Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology
The excavation of residential areas is a growing focus of research in Andean archaeology. Studies reveal that interpreting household remains from some prehispanic societies can be complex because of the nature of abandonment ritual, which may involve burnt offerings, the placement of valuables on fl...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Humans |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9461/5/1/3 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850090752629014528 |
|---|---|
| author | Donna J. Nash |
| author_facet | Donna J. Nash |
| author_sort | Donna J. Nash |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The excavation of residential areas is a growing focus of research in Andean archaeology. Studies reveal that interpreting household remains from some prehispanic societies can be complex because of the nature of abandonment ritual, which may involve burnt offerings, the placement of valuables on floors, or the purposeful destruction of ceramic vessels that are distributed in patterned ways. The goods that constitute these offering practices can be confused with post-occupation refuse, especially when excavation units are relatively small. In this paper, I discuss the importance of assessing site formation processes in residential spaces and illustrate how different modes of household abandonment can make comparative analysis a complex exercise. I describe and compare several examples from Wari-affiliated residences at the sites of Cerro Baúl and Cerro Mejía, located in the department of Moquegua, Peru, to show how ritual depositions corresponding to house abandonment might affect the interpretation of daily domestic life. In particular, I examine how ritual assemblages have been interpreted as evidence of feasting to support propositions regarding the Wari political economy. I advocate that archaeologists interested in domestic areas, lifeways, and the political economy engage in large-scale horizontal excavations to ensure they can correctly distinguish between the remains of quotidian practices, the goods associated with ritual depositions, and refuse resulting from feasting, which is best substantiated with features and facilities to host empowering events. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-42e6a9d3e01640a39f1acfa47c5b11de |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-9461 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humans |
| spelling | doaj-art-42e6a9d3e01640a39f1acfa47c5b11de2025-08-20T02:42:31ZengMDPI AGHumans2673-94612025-02-0151310.3390/humans5010003Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household ArchaeologyDonna J. Nash0School of Human Evolution and Social, Arizona State University, 900 S Cady Mall, P.O. Box 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287-2402, USAThe excavation of residential areas is a growing focus of research in Andean archaeology. Studies reveal that interpreting household remains from some prehispanic societies can be complex because of the nature of abandonment ritual, which may involve burnt offerings, the placement of valuables on floors, or the purposeful destruction of ceramic vessels that are distributed in patterned ways. The goods that constitute these offering practices can be confused with post-occupation refuse, especially when excavation units are relatively small. In this paper, I discuss the importance of assessing site formation processes in residential spaces and illustrate how different modes of household abandonment can make comparative analysis a complex exercise. I describe and compare several examples from Wari-affiliated residences at the sites of Cerro Baúl and Cerro Mejía, located in the department of Moquegua, Peru, to show how ritual depositions corresponding to house abandonment might affect the interpretation of daily domestic life. In particular, I examine how ritual assemblages have been interpreted as evidence of feasting to support propositions regarding the Wari political economy. I advocate that archaeologists interested in domestic areas, lifeways, and the political economy engage in large-scale horizontal excavations to ensure they can correctly distinguish between the remains of quotidian practices, the goods associated with ritual depositions, and refuse resulting from feasting, which is best substantiated with features and facilities to host empowering events.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9461/5/1/3ritualofferingsfeastingpolitical economyWaristates |
| spellingShingle | Donna J. Nash Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology Humans ritual offerings feasting political economy Wari states |
| title | Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology |
| title_full | Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology |
| title_fullStr | Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology |
| title_short | Refuse or Ritual Deposit? The Complexity of Wari Household Archaeology |
| title_sort | refuse or ritual deposit the complexity of wari household archaeology |
| topic | ritual offerings feasting political economy Wari states |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9461/5/1/3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT donnajnash refuseorritualdepositthecomplexityofwarihouseholdarchaeology |