Scars of Warfare: Early Fortifications and Politics in Coastal Ancash (Peru)

Summary

Between 500 BC and AD 500 communities of the coastal valleys of Ancash (Peru) lived in a period of increased conflict and violence. People moved to defensive locations and invested in the construction of defensive infrastructure such as: walls, moats and fortifications. These features are still visible today as scars in the landscape. Two moments have been defined in this period and are related to the Salinar and Gallinazo archaeological cultures, each characterized by different settlement patterns and defensive strategies. These differences suggest the nature of warfare changed through time. This paper presents a study of how defensive infrastructure in the Nepeña middle valley is related to changes in local and regional politics, more specifically to the transition from a balkanized landscape to the possible emergence of a unified chiefdom.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20298