Beyond exotic goods: Wari elites and regional interaction in the Andes during the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000)

Rosenfeld, Silvana; Jordan, Brennan T.; Street, Megan

doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.250

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…This also confirms that Wari female elites, as elites of other successful ancient states, were able to maintain and regulate socioeconomic structures, emphasizing their social difference and ideological background. This harmonizes with the results of other provenance studies for Wari, including artefacts, raw materials, plants, animals, and people (Rosenfeld et al, 2021), emphasizing the importance of studying material provenance and their archaeological contexts to understand the role of exotic goods in legitimizing ruling groups in ancient societies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Deciphering the origin of small metal artefacts from Castillo de Huarmey (Peru) with Pb, Cu, and Ag isotopes

et al. 2022

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This paper presents Ag, Cu, and Pb isotopes for five silver and 10 copper artefacts found in the first intact pre‐Columbian tomb of the Wari culture female elite at Castillo de Huarmey, Peru. Ag and Cu isotope data indicate that the metals were extracted from primary, hypogene ore deposits. Most of the Pb isotope data for the Castillo de Huarmey artefacts correlate with the core Wari site of Conchopata, suggesting utilization of ores from similar deposits. The observed spread in Pb isotopes can be explained by the utilization of regional ores with highly variable Pb isotopes, such as the Julcani deposit. Alternatively, the linear nature of the Pb isotope results obtained for these samples may also be a result of the mixing of ores from different deposits or the re‐smelting of metals. Some of the Pb isotope results also indicate imports from other remote regions, providing evidence for long‐distance interactions on a vast regional scale, in the northern (North Coast of Peru) and southern (Southern Peru and Potosi region in Bolivia) spheres of influence of the Wari Empire and the Tiwanaku state.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Deciphering the origin of small metal artefacts from Castillo de Huarmey (Peru) with Pb, Cu, and Ag isotopes

et al. 2022

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“…State elites may attempt to control the chokepoints within commodity chains of high-end items either in the acquisition, production, or distribution stages (Earle and Jennings 2012:214-215). Evidence suggests the Wari attempted to control key trade and mobility routes (Isbell 2010;Reid 2020) and secured access to materials of ideological significance such as Spondylus and obsidian (Glowacki and Malpass 2003;Rosenfeld et al 2021;Topic and Topic 2010). Wari enclaves found within niche ecological zones suggest that colonization efforts were in part aimed at acquiring exotic resources not found within the Ayacucho highlands.…”

Section: Wari Political Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unclear to what extent Wari interfered in more traditional realms of exchange such as "down-the-line" trade or reciprocal barter relationships that linked ecological zones and communities. However, it is likely that state-affiliated llama caravans were employed to maintain connections between Wari centers responsible for the transport of exotic goods between distant regions (Edwards 2021;Rosenfeld et al 2021).…”

Section: Wari Political Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here we examine Wari political economic strategies that financed state projects across such vast geographic distances. Studies suggest that they made special efforts to control key trade routes where access to exotic goods and prestige items was used to maintain class differentiation and legitimize rulership (Earle and Jennings 2012;Isbell 2010;Rosenfeld et al 2021). At this time, obsidian served as both a precious material and a common domestic item that was transported in greater quantities and distances than ever before identified in the Andes, largely through Wari networks (Burger et al 2000;Burger and Glascock 2009;Williams et al 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Obsidian Procurement and Exchange at the Apogee of Empire: Wari Political Economy in Arequipa, Peru

Reid,

Williams,

Cardona Rosas

et al. 2024

Latin Am. antiq.

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During the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000), obsidian was transported in greater quantities and distances than ever before identified in the Andes, in part by the expansionary Wari state. Two of the three major obsidian sources used in the south-central Andes are located in the modern department of Arequipa, Peru. Arequipa was a region of intense Wari influence and intrusive presence; however, little is known about regional obsidian use. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) were used to analyze 383 obsidian artifacts recovered from 10 archaeological sites in Arequipa. Results highlight diachronic and spatial patterning related to obsidian procurement strategies, state versus bottom-up exchange networks, and local participation within the Wari realm. A wide variety of geological obsidian sources, including nonlocal obsidians originating from Wari's Ayacucho heartland, were used. By the late Middle Horizon, the Wari had consolidated regional resources with the sole use of Alca-1 and Alca-4 bedrock obsidians, the largest-sized and highest-quality sources in the area. We assess related models of obsidian procurement and exchange related to state political economy, long-distance caravan activity, and the role of local ceremonial/waystation centers that facilitated the flow of ideas, goods, and people across Arequipa.

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“…3.15A & B; Ochatoma Paravicino 2007; Knobloch 2010). Dozens of outlying Wari-affiliated sites were established, and sumptuary objects, such as spondylus from Ecuador and parrot feathers from the Amazon, arrived at Huari from across the Central Andes and beyond (Jennings & Craig 2001; McEwan & Williams 2012; Rosenfeld et al 2021). The nuances of Wari expansion, however, remain unknown, as do the relationships between Wari-affiliated colonists, circulating prestige goods and local populations (Jennings 2010).…”

Section: Wari and Middle Horizon Agentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complicating an early state: a social network analysis of agents in Wari art (c.AD 700–850)

Gibbon

Knobloch²,

Jennings³

2022

Antiquity

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Processual models of the early state envisioned hierarchical societies with stable social and political structures. More recent research, however, has questioned this vision. Here, the authors explore Middle Horizon (AD 700–1000) Wari state iconography to provide an example of early state social and political organisation from the Central Andes. Social network analysis (SNA) of human figures (‘agents’) depicted in Wari art identifies links between individual agents, as visualised on objects and between the objects’ findspots. The results suggest that the Wari state was more heterarchical than previously imagined. Similar applications of SNA could be used to explore the iconographic evidence of other early, pre-literate states around the world.

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Beyond exotic goods: Wari elites and regional interaction in the Andes during the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000)

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 10 publications

References 34 publications

Deciphering the origin of small metal artefacts from Castillo de Huarmey (Peru) with Pb, Cu, and Ag isotopes

Deciphering the origin of small metal artefacts from Castillo de Huarmey (Peru) with Pb, Cu, and Ag isotopes

Obsidian Procurement and Exchange at the Apogee of Empire: Wari Political Economy in Arequipa, Peru

Complicating an early state: a social network analysis of agents in Wari art (c.AD 700–850)

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