Book

Nasca mortuary customs: death and ancient society on the south coast of Peru

UMIAnn Arbor, Mich.Published In 2012 • Pages:

By: Carmichael, Patrick H..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
For this dissertation, the author analyzed 213 burials from the Pisco to Acarí valleys. Maps of burial grounds and illustrations of graves and ceramic offerings are supplied where available. Age and gender, body treatment, posture and placement, tomb location and construction, and grave goods are recorded, and considered in reconstructions of possible mortuary ceremonies. Energy expenditure was calculated as another potential measure of status. It is found that grave goods varied more in kind than quantity, and there was no evident restriction in access. Exceptions include gold ornaments, large timber posts used to construct burial chambers, and miniature vessels, found in some, though not all, high status graves. Quantity and variety of textiles in increased with status, but with no evident discontinuities in distribution. It is concluded that Nazca was a ranked society without formal stratification, organized politically into independent, minimal to typical chiefdoms.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Work in skins
Ceramic technology
Labor and leisure
Status, role, and prestige
Community heads
Burial practices and funerals
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Nazca
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2015
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
Book
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; 2013
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1986
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
2000-1200 BP (AD 1-800)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Ica region, and Caravelí province, Arequipa region (south coast), Peru
NotesAdditional notes
By Patrick H. Carmichael
UM 8918465
Includes bibliographical references (p. 437-458)
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Calgary
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Nazca culture