Anita Cook | The Catholic University of America (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Anita Cook

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2023

We present analyses of post-fire engravings (PFEs), scratched markings made in the surface of cer... more We present analyses of post-fire engravings (PFEs), scratched markings made in the surface of ceramic vessels, from the sites of Atalla (800-500 BCE) and Huari (600-1000 CE), Peru. We compare engraved motifs, the vessel forms on which they appear, their placement on vessels, and the contexts in which they were found at Atalla and Huari to other examples mentioned in the Andean and international archaeological literature. These comparisons elucidate both regional and site-level spatial patterns that suggest that these markings constitute intentional visual notations created by the vessel users. Drawing upon the Quechua concept of quillca as "the creation of meaningful markings," we argue that Andean PFEs are meaning-laden signs whose use was comparable to writing. Our analyses also reveal that PFEs appear most frequently on serving wares, such as bowls and cups, vessel forms that were used in commensal events. Semasiographic writing is particularly useful in multilingual contexts, and we highlight that the archaeological data support a correlation between the use of PFEs and historical moments of increasing intercultural interaction in the pre-Hispanic Andes. We present a case for this alternative form of literacy and suggest that this form of semasiographic writing played a role in multilingual commensal events.

The 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2021

Intermediate Elites in Pre-Columbian States and Empires

In this paper, we assess early state feasting practices associated with the Huari of Middle Horiz... more In this paper, we assess early state feasting practices associated with the Huari of Middle Horizon Perú: We consider the types of food and drink served and consumed by the political elite of the Huari state, the ceramic vessels that mediated this process, and the architectural spaces in which such activities occurred. Our goal is to reveal how feasting figured in the negotiation of identity, status, power, and prestige among Huari administrators and between administrators and subjects. Additionally, we wish to show that such practices occurred under certain circumstances in prescribed architecture with selected ceramic assemblages that underscored imperial Huari rule. The Middle Horizon (A.D. 540–900) Huari empire of the central Andes is the focus of our study. Huari is one of the least known Andean polities and has confounded researchers since the first references to it were published by the Spanish soldier, Pedro Cieza de León 1986 [1553], in the early colonial era. The site of H...

The Archaeology of Wak'as: Explorations of the Sacred in the Pre-Columbian Andes, 2015

Visllani visllacuni", frase quechua que titula nuestro trabajo, signifi ca: ¿Qué servían con esta... more Visllani visllacuni", frase quechua que titula nuestro trabajo, signifi ca: ¿Qué servían con estas cucharas?Este estudio trata de la producción local de cucharas pintadas y modeladas de distintas formas y tamaños, procedentes de las excavaciones en Conchopata, Ayacucho, con el fi n de entender cómo las cucharas fueron utilizadas en la práctica cotidiana. El reconocimiento de patrones de producción, circulación y consumo sugieren que las cucharas pueden revelar comportamientos domésticos y rituales que no han sido abordados en la literatura. Generalmente las cucharas no son consideradas objetos especiales o como objetos con dimensiones simbólicas, sin embargo, durante el Horizonte Medio (AD 550-1000), en el valle de Ayacucho en los Andes centrales, se han identifi cado cucharas que fueron recuperadas no sólo desde áreas domésticas, sino más bien de una variedad de contextos. Entre éstas, se han identifi cado tres tamaños de cucharas. Aquí nos enfocamos en la procedencia, diseño y el modelado de las cucharas en la categoría de menor tamaño. Se considera que las cucharas tenían no solo unas funciones utilitarias sino que conte

Pottery for Celebration and Fame: Ceramic Artisan Production in a Huari Urban Center Recent excav... more Pottery for Celebration and Fame: Ceramic Artisan Production in a Huari Urban Center Recent excavations at the Huari site of Conchopata have suggested that the southern sector of the large urban center may have served, at least during one occupation phase, as a residential-artisan area where elite and utilitarian pottery was made. This site has yielded hundreds of tools associated with pottery production, including polishers, molds, and multipurpose andesite hoes, along with several firing pit kilns and firing areas as well as the so-called Huari Middle Horizon ceramic "offerings". In this paper, we examine the spatial distribution and contexts of pottery-making tools, firing areas, and "offerings" within the architecturally defined rooms, plazas, and D-shaped structures. We conclude that the potters of Conchopata both lived and worked in this part of the settlement. They were highly specialized potters who likely belonged to the elite households and produced pot...

Ritual Sacrifice in Ancient Peru

Latin American Anitquity, 1992

Two caches were recovered at Pikillacta, the largest Huari state installation (A.D. 550-1000) in ... more Two caches were recovered at Pikillacta, the largest Huari state installation (A.D. 550-1000) in the southern Andean highlands; each contained 40 richly garbed votive turquoise fzgurines. The fzgurines are analyzed in terms of their production, use, and deposition as well as their overall morphology. To the extent possible, the rank associated with the costumes worn by each fzgure is also considered. Reference is made to Inca apparel and its potential for interpreting Huari official garments. Because the number 40 also held special importance in Inca state organization as an administrative unit or division, the Inca example provides concepts of administration vital to the interpretation of the fzgurines. A more unusual source-origin myths associated with the Chimor Kingdom-supports the relation between turquoisefzgurines and ancestor worship. I argue that the stonefzgurines embody qualities and convey concepts that are central to Andean political administration, and that they are in...

Journal of Archaeological Science

Journal of Field Archaeology, 2013

During excavations at the site of Casa Vieja located in the Peruvian coastal desert, archaeologic... more During excavations at the site of Casa Vieja located in the Peruvian coastal desert, archaeological plant remains were systematically collected to assess whether it is more productive and informative to sieve sandy sediments in dry environments or to process such samples by water flotation, a persistent methodological concern. At Casa Vieja, dual subsamples were collected and analyzed using both of these procedures. For dry, sandy sediment conditions, each processing strategy was found to yield a different view of the botanical remains. Dry sieving recovers more of the larger plant specimens whereas water flotation yields more of the smaller-sized material. These results should be incorporated into archaeological research designs in the future, especially for desert environments.