Analysis of Formative Peruvian Materials

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With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Tom Dillehay will analyze archaeological materials excavated from the site of San Luis which is located on the northern coast of Peru and occupied between 1,800 - 900 B.C. In past work at San Luis, Dr. Dillehay and his colleagues have uncovered two architectural complexes, both apparently associated with religious functions. They consist of a U-shaped structures with two wings which extend from a larger central mound. In the course of the excavation of one of them, burned `C` shaped marks were discovered on the ground of each wing and the investigators believe that pots were inverted and offerings burned within them. The shallow but intact deposits contained large amounts of ceramic and lithic remains; faunal and floral samples were also collected. Dr. Dillehay believes that the structure reflects a form of dual social organization and shall now examine the collected materials to test this hypothesis. A variety of organics from each wing will be radiocarbon dated to determine whether the two were occupied simultaneously. Typologies of lithic and ceramic traits have already been developed during past seasons and these will be applied to the ceramic and lithic remains. Ceramic attributes - decorative motifs, decorative treatments and vessel shapes - will be carefully recorded to determine whether significant differences between the two wings can be discerned. To determine if trace element and neutron activation analyses can be used to identify non-local vessels, a sample of sherds will be studied. Examination of pollen and plant phytoliths should provide insight into diet and ritual activity. Anthropologists wish to understand how, at relatively simple level of technology, individuals can be organized to form functioning cohesive groups. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric evidence from Peru indicate a widespread form of dual social organization. Groups are divided into two opposing halves with one dominant over the other. This dual form of organization provides the basis for social identity and control. It establishes a mental template within which individuals can situate themselves in relation to the rest of society. Ethnographically this form is widespread and is also known, in somewhat different variants, from other parts of the world. However anthropologists do not know when the pattern was established and how it developed through time. Based an architectural evidence, some archaeologists have postulated that U-shaped structures relate to dual organization but no-one has analyzed materials recovered through excavation to determine whether they support such an interpretation. Dr. Dillehay's project will fill just such a gap. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on an important form of social organization and provide insight into how it developed over time. It will also yield data of interest to many archaeologists.