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Just Scratching the Surface: Post-Fire Engravings as Semasiographic Writing in the Ancient Andes Introduction

2022; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.2139/ssrn.4191611

1556-5068

Michelle E. Young, Anita G. Cook,

Latin American history and culture

Alternative forms of literacy that operate independently of formal writing existed in various parts of the ancient world, sometimes serving as precursors to the development of writing systems. We present analyses of post-fire engravings (PFEs), scratched markings made in the surface of ceramic vessels, from the sites of Atalla and Huari, Peru. We compare their contexts of use and patterns of distribution to argue that they served as intentional notations created by the vessel users. Drawing upon the Quechua concept of quillca as the creation of meaningful markings, we argue that PFEs are meaningful signs whose application is comparable to writing in the Central Andes. As a form of visual discourse found across a large geographic area, PFEs both stored and communicated meaning within local contexts while also transcending regional areas and linguistic barriers. We present a case for this alternative form of literacy and suggest that this semasiographic writing played a role in multilingual commensal events.