Catalog of Paracas Archaeological Materials

Introduction

This online catalog accompanies the book Sea Shells in the Mountains and Llamas on the Coast: The Economy of the Paracas Culture (800 to 200 BC) in Southern Peru (Mader 2019), published as part of the series “Research into the Archaeology of Non-European Cultures” by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The catalog provides data and images of archaeological finds and contexts which have been excavated since 1996 by the Nasca-Palpa Project of the DAI’s Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK).

Map showing the location of the archaeological sites where the material of this catalog was excavated.

Two views of a stone club head,
which was excavated at Cutamalla.

Due to large-scale excavations, Jauranga (285 m.a.s.l.), Collanco (1.630 m.a.s.l), and Cutamalla (3.300 m.a.s.l.) are the most important archaeological sites for this study. The information presented in the database served as the primary basis for the research and results which are treated at greater length in the monograph. Moreover, the long-term storage of this data makes the material available for future investigations. Objects attributed to the Paracas culture (800 to 200 BC) in southern Peru are displayed in museums all over the world, attracting visitors and encouraging people to travel to Peru. “Typical” Paracas objects are incised polychrome ceramics of high quality, large and extremely carefully made textiles with elaborate geometric designs, extravagant mummy bundles with rich grave goods which have been preserved in the sandy hyper-arid desert of the Pacific coast, and artificially deformed human skulls. The emphasis on this kind of material culture was the foundation for defining the archaeological culture, stimulating ideas about the nature of the Paracas society.
The approach chosen in this work complements previous research designs and provides a new perspective on the Paracas culture. The archaeological material analyzed here was unearthed in large quantities and represents the sphere of everyday life of the Paracas people. An archaeoeconomic methodology was applied to look at this material, an approach not previously employed, which explored production, exchange, and consumption processes and their interconnections through the archaeological record.

Instructions and Archaeological Finds

The data of this catalog is arranged according to the archaeological material types relevant to this study, which are animal bones, botanical material, ground stone, knapped stone, lithics in general, malacological material, metal, minerals, and organic material. Sorting the database by these material types, you will find detailed information on the objects themselves as well as their archaeological sites and contexts. Images are available for many, albeit not all, objects. There is also geospatial data available for archaeological sites. The basic language of the catalog is Spanish. Because of the general structure of the central iDAI.objects Arachne database, some information is provided in German or English. From the archaeological material groups, in particular obsidian artifacts, malacological material, and camelid bones were comprehensively analyzed, with results explained in detail in the monograph. We used a combination of methods for these analyses, including archaeometric techniques, quantification, artifact classification, and species determination. Data on the other material types was consulted as contextual information in the book, although an in-depth examination similar to the one carried out for the three main material groups has not been done yet, and could be performed in a next stage of research.

The complete skeleton of a camelid, next to a mealing stone, at Jauranga during excavation works.

Catalog

Reconstructing the Economic System of the Paracas Culture

The analysis of the archaeological materials in this catalog was fundamental for the reconstruction of the Paracas economic organization, characterized by unbalanced commodity flows in the western Andes. Highland resources such as obsidian, camelids and their products were transported towards the Pacific desert strip in large amounts, while marine resources such as sea shells reached the highlands only in small amounts. Raw materials were not just procured in the mountains; there were also strategic centers like Cutamalla, where the production and distribution of goods was coordinated. All in all, consumption at coastal settlements like Jauranga can be seen as the driving force behind the economy of the Paracas culture. Based on these socioeconomic patterns, a new model called economic directness was formulated, which is a central outcome of both the catalog and the book.

Map of the study area on the western Andean slope, showing a schematic reconstruction of the socioeconomic organization during the Paracas period.

Further Reading

Mader, C., 2019. Sea Shells in the Mountains and Llamas on the Coast: The Economy of the Paracas Culture (800 to 200 BC) in Southern Peru, Research into the Archaeology of Non-European Cultures 16. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden.

Mader, C., 2019. The Economic Organisation of the Paracas Culture (800–200 BC) in Southern Peru, in: Excavated Worlds: 40 Years of Archaeological Research on Four Continents. German Archaeological Institute, Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures, Bonn, pp. 64–73.

Mader, C., Hölzl, S., Heck, K., Reindel, M., Isla, J., 2018. The Llama’s Share: Highland Origins of Camelids During the Late Paracas Period (370 to 200 BCE) in South Peru Demonstrated by Strontium Isotope Analysis. J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 20, 257–270. Open access

Reindel, M., Isla, J., 2013. Jauranga: una aproximación a la ocupación Paracas en los valles de Palpa. Boletín de Arqueología PUCP 17, 231–262.

Reindel, M., Isla, J., 2017. Nuevo patrón arquitectónico Paracas en Lucanas, sierra sur del Perú. Boletín de Arqueología PUCP 22, 227–254.

Reindel, M., Isla, J., Gorbahn, H., Otten, H., 2015. Paracas en Palpa: los fundamentos del poder de la cultura Nasca. Peruvian Archaeology 2, 37–64.