Factors Underlying the Rise of Complex Societies

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. David Chicoine, of Louisiana State University, in collaboration with Dr. George Lau from the University of East Anglia, will undertake archaeological field research to document and understand the rise of divine lordships in ancient Peru. The project has significant intellectual merit and broad societal impact as it will contribute to our knowledge about the diversity in forms of rulership and authority through time and space. One of the leading topics in archaeology today is social complexity, or the study of variability in the forms of organization and authority in large-scale political systems. The project enriches this crucial field of study by investigating the emergence of divine rulership, in which certain humans come to be treated as god-like supernaturals, and their authority and being are seen as divine. The beginnings of this distinctive kind of political system, which has been common and continues today in world contexts, are not well understood archaeologically, especially for the Central Andes, one of the heartlands of Pre-Columbian civilization. The research project will bring insights into this important topic by uncovering primary archaeological evidence to monitor changes over time in leadership strategies and ways that rulers justified their authority, including claiming special connections with landscapes, ancestors, and supernatural beings. Three field seasons and detailed post-excavation studies will investigate the ancient political centers of Cerro San Isidro (Moro region, Nepena Valley) and Pashash (Pallasca region), and their surrounding hinterlands in the northern Ancash Department, Peru. Survey of regional settlement patterns, as well as excavation data from elite architecture, material culture, and funerary activities will allow comparison of pivotal cultural transformations leading to lordships. Excavations within walled house compounds and plaza areas will help to distinguish high-status and commoner activities. Analysis of skeletal remains from nearby tombs will help to characterize the individuals associated with the compounds. Studies of artifacts and coeval visual arts will offer insights into the role of ancestors in local ritual practices and the exercise of authority. Researching these data comparatively will illuminate how and when major forms of divine lordships took root in ancient Peru. Such polities were especially prominent in the study region where ancient lords, according to ethnohistorical chronicles, levied labor obligations from each household to coordinate collective tasks (irrigation, ritual, war), while having cosmological and moral duties to ensure order and the people's well-being. A leader's claim to legitimacy was pinned to his bloodline and link to an exalted founding ancestor. This kind of Andean social organization has three corollaries with key project implications: (1) a tendency, over time, for more groups to feature ancestors at the apex of their social hierarchy, (2) esteemed leaders come to share in the status of divinities, and (3) a critical innovation is the integration of the esteemed dead into the political life of nobles as they become institutionalized as regular actors in the socio-political system. The project will build fruitful links with local institutions (schools, museums) and hence add value to the management of Pre-Columbian cultural heritage. This award is made possible under the SBE-UKRI lead agency activity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.