Frayer La Route D'un Monde Inverse: Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 28: Sacrifice Et Offrandes Animales Dans La Culture Mochica (100-800 Apr. . Archaeological Reports International Series, 2278)

Goepfert, Nicolas

ISBN 10: 1407308521 / ISBN 13: 9781407308524

Published by Oxford, England : Archaeopress, Publishers of British Archaeological Reports, 2011

About this Item

418 pages : illustrations, maps ; 30 cm + 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.). in French. The Moche culture (100-800 A.D.) developed on the northern Peruvian coast in an area spread over the Piura and Nepeña valleys. The zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains discovered in graves at four main ceremonial sites (SAán, San José de Moro, El Brujo and Moche) has provided evidence of twelve sacrificed animal species: domestic taxa such as llamas, dogs and guinea pigs, and also wild species such as bats. A comparison of the zooarchaeological data with the iconographical corpus showed that animals served different ritual purposes, such as mortuary food and as guides for the deceased’s soul into the afterlife; they were also symbolically considered as mediators between the world of the living and the dead. The study also compares archaeological data with other sources, such as ethnohistorical texts and ethnographical testimonies leading to a better understanding of the symbolical dimension represented by Andean animals.

Seller Inventory # BAR2278

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Frayer La Route D'un Monde Inverse: Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 28: Sacrifice Et Offrandes Animales Dans La Culture Mochica (100-800 Apr. . Archaeological Reports International Series, 2278)
• Publisher: Oxford, England : Archaeopress, Publishers of British Archaeological Reports
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1407308521
• ISBN 13: 9781407308524
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Archaeology

About this title

Synopsis

This monograph examines animal sacrifice in the Moche culture of Peru. Twelve species of animals which were sacrificed are identified from archaeological remains. It compares the zooarchaeological data with the iconogrpahic corpus to show that animals served different ritual purposes, such as mortuary food and as guides for the deceaseds soul into the afterlife; they were also symbolically considered as mediators between the world of the living and the dead. French text.

About the Author

Nicolas Goepfert