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Proto-Nasca art and antaras

2015; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 35; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00776297.2015.1108122

2051-6207

Patrick Carmichael,

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

The Dawson Nasca pottery seriation has not been updated since 1970, and it was never published in its entirety. An elusive “master sequence” based primarily on whole pots, which bore limited relevance to field situations, dissuaded recent generations of south-coast researchers from the study of ceramic chronology and iconography. As a contribution to archaeology and art history, this article re-invigorates the approach by demonstrating methods and results not available by other means. A nomenclature for studying antaras (panpipes) is introduced, and Paracas and Nasca antaras are compared. The markers Dawson used to define Nasca phases 1 and 2 are re-evaluated and adjusted, thereby unblocking log jams in south-coast studies. Several little-known Proto-Nasca antaras with elaborate iconography in European collections are authenticated and positioned in the American narrative. A previously unrecognized decorative technique called white on resin post-fire outlining, and an artistic convention termed Truco del Ojo, are documented for ceramics of the Necrópolis Era. This study demonstrates regional variation in Proto-Nasca pottery, and identifies the Nazca Valley (Cahuachi) as the origin of a radically new art style representing the emergence of a fertility cult associated with head taking.