating from the highland site of Chavín de Huántar now appearing to be a disruptive amalgamation of existing, external traits instead of an original, unifying concept.

Dating methods in archaeology

Chronologies and culture sequences

Settlement patterns

Territorial hierarchy

Form and rules of government

Communication

Ceramic technology

Religious and educational structures

Visual arts

Comparative evidence

Coastal Andean Late Formative

HRAF PubDate