Papers by Hendrik Van Gijseghem
2018 3rd Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHERITAGE) held jointly with 2018 24th International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia (VSMM 2018)
Large collections resulting from archaeological excavations can present challenges for data manag... more Large collections resulting from archaeological excavations can present challenges for data management and analysis. Confronted with a new collection of approximately half a million artifacts, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum partnered with the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke to incorporate complex data visualization into a web-based GIS platform. This partnership has helped transfer expertise from universities to the institution and created a system which the Museum can use to better understand the site and its components.
Boletín de Arqueología PUCP
Presentamos resultados de investigaciones realizadas en un sitio minero del área Nasca. En partic... more Presentamos resultados de investigaciones realizadas en un sitio minero del área Nasca. En particular, en el sitio de Mina Primavera, valle de Ingenio, una fuente de hematita (óxido de hierro) cuya explotación se remonta a los primeros siglos del primer milenio d.C., hemos encontrado en contexto estratigráfico testigos de las primeras épocas de extracción, correspondientes a material cerámico conocido como Nasca 1, o Nasca Inicial. Estos descubrimientos ponen de relieve las innovaciones técnicas asociadas con el desarrollo de pintura precocción como vehículo para la iconografía, y un nuevo culto que se estaba elaborando en Cahuachi. Además, reconocemos que existía una variedad de otros usos de las hematita en Nasca Temprano, incluyendo su empleo como ofrendas, así como pintura de paredes en contextos monumentales. En efecto, la extracción de pigmentos desde Mina Primavera se aceleró notablemente en la siguiente época de Nasca Temprano, acompañada por prácticas rituales, y al parecer cesa con el abandono de Cahuachi como centro ceremonial, después de lo cual el espacio de la mina aparentemente se convirtió en un espacio sagrado análogo a las estructuras que se conocen como huaca.
Humans] know that although speech alone cannot materially transform nature, it can direct attenti... more Humans] know that although speech alone cannot materially transform nature, it can direct attention, organize insignificant entities into significant composite wholes, and in so doing, make things formerly overlooked-and hence invisible and nonexistent-visible and real. (Tuan 1991:685)
Actas del I Congreso Nacional de Arqueologia. Fondo Editorial PUCP, pp. 271-279
Documented plaza use in the southern Nasca region (SNR) has demonstrated that communal spaces wer... more Documented plaza use in the southern Nasca region (SNR) has demonstrated that communal spaces were absent at residential sites during the Early Nasca epoch. Indeed, communal rituals and performance were apparently limited to the pilgrimage center of Cahuachi and associated features of the built environment such as the Nasca geoglyphs. This pattern differs significantly from the pre and post-Cahuachi eras, when plazas, and the communal activities that took place in them, were central to many settlements. In this article, we build on previous work to evaluate the use of communal ritual space in the form of plazas and other aspects of the "built exterior" through time in the Nasca region. We employ data collected from multiple sites, from the SNR to the northern Nasca region (NNR) in Ica. We conclude that cycles of sociopolitical complexity, integration, and patterns of pilgrimage were factors in determining the amount, kind, and arrangement of public ritual space in the Nasca region during the Formative and Early Intermediate periods.
Documented plaza use in the southern Nasca region (SNR) has demonstrated that communal spaces wer... more Documented plaza use in the southern Nasca region (SNR) has demonstrated that communal spaces were absent at residential sites during the Early Nasca epoch. Indeed, communal rituals and performance were apparently limited to the pilgrimage center of Cahuachi and associated features of the built environment such as the Nasca geoglyphs. This pattern differs significantly from the pre and post-Cahuachi eras, when plazas, and the communal activities that took place in them, were central to many settlements. In this article, we build on previous work to evaluate the use of communal ritual space in the form of plazas and other aspects of the “built exterior” through time in the Nasca region. We employ data collected from multiple sites, from the SNR to the northern Nasca region (NNR) in Ica. We conclude that cycles of sociopolitical complexity, integration, and patterns of pilgrimage were factors in determining the amount, kind, and arrangement of public ritual space in the Nasca region during the Formative and Early Intermediate periods.
El uso documentado de las plazas en la Región Nazca Sur (SNR) ha demostrado que los espacios comunales están ausentes en los sitios residenciales durante la época Nasca Temprana. Efectivamente, los rituales y performances comunales estuvieron aparentemente limitados al centro de peregrinaje de Cahuachi y a los rasgos asociados del paisaje construido tales como los geoglifos de Nasca. Este patrón difiere significativamente de las épocas pre y post-Cahuachi, cuando las plazas, y las actividades comunales que se llevaron a cabo en ellas, fueron centrales en muchos asentamientos.En este artículo, nos basamos en trabajos previos para evaluar el uso del espacio ritual comunal en la forma de plazas y otros aspectos del “exterior construido” a lo largo del tiempo en la región Nasca. Utilizamos datos recolectados de diferentes sitios, desde la SNR hasta la región Nasca Norte (NNR) en Ica. Concluimos que los ciclos de complejidad sociopolítica, integración y patrones de peregrinaje eran los factores que determinaban la cantidad, tipo y organización del espacio ritual público en la región Nasca durante los periodos Formativo e Intermedio Temprano.
NOTE: Routledge will not let its authors distribute PDF copies of their work. If you are interest... more NOTE: Routledge will not let its authors distribute PDF copies of their work. If you are interested in this chapter, please contact me.
In this chapter I review major trends in settlement patterns - choice of landforms, locations, site dispersal and aggregation - from the first millennium BC until the Inka conquest in the Nasca heartland, encompassing the Ica and Nasca regions and river watersheds. One of the shortcomings of these reconstructions is the often implicit assumption that past landscapes and climatic characteristics mirrored the ones we have experienced historically. Recent palaeoclimatic research suggests otherwise, however, forcing many to re-evaluate these assumptions and accept the possibility that environmental conditions were drastically different during certain periods in prehistory. Even slight variations in rainfall, for instance, in what is today an arid landscape bisected by seasonal rivers would seriously modify the availability of hydraulic resources for past populations’ irrigation and sustenance. Recent archaeological data suggest that irrigation based on rainfall runoff was practiced during certain periods, notably the end of the Formative Period (ca. 120 BC – AD 90) and the Late Intermediate Period (ca. AD 1000 – 1400). Among other things, these data reveal fossil streams that emerge from the Ica-Nasca desert foothills. I evaluate the effects of these environmental conditions on hydrography, human experience of landscape, politics, and the potentials and constraints imposed on settlement location choices during major periods of aridity and moisture.
A pesar que la minería es una actividad crítica para obtener materiales primas, se reconoce poco ... more A pesar que la minería es una actividad crítica para obtener materiales primas, se reconoce poco sobre la minería en los Andes prehispánicos. En este artículo presentamos evidencia de actividad minera antigua desde Mina Primavera, una mina antigua bien preservada de Nasca, costa sur de Perú, con fechas de explotación principalmente entre el periodo Intermedio Temprano (1-750 d.C.) y el Horizonte Medio (750-1.000 d.C.). Nuestras excavaciones proveen evidencia de extracción y proceso de hematita –usada en ofrendas y como pigmentos–, pero también evidencia de rituales que occurieron en la mina. Discutimos las excavaciones y nuestras interpretaciones de los artefactos y hallazgos que se han encontrado.
Despite the fact that mining is a critical activity to obtain raw materials, very little is known about mining in the prehispanic Andes. In this paper we present evidence of ancient mining activities from Mina Primavera, a well-preserved hematite mine from Nasca, south coast of Peru dating primarily to the Early Intermediate Period (ca. A.D. 1-750) and to the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 750-1,000). Our excavations provide evidence not only for the extraction and processing of hematite –used in offerings and as pigments– but also provide evidence for rituals that took place in the mine. We discuss excavations conducted within the mine over several seasons, as well as our interpretations of artifacts and features found.
Journal of Anthropological Research 70(2) 2014
Archaeological Review from Cambridge 28(1): Archaeology and Cultural Mixture, edited by Paul van Pelt
Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena 45(1):131-142
A pesar que la minería es una actividad crítica para obtener materiales primas, se reconoce poco ... more A pesar que la minería es una actividad crítica para obtener materiales primas, se reconoce poco sobre la minería en los Andes prehispánicos. En este artículo presentamos evidencia de actividad minera antigua desde Mina Primavera, una mina antigua bien preservada de Nasca, costa sur de Perú, con fechas de explotación principalmente entre el periodo Intermedio Temprano (1-750 d.C.) y el Horizonte Medio (750-1.000 d.C.). Nuestras excavaciones proveen evidencia de extracción y proceso de hematita -usada en ofrendas y como pigmentos-, pero también evidencia de rituales que occurieron en la mina. Discutimos las excavaciones y nuestras interpretaciones de los artefactos y hallazgos que se han encontrado.
In N. Tripcevich and K. Vaughn (eds), Mining and Quarrying in the Ancient Andes: Sociopolitical, Economic, and Symbolic Dimensions. Springer , 2013
In N. Tripcevich and K. Vaughn (eds.) Mining and Quarrying in the Ancient Andes: Sociopolitical, Economic, and Symbolic Dimesions. Springer, 2013
We use the built environment of residential sites (house form and community layout) to investigat... more We use the built environment of residential sites (house form and community layout) to investigate the effects of increasing regional
integration at the level of the community in middle-range societies. We consider spatial data on house form, arrangement of residences within settlements, site location, and organization of non-residential spaces to reveal specific social phenomena linked with pan-regional political organization and ethnic identity formation, and evaluate how macro-scale processes affect micro-scale phenomena. Specifically, we argue that architecture reflects different community patterns of ritual, integration, and inequality. As a case study, we employ a diachronic perspective for two periods in Peruvian south coastal prehistory to assess the magnitude of changes implied by the genesis of Nasca society out of the preceding Paracas. Survey and excavation data from residential sites in the southern Nasca region indicate that
important modifications in local community organization accompanied the regional, wide-ranging effects of Nasca society and its innovative form of regional integration. Comparison of the residential built environment from both periods suggests important changes in ritual and patterns of status acquisition and maintenance. In addition, house form indicates that a greater level of household autonomy accompanied increasing regional integration and a decrease in conflict.
It has long been recognized that the Nasca culture (ca. A.D. 1-750) of the Peruvian south coast f... more It has long been recognized that the Nasca culture (ca. A.D. 1-750) of the Peruvian south coast finds its roots in the Para cas society (ca. 800 B.C.-A.D. 1). Yet the social mechanisms responsible for the innovations that characterize the transi tion are poorly known. The southern Nasca region, which became the most dynamic region in terms of ceremonial life and intervalley integration, however, was never an important area of Paracas occupation. In this article I use literature on migra tion and frontier development to explain the genesis of Nasca society. Four phenomena that are common on historical fron tiers seem to have been at play in the southern Nasca region: initial simplification of hierarchy, pioneer effect, "wealth-in-people," and factionalism. Based on data from excavations at La Puntilla, a settlement that spanned the Late Paracas-Initial Nasca transition, I argue that the needs of interregional integration and cooperation following initial set tlement of the frontier by Paracas populations and subsequent demographic growth prompted the genesis of Nasca society. The proposed long-term scenario also provides a context for later innovations in water management and agricultural intensification.
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Papers by Hendrik Van Gijseghem
El uso documentado de las plazas en la Región Nazca Sur (SNR) ha demostrado que los espacios comunales están ausentes en los sitios residenciales durante la época Nasca Temprana. Efectivamente, los rituales y performances comunales estuvieron aparentemente limitados al centro de peregrinaje de Cahuachi y a los rasgos asociados del paisaje construido tales como los geoglifos de Nasca. Este patrón difiere significativamente de las épocas pre y post-Cahuachi, cuando las plazas, y las actividades comunales que se llevaron a cabo en ellas, fueron centrales en muchos asentamientos.En este artículo, nos basamos en trabajos previos para evaluar el uso del espacio ritual comunal en la forma de plazas y otros aspectos del “exterior construido” a lo largo del tiempo en la región Nasca. Utilizamos datos recolectados de diferentes sitios, desde la SNR hasta la región Nasca Norte (NNR) en Ica. Concluimos que los ciclos de complejidad sociopolítica, integración y patrones de peregrinaje eran los factores que determinaban la cantidad, tipo y organización del espacio ritual público en la región Nasca durante los periodos Formativo e Intermedio Temprano.
In this chapter I review major trends in settlement patterns - choice of landforms, locations, site dispersal and aggregation - from the first millennium BC until the Inka conquest in the Nasca heartland, encompassing the Ica and Nasca regions and river watersheds. One of the shortcomings of these reconstructions is the often implicit assumption that past landscapes and climatic characteristics mirrored the ones we have experienced historically. Recent palaeoclimatic research suggests otherwise, however, forcing many to re-evaluate these assumptions and accept the possibility that environmental conditions were drastically different during certain periods in prehistory. Even slight variations in rainfall, for instance, in what is today an arid landscape bisected by seasonal rivers would seriously modify the availability of hydraulic resources for past populations’ irrigation and sustenance. Recent archaeological data suggest that irrigation based on rainfall runoff was practiced during certain periods, notably the end of the Formative Period (ca. 120 BC – AD 90) and the Late Intermediate Period (ca. AD 1000 – 1400). Among other things, these data reveal fossil streams that emerge from the Ica-Nasca desert foothills. I evaluate the effects of these environmental conditions on hydrography, human experience of landscape, politics, and the potentials and constraints imposed on settlement location choices during major periods of aridity and moisture.
Despite the fact that mining is a critical activity to obtain raw materials, very little is known about mining in the prehispanic Andes. In this paper we present evidence of ancient mining activities from Mina Primavera, a well-preserved hematite mine from Nasca, south coast of Peru dating primarily to the Early Intermediate Period (ca. A.D. 1-750) and to the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 750-1,000). Our excavations provide evidence not only for the extraction and processing of hematite –used in offerings and as pigments– but also provide evidence for rituals that took place in the mine. We discuss excavations conducted within the mine over several seasons, as well as our interpretations of artifacts and features found.
integration at the level of the community in middle-range societies. We consider spatial data on house form, arrangement of residences within settlements, site location, and organization of non-residential spaces to reveal specific social phenomena linked with pan-regional political organization and ethnic identity formation, and evaluate how macro-scale processes affect micro-scale phenomena. Specifically, we argue that architecture reflects different community patterns of ritual, integration, and inequality. As a case study, we employ a diachronic perspective for two periods in Peruvian south coastal prehistory to assess the magnitude of changes implied by the genesis of Nasca society out of the preceding Paracas. Survey and excavation data from residential sites in the southern Nasca region indicate that
important modifications in local community organization accompanied the regional, wide-ranging effects of Nasca society and its innovative form of regional integration. Comparison of the residential built environment from both periods suggests important changes in ritual and patterns of status acquisition and maintenance. In addition, house form indicates that a greater level of household autonomy accompanied increasing regional integration and a decrease in conflict.
El uso documentado de las plazas en la Región Nazca Sur (SNR) ha demostrado que los espacios comunales están ausentes en los sitios residenciales durante la época Nasca Temprana. Efectivamente, los rituales y performances comunales estuvieron aparentemente limitados al centro de peregrinaje de Cahuachi y a los rasgos asociados del paisaje construido tales como los geoglifos de Nasca. Este patrón difiere significativamente de las épocas pre y post-Cahuachi, cuando las plazas, y las actividades comunales que se llevaron a cabo en ellas, fueron centrales en muchos asentamientos.En este artículo, nos basamos en trabajos previos para evaluar el uso del espacio ritual comunal en la forma de plazas y otros aspectos del “exterior construido” a lo largo del tiempo en la región Nasca. Utilizamos datos recolectados de diferentes sitios, desde la SNR hasta la región Nasca Norte (NNR) en Ica. Concluimos que los ciclos de complejidad sociopolítica, integración y patrones de peregrinaje eran los factores que determinaban la cantidad, tipo y organización del espacio ritual público en la región Nasca durante los periodos Formativo e Intermedio Temprano.
In this chapter I review major trends in settlement patterns - choice of landforms, locations, site dispersal and aggregation - from the first millennium BC until the Inka conquest in the Nasca heartland, encompassing the Ica and Nasca regions and river watersheds. One of the shortcomings of these reconstructions is the often implicit assumption that past landscapes and climatic characteristics mirrored the ones we have experienced historically. Recent palaeoclimatic research suggests otherwise, however, forcing many to re-evaluate these assumptions and accept the possibility that environmental conditions were drastically different during certain periods in prehistory. Even slight variations in rainfall, for instance, in what is today an arid landscape bisected by seasonal rivers would seriously modify the availability of hydraulic resources for past populations’ irrigation and sustenance. Recent archaeological data suggest that irrigation based on rainfall runoff was practiced during certain periods, notably the end of the Formative Period (ca. 120 BC – AD 90) and the Late Intermediate Period (ca. AD 1000 – 1400). Among other things, these data reveal fossil streams that emerge from the Ica-Nasca desert foothills. I evaluate the effects of these environmental conditions on hydrography, human experience of landscape, politics, and the potentials and constraints imposed on settlement location choices during major periods of aridity and moisture.
Despite the fact that mining is a critical activity to obtain raw materials, very little is known about mining in the prehispanic Andes. In this paper we present evidence of ancient mining activities from Mina Primavera, a well-preserved hematite mine from Nasca, south coast of Peru dating primarily to the Early Intermediate Period (ca. A.D. 1-750) and to the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 750-1,000). Our excavations provide evidence not only for the extraction and processing of hematite –used in offerings and as pigments– but also provide evidence for rituals that took place in the mine. We discuss excavations conducted within the mine over several seasons, as well as our interpretations of artifacts and features found.
integration at the level of the community in middle-range societies. We consider spatial data on house form, arrangement of residences within settlements, site location, and organization of non-residential spaces to reveal specific social phenomena linked with pan-regional political organization and ethnic identity formation, and evaluate how macro-scale processes affect micro-scale phenomena. Specifically, we argue that architecture reflects different community patterns of ritual, integration, and inequality. As a case study, we employ a diachronic perspective for two periods in Peruvian south coastal prehistory to assess the magnitude of changes implied by the genesis of Nasca society out of the preceding Paracas. Survey and excavation data from residential sites in the southern Nasca region indicate that
important modifications in local community organization accompanied the regional, wide-ranging effects of Nasca society and its innovative form of regional integration. Comparison of the residential built environment from both periods suggests important changes in ritual and patterns of status acquisition and maintenance. In addition, house form indicates that a greater level of household autonomy accompanied increasing regional integration and a decrease in conflict.