A Technical Study of Post-Fire Painted Paracas Ceramics: Regional Exchange and Material Culture

Summary

The Paracas culture and its impressive pottery tradition developed along the south coast of Peru in the Early Horizon period (approximately 800-100BC). A scientific study of manufacturing techniques and materials of post-fire painted Paracas ceramics at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) found a correlation between changes in material use and iconography and vessel form across time. Differences between colorant composition in the Formative/Early (approximately 900-500BC) and Middle (approximately 500-400BC) Paracas Periods suggest a shift in material usage, which correlates with likely cross-cultural exchange and interaction with the Chavin culture to the north. Additionally, a basic continuity in the production techniques utilized to form the Paracas ceramics and decorate their surfaces suggests an extensive network of regional exchange and collaboration. Differences identified in the paint plant binders further illustrate the importance of examining archaeologically excavated pieces in order to correlate differences that may be attributable to chronological sequencing or regional differences.

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): 21261