The “X”-Ray Files: Preliminary Results on the Identification of Shark Species Using X-Ray Technology and Its Implications for a Better Understanding of the Economic and Symbolic Role Played by Sharks in Prehispanic Andean Societies

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Past Human-Shark Interactions" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Shark fisheries were an important economic activity carried out by small-scale maritime communities in the prehispanic Andean coast since at least the second millennium BC. New evidence found in Huanchaco, north coast of Peru, suggests that during the fifth and seventh centuries of our era, sharks became an essential source of proteins in the daily diet and a powerful symbol in their ceremonial practices. Complete sharks have been found in votive offerings buried in the temples, and selected shark teeth have been recovered in the burials of powerful fisher-chiefs. Although shark teeth allow accurate identification of shark species, they are not always present in archeological contexts. Calcified vertebrae are found in abundance throughout fishing sites on the north coast of Peru; however, they are more challenging to identify due to their similarities across shark species. In this paper, we present experimental analysis using X-rays on the shark centra from Huanchaco as a potential tool to determine sharks down to family and species. In addition, we discuss the significance and role of sharks within marine ecosystems exploited by coastal populations as well as their cultural significance within prehispanic Andean maritime communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Past Human-Shark Interactions   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37951.0