essay
Convergent catastrophe and the demise of Dos Cabezas: Environmental change and regime change in ancient Peru
art and archaeology of the moche : an ancient andean society of the peruvian north coast • Austin • Published In 2008 • Pages: 81-91
By: Moseley, Michael Edward, Donnan, Christopher B., Keefer, David K..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The authors examine damage done to the site of Dos Cabezas in the Jequetepeque Valley from a mega El Niño event during the seventh century AD and how inhabitants coped with a prolonged catastrophe spanning generations. After one severe event, the principal platform had to be repaired and tombs were placed in it. But a dune field began to form, eventually engulfing the site. Some buildings have four superimposed floors with a stratum of aeolian sand between each. When the site was abandoned, the people likely moved to La Mina, and established the site of Pacatnamú. There are signs the move was sudden, though not unplanned: cooking and storage vessels were abandoned, but the roof beams and pillars were removed from a palace, probably for reuse. The geologic evidence for, and processes involved in, active dune formation after the El Niño are examined. It noted that these climatic processes must have occurred over much of the north coast, but that local reactions were highly variable.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Climate
- Topography and geology
- Soil
- Post depositional processes in archaeological sites
- Internal migration
- Settlement patterns
- Disasters
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Moche
- 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
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Archaeologist
- Geologist
- 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
- no date
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1700-1100 BP (AD 300-900)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Pacasmayo province (Jequetepeque Valley), La Libertad, Peru
- NotesAdditional notes
- Michael E. Moseley, Christopher B. Donnan, David K. Keefer
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-91)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 2008027539
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Moche (Peru)--Antiquities