The Importance of the Initial Period in the Development of Early Peruvian Civilization

Summary

Research over the past 50 years has demonstrated the importance of the Initial Period (2100-1000 B.C.) societies that thrived along the Peruvian coast over 3000 years ago. The Initial Period, once viewed as a mere continuation of the subsistence-oriented Late Preceramic Period (3500-2100 B.C.) with the addition of pottery, is now widely considered to be a time of dynamic cultural change, witnessing the development and maturation of many of the social, political, and economic institutions that became the bases for later Peruvian civilization. Investigations in the 1970s and 1980s along the north and central coast and at Chavin de Huantar clearly showed that the coastal mound/plaza complexes significantly predated Chavin de Huantar and served as some of the sources of inspiration for the art and architectural accomplishments of that highland site. Investigations over the past 20 years have largely confirmed the dynamic nature of Initial Period coastal societies and have demonstrated that the roots of those societies go back well into the Late Preceramic Period

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Social Complexity in the Central Andean Region: Current Research on the Initial Period and Early Horizon - Part 1

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