Getting to the Point: Wari Obsidian Distribution in Southern Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Exploring Culture Contact and Diversity in Southern Peru" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent geochemical studies in the Andes have shown that obsidian was moved over long distances throughout prehistory. Yet as Burger et al. (2000) suggested, the mobilization of obsidian during the Middle Horizon was unparalleled in quantity and scope. In this poster, I consider the relationship between lithic source, reduction technique, and the nature of obsidian distribution to Wari-affiliated enclaves. I review the available data from several sites and use examples from Cerro Baúl and Cerro Mejía to illustrate the general reduction sequence of curated obsidian tools. I suggest that the classic Wari obsidian laurel leaf point is a diagnostic form because it is a product of the distribution of preforms, rather than the circulation of nodules, as well as a somewhat standardized process of obsidian reduction. I consider how the manner of distribution and reduction may have impacted the use of obsidian in Wari provinces and how it might be used to distinguish between communities receiving obsidian through imperial channels versus those engaging in direct procurement.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Exploring Culture Contact and Diversity in Southern Peru

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24207