Chinchorro culture: Difference between revisions
Tisquesusa (talk | contribs) + later period |
→Description: ref |
||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
The Chinchorro [[type location|type site]] is located in [[Arica]], Chile; it was discovered by German archaeologist [[Max Uhle]] in the early 20th century.<ref name=Arriaza>Bernardo Arriaza, [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/1995/03/chinchorro-mummies/arriaza-text Chile’s Chinchorro Mummies] nationalgeographic.com 1995</ref> |
The Chinchorro [[type location|type site]] is located in [[Arica]], Chile; it was discovered by German archaeologist [[Max Uhle]] in the early 20th century.<ref name=Arriaza>Bernardo Arriaza, [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/1995/03/chinchorro-mummies/arriaza-text Chile’s Chinchorro Mummies] nationalgeographic.com 1995</ref> |
||
Many very early archaeological sites have been discovered along this coast. In Peru, [[Quebrada Tacahuay]] and [[Quebrada Jaguay]] have been studied by archaeologists. Further south, there are also the Ring site, and the [[Quebrada Los Burros]]. These mostly date to [[late Pleistocene]] and early [[Holocene]] epochs (ca. 11,000–9000 BC). Inland in Chile, there are also the sites of [[Achas]], and [[Las Conchas, Chile]]. |
Many very early archaeological sites have been discovered along this coast. In Peru, [[Quebrada Tacahuay]] and [[Quebrada Jaguay]] have been studied by archaeologists. Further south, there are also the Ring site, and the [[Quebrada Los Burros]]. These mostly date to [[late Pleistocene]] and early [[Holocene]] epochs (ca. 11,000–9000 BC). Inland in Chile, there are also the sites of [[Achas]], and [[Las Conchas, Chile]].<ref name="ArriazaStanden2008">{{cite journal|last1=Arriaza|first1=Bernardo T.|last2=Standen|first2=Vivien G.|last3=Cassman|first3=Vicki|last4=Santoro|first4=Calogero M.|title=Chinchorro Culture: Pioneers of the Coast of the Atacama Desert|year=2008|pages=45–58|doi=10.1007/978-0-387-74907-5_3}}</ref> |
||
{{clearboth}} |
{{clearboth}} |
||
== Chinchorro mummies == |
== Chinchorro mummies == |
||
[[File:Chinchorro mummy heads Arica.jpg|thumb|right|360px|Chinchorro mummies of the type site in Arica, Chile]] |
[[File:Chinchorro mummy heads Arica.jpg|thumb|right|360px|Chinchorro mummies of the type site in Arica, Chile]] |
||
Revision as of 00:33, 5 October 2016
The Chinchorro culture of South America was a preceramic culture that lasted from 9,000 to 3500 years BP. The people forming the Chinchorro culture were sedentary fishermen inhabiting the region of current northern Chile and southern Peru. The culture was spread across the arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert from Ilo, southern Peru, to Antofagasta in northern Chile. Presence of fresh water in the arid region on the coast facilitated human settlement in this area. The Chinchorro were famous for their detailed mummification and funerary practices. The area of the Chinchorro culture was later conquered by the Tiwanaku Empire.
Etymology
The Chinchorro culture is named after Chinchorro Beach (Spanish: Playa Chinchorro}, where the first mummies were discovered.[1]
Description
The Chinchorro were expert fishermen. They developed an extensive and sophisticated fishing tool assemblage. The people had efficient fishing gear, such as fishing hooks made of shells and cactuses, and stone weights for nets made of mesh fabrics. They became skilled weavers of baskets and mats.[2]
While most Chinchorro sites are located on the coast, some are also found inland and in the nearby highlands. Their lifestyle was predominantly supported by fish, shellfish and sea mammals. There are some large coastal middens that have been excavated. Analysis of the hair and human bones from the mummies indicates that about 90 percent of their diet existed of maritime food sources, with the remaining 10 percent of their food from terrestrial animals and plants.[3]
The Chinchorro type site is located in Arica, Chile; it was discovered by German archaeologist Max Uhle in the early 20th century.[1]
Many very early archaeological sites have been discovered along this coast. In Peru, Quebrada Tacahuay and Quebrada Jaguay have been studied by archaeologists. Further south, there are also the Ring site, and the Quebrada Los Burros. These mostly date to late Pleistocene and early Holocene epochs (ca. 11,000–9000 BC). Inland in Chile, there are also the sites of Achas, and Las Conchas, Chile.[4]
Chinchorro mummies
The Chinchorro mummies go back to 9,000 years Before Present, or 7,000 BC. The Chinchorro mummies were much older than those of the ancient Egyptians. Some of their DNA was recovered. The culture lasted for several thousand years, evolving and adapting over the period. The end of the Chinchorro culture is set around 3500 BP.[1]
Dr. Bernardo Arriaza is a Chilean physical anthropologist who contributed a lot on the knowledge about the Chinchorro. In 1984, he published a study in the journal Chungara, his first work on the Chinchorro culture. Later, in 1994, Arriaza published a classification of the Chinchorro mummies, the typology that today is widely used by the scientific and general community.[5] In 1995 he wrote an important article[6] for National Geographic Magazine on the Chinchorro mummies, which was translated into several languages helping to promote the ancient mummies at international level. His book "Beyond Death: The Chinchorro Mummies of Ancient Chile[7]" was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in Washington, D.C. This work was later translated into Spanish and published in Chile by the Universidad de Chile together with the Editorial Universitaria Press.
References
- ^ a b c Bernardo Arriaza, Chile’s Chinchorro Mummies nationalgeographic.com 1995
- ^ "Making the Dead Beautiful: Mummies as Art" Archaeology Magazine
- ^ K. Kris Hirst, Chinchorro Culture Updated January 19, 2016 archaeology.about.com
- ^ Arriaza, Bernardo T.; Standen, Vivien G.; Cassman, Vicki; Santoro, Calogero M. (2008). "Chinchorro Culture: Pioneers of the Coast of the Atacama Desert": 45–58. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-74907-5_3.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Tipolgía de las Momias Chinchorro y evolución de las prácticas de momificación" (PDF).
- ^ "Chile's Chinchorro Mummies - Pictures, More From National Geographic Magazine". ngm.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
- ^ Smith, Maria O. (1996-12-01). "Beyond Death: The Chinchorro Mummies of Ancient Chile. Bernardo T. Arriaza". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 71 (4): 557–557. doi:10.1086/419559. ISSN 0033-5770.
Bibliography and further reading
- Arriaza, B.T.; M. Doubrava; V.G. Standen, and H. Haas. 2005. Differential mortuary treatment among the Andean Chinchorro fishers: Social inequalities or in situ cultural evolution. Curr Anthropol 46. 662–671. .
- Marquet, P.A.; C.M. Santoro; C. Latorre; V.G. Standen; S.R. Abades; M.M. Rivadeneira; B. Arriaza, and M.E. Hochberg. 2012. Emergence of social complexity among coastal hunter-gatherers in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. Accessed 2016=10=03.
- Standen, V.G.. 2011. Violencia y cultura en cazadores, pescadores y recolectores Chinchorro de la costa del Desierto de Atacama (Norte de Chile) (8900-3700 años A.P.) - PhD dissertation. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, DF.
- Standen, V.G., and C.M. Santoro. 2004. Patrón funerario Arcaico temprano del sito Acha-3 y su relación con Chinchorro: cazadores, pescadores y recolectores de la costa norte de Chile - abstract in English. Lat Am Antiq 15. 89–109. Accessed 2016-10-03.
External links
- Chinchorro - description of the archaeological sites in Chile
- "Making the Dead Beautiful: Mummies as Art" - Archaeology Magazine
