Christophe Delaere | Université libre de Bruxelles (original) (raw)

Papers (Andean Archaeology) by Christophe Delaere

Hippocampe, 2024

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Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024

Water management enabled the development of ancient societies allowing them to ensure agropastora... more Water management enabled the development of ancient societies allowing them to ensure agropastoral production and manufacturing activities. In the Andes, near the shore of Lake Titicaca, the city of Tiwanaku (Bolivia) is one of the largest pre-Hispanic urban centres in South America. Abrupt climate changes in the high-altitude Altiplano during the late Holocene likely forced the population to develop water management strategies. So far, knowledge concerning the existence of a water network around the city of Tiwanaku is limited to hypotheses derived from surface and aerial observations. In this study, geoscience techniques (morphology, geophysics, sedimentology and chronostratigraphy) helped to reconstruct the canals’ morphology and their ow dynamics, along with their chronology of operation in a context of hydroclimatic change. Two ca. 30 m large canals bypassing the monumental core and supplied by a shallow water table and multiple tributaries, connected the agricultural and the urban areas. The structure and organization of the network testify to an elaborate knowledge of the local hydrology by the former builders of the city. It ensured water supply and ood management in relation to the extreme intra- and inter-annual variability of precipitations in the central Andes. The palae- ogeographical and landscape reconstruction demonstrates that canals were set from natural features during the early Late Formative period (200 BCE to 200 CE) during a wet period likely for water resource management needs. During the Tiwanaku state (before 800 CE), the lling of the canal network with soil and sediment suggests a major change in its use, and possibly its partial abandonment, during a major restructuration of the site, in a period of increased regional precipitation.

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University Press of Florida, 2023

This volume features a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to underwater and coast... more This volume features a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to underwater and coastal archaeology in Latin America. Showcasing the efforts of 82 researchers working across the region, the case studies in this book point to a long tradition of practices and beliefs related to the exploitation and management of aquatic environments, displaying a wide chronological vision that recognizes the vast and rich precolonial heritage of these waters. Chapters on the pre-Hispanic period include an analysis of evidence about the exploitation of maritime resources, ritual practices related to water, ancestral navigation, and inundated cultural landscapes, addressing examples from Mesoamerica, the Central American isthmus, and the Andes. Historical case studies are also explored, including shipwrecks, harbors, and maritime coastal landscapes in the Caribbean, on the Atlantic coast, and in Patagonia. The countries represented comprise Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The material landscapes of oceans, lakes, and rivers discussed in this volume contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic relationships between humans and their environments over time. By integrating the study of behaviors associated with waterscapes into the interpretations of past and current cultures, this volume introduces new ways of seeing Latin America.

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Past Global Changes Magazine, 2023

Over the millennia, complex and elaborate cultures have emerged in the Lake Titicaca region. Rece... more Over the millennia, complex and elaborate cultures have emerged in the Lake Titicaca region. Recent archaeological evidence and new environmental reconstructions spanning the last ~4500 years have enabled us to explore the interactions between cultural developments of past societies and the changing environment.

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PNAS, 2023

The Lake Titicaca Basin has been inhabited for millennia, and cultural development has been linke... more The Lake Titicaca Basin has been inhabited for millennia, and cultural development has been linked to regional climate history. We reevaluated Lake Titicaca’s Holocene water-level history by integrating organic-carbon- stable-isotope measurements from multiple sediment cores with analysis of paleoshoreline indicators. We developed a lake-level model that is compatible with archaeological timescales and shows Late Holocene uctuations of ~5 m relative to the mean values. The model suggests low stands much shorter than indicated by prior studies and a more gradual lake-level rise, consistent with reconstructions of regional precipitation. Major lake-level rises coincided with periods of cultural emergence, including the Tiwanaku culture. The general trend of increased wetness during the Late Holocene likely promoted agricultural and sociopolitical development and in uenced population migration

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World Archaeology, 2022

Andean societies have undergone abrupt climate changes that have affected their water resources a... more Andean societies have undergone abrupt climate changes that have affected their water resources and habitable or cultivable land. This is the case for Lake Titicaca, which has experienced fluctuations up to 20 metres during the last three millennia. Although paleoenvironmental reconstructions have provided valuable data on these lake level variations, their resolution is often not sufficient to assess their impact at the human time scale of land-use patterns. In this study, we provide a description of recent methodological developments in underwater archaeology that allows great advances in such reconstruction. Our results highlight that the level of the lake rose globally with multiple events of transgression and regression over the last two millennia. We also show that certain abrupt lake variation coincide with major transformations of the societies such as the emergence of the Tiwanaku state in the 6 th century during a major transgression.

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Agua, tecnología y ritual: función y cosmología hidráulica en el mundo prehispánico, 2022

La conquista del Titicaca por los incas, a partir del siglo XV, cambió el paisaje cultural y rit... more La conquista del Titicaca por los incas, a partir del siglo XV, cambió el paisaje cultural y ritual de la cuenca lacustre. El lago funcionaba como un mar interior que ofrecía oportunidades socioeconómicas a las poblaciones preincas, las cuales desarrollaron medios para el aprovechamiento del agua en la producción (navegación, pesca, comercio, etc.). Con la dominación inca su uso fue reorientado a funciones principalmente rituales, ya que se le fue asignando un rol de huaca primordial. Con ello, una serie de normas y tabúes restringieron numerosas actividades en el lago e incentivaron otras, como los gestos rituales dirigidos a transformar y mantener este espacio en el ámbito cosmológico. Las ofrendas subacuáticas incas, articuladas alrededor de gurillas en miniatura hechas de materiales preciosos (contenidos), fueron descubiertas en cajas de piedra selladas con tapas (contenedores). Adaptada al espa- cio de inmersión, esta práctica ilustra el acto político-ritual de la ceremonia de la Capacocha. Estas ofrendas fueron sacri cios de sustitución y re ejaron la voluntad de los incas de mantener el orden cósmico del mundo y legitimar su poder en el nuevo territorio conquistado, reapropiándose del lugar de origen mítico de la pareja inca primordial.

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Atlas de l’Amérique précolombienne, 2020

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Anthropocène, 2021

Copper, silver, and gold exploitation has been a foundation of economic and socio-cultural develo... more Copper, silver, and gold exploitation has been a foundation of economic and socio-cultural development of Andean societies, at least for the last three millennia. The main centers of pre-colonial metallurgy are well-known from archeological artifacts, but temporal gaps inherent in this record handicap a finer understanding of the modalities of ore exploitation by succeeding civilizations. A continuous record over time of trace metals emitted during ore smelting operations make lake sediments excellent candidates to fill those gaps. Two millennia of metallurgy were reconstructed from atmospherically derived metals together with lead (Pb) isotope ratios in two dated sediment cores from Lake Titicaca. The first evidence for metallurgy is found during the apogee of the Tiwanaku state (AD 800 –1150), with a higher copper (Cu) accumulation that can be attributed to the smelting of local Cu ores, based on Pb isotopic fingerprinting. During the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1150 –1450), recorded peaks in metal deposition that persisted for twenty years show that mining activities were intensive but discontinuous. Pb isotope ratios suggest diversi fied extractive activities, mainly located in the southern part of the central Altiplano. Finally, the most intense mining epoch began during the Inca Empire (ca. AD 1500) and lasted until the end of the Colonial Period (AD 1830), with unprecedented metal deposition over this interval. Pb isotope fingerprinting shows that mining operations occurred mainly in the Lake Titicaca and Potosi areas and were responsible for metal emissions recorded in the entire Altiplano, as evidenced by other studies.

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Chachapuma, revista de Arqueología Boliviana, 2021

A medida que el Imperio Inca se expandía por los Andes sudamericanos, el lago Titicaca se convir... more A medida que el Imperio Inca se expandía por los Andes sudamericanos, el lago Titicaca se convirtió en su mítico lugar de origen y allí se construyó un complejo de peregrinaje centrado en la Isla del Sol. El complejo de peregrinaje incluía un arrecife subacuático donde se sumergían cajas de piedra que contenían costosas ofrendas rituales incluyendo figuras en miniatura de oro, plata y concha marina Spondylus. En este trabajo, se reporta el hallazgo de una caja de ofrendas de piedra intacta de un arrecife aislado situado en la orilla noreste del lago. Así mismo se examina la ubicación, el contenido y el contexto sociocultural más amplio de los sacrificios incas para discutir el significado religioso y social de las ofrendas rituales subacuáticas del lago Titicaca.

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Bulletin des Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 2021

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BAR, 2020

This book re-examines the occupation of the lake basin at Lake Titicaca during the Tiwanaku perio... more This book re-examines the occupation of the lake basin at Lake Titicaca during the Tiwanaku period (500-1150 AD) using the concept of ‘lacustrine cultural landscape’. Considered as ‘cultures of the land’ (agriculture, pastoralism, etc.), the pre-Hispanic societies of Lake Titicaca developed many practices specific to ‘cultures of the sea’ (navigation, offerings, etc.). Whether politically, socio-culturally or ritually, the lake has had an impact on the evolution of these populations and has encouraged the emergence of practices that are inseparable from a lake area. Delaere proposes a new ‘vision’ of archaeology at Lake Titicaca by integrating the lacustrine factor into the interpretation of Tiwanaku cultures, and by reconciling our present knowledge of both terrestrial and underwater ‘archaeologies’.

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Antiquity, 2020

As the Inca Empire expanded across the South American Andes during the fifteenth and sixteenth ce... more As the Inca Empire expanded across the South American Andes during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries AD, Lake Titicaca became its mythical place of origin and the location of a pilgrimage complex on the Island of the Sun. This complex included an underwater reef where stone boxes containing miniature figurines of gold, silver and shell were submerged as ritual offerings. This article reports a newly discovered stone offering box from a reef close to the lake's northeastern shore. The location, content and broader socio-cultural context of Inca sacrifices are examined to illuminate the religious and social meaning of underwater ritual offerings at Lake Titicaca.

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PNAS, 2019

Considerable debate surrounds the economic, political, and ideological systems that constitute pr... more Considerable debate surrounds the economic, political, and ideological systems that constitute primary state formation. Theoretical and empirical research emphasize the role of religion as a significant institution for promoting the consolidation and reproduction of archaic states. The Tiwanaku state developed in the Lake Titicaca Basin between the 5th and 12th centuries CE and extended its influence over much of the south-central Andes of South America. We report on recent discoveries from the first systematic underwater archaeological excavations in the Khoa Reef near the Island of the Sun, Bolivia. The depositional context and compositional properties of offerings consisting of ceramic feline incense burners, killed juvenile llamas, and sumptuary metal, shell, and lapidary ornaments allow us to reconstruct the structure and significance of cyclically repeated state rituals. Using new theoretical tools, we explain the role of these rituals in promoting the consolidation of the Tiwanaku polity.

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Annales d’Histoire de l’Art & d’Archéologie, 2019

Durante más de treinta años, numerosos proyectos de investigación han hecho evidente el denso y c... more Durante más de treinta años, numerosos proyectos de investigación han hecho evidente el denso y complejo asentamiento humano en la cuenca lacustre del Lago Titicaca (Bolivia, Perú). La evidencia física de este establecimiento había sido descubierta en llanuras, valles y elevaciones naturales conectadas con el lago. Estos restos confirman la ocupación humana y el desarrollo en este ambiente, particularmente durante los periodos de Tiwanaku (500-1150 d.C.) e Inca (1400-1532 d.C.). El proyecto de investigación discutido incluye la consideración de áreas sumergidas a través de la arqueología subacuática. Esta investigación implica el análisis de dos áreas que han sido parte de la ocupación humana antigua, pero están mal documentadas: las regiones costeras y lacustres. Por su predominio en el paisaje, el Lago Titicaca siempre ha sido una característica importante en la vida e identidad de las poblaciones de esta vecindad. Estos habitantes han desarrollado conductas socioeconómicas y rituales directamente asociadas con el lago que han dejado una huella cultural y material que es el foco del presente estudio.

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Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2017

For more than 30 years, numerous research projects have revealed the dense and complex human sett... more For more than 30 years, numerous research projects have revealed the dense and complex human settlement of the lacustrine basin of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and Peru. Physical evidence of such establishments has been discovered in plains, valleys, and highlands connected to the lake. These remains confirm human occupation and development in this environment, particularly during the Tiwanaku (AD 500-1150) and Inca (AD 1400-1532) Periods. The research project discussed in this paper includes consideration of submerged areas through underwater archaeology. This investigation involves analysis of two areas that have evidence of ancient human occupation but are poorly documented: the coastal and lacustrine regions. Due to its dominance in the landscape, Lake Titicaca has always been a major feature in the life and identity of populations of this vicinity. These inhabitants have developed socioeconomic and ritual behaviours directly associated with the lake that have left cultural and material prints that are the foci of the present study.

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Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, 2016

Cette dissertation doctorale propose de réexaminer l’étude de l’occupation du basin lacustre du... more Cette dissertation doctorale propose de réexaminer l’étude de l’occupation du basin lacustre du lac Titicaca durant la période Tiwanaku (500-1150 PCN) en développant le concept de paysage culturel lacustre. Souvent considérées comme des ‘cultures de la terre’ (agriculture, pastoralisme, etc.), les sociétés préhispaniques du lac Titicaca ont, en réalité, développé, de nombreuses pratiques propres aux ‘cultures de la mer’ (navigation, offrandes, etc.). Que ce soit sur le plan politique, socioculturel ou rituel, le lac a eu une incidence sur l’évolution de ces populations et a favorisé l’émergence de pratiques indissociables à un espace lacustre. Les discussions proposent une nouvelle ‘vision’ de l’archéologie au lac Titicaca en intégrant le facteur lacustre dans l’interprétation des cultures Tiwanaku, et en conciliant nos connaissances actuelles des ‘archéologies’ du lac Titicaca, qu’elles soient ‘terrestres’ ou ‘subaquatiques’.

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Archéologia, 2016

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Restaurer l’ordinaire, exposer l’extraordinaire, 2015

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First Brussels Pre-Columbian Meeting, 2015

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Hippocampe, 2024

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Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024

Water management enabled the development of ancient societies allowing them to ensure agropastora... more Water management enabled the development of ancient societies allowing them to ensure agropastoral production and manufacturing activities. In the Andes, near the shore of Lake Titicaca, the city of Tiwanaku (Bolivia) is one of the largest pre-Hispanic urban centres in South America. Abrupt climate changes in the high-altitude Altiplano during the late Holocene likely forced the population to develop water management strategies. So far, knowledge concerning the existence of a water network around the city of Tiwanaku is limited to hypotheses derived from surface and aerial observations. In this study, geoscience techniques (morphology, geophysics, sedimentology and chronostratigraphy) helped to reconstruct the canals’ morphology and their ow dynamics, along with their chronology of operation in a context of hydroclimatic change. Two ca. 30 m large canals bypassing the monumental core and supplied by a shallow water table and multiple tributaries, connected the agricultural and the urban areas. The structure and organization of the network testify to an elaborate knowledge of the local hydrology by the former builders of the city. It ensured water supply and ood management in relation to the extreme intra- and inter-annual variability of precipitations in the central Andes. The palae- ogeographical and landscape reconstruction demonstrates that canals were set from natural features during the early Late Formative period (200 BCE to 200 CE) during a wet period likely for water resource management needs. During the Tiwanaku state (before 800 CE), the lling of the canal network with soil and sediment suggests a major change in its use, and possibly its partial abandonment, during a major restructuration of the site, in a period of increased regional precipitation.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

University Press of Florida, 2023

This volume features a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to underwater and coast... more This volume features a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to underwater and coastal archaeology in Latin America. Showcasing the efforts of 82 researchers working across the region, the case studies in this book point to a long tradition of practices and beliefs related to the exploitation and management of aquatic environments, displaying a wide chronological vision that recognizes the vast and rich precolonial heritage of these waters. Chapters on the pre-Hispanic period include an analysis of evidence about the exploitation of maritime resources, ritual practices related to water, ancestral navigation, and inundated cultural landscapes, addressing examples from Mesoamerica, the Central American isthmus, and the Andes. Historical case studies are also explored, including shipwrecks, harbors, and maritime coastal landscapes in the Caribbean, on the Atlantic coast, and in Patagonia. The countries represented comprise Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The material landscapes of oceans, lakes, and rivers discussed in this volume contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic relationships between humans and their environments over time. By integrating the study of behaviors associated with waterscapes into the interpretations of past and current cultures, this volume introduces new ways of seeing Latin America.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Past Global Changes Magazine, 2023

Over the millennia, complex and elaborate cultures have emerged in the Lake Titicaca region. Rece... more Over the millennia, complex and elaborate cultures have emerged in the Lake Titicaca region. Recent archaeological evidence and new environmental reconstructions spanning the last ~4500 years have enabled us to explore the interactions between cultural developments of past societies and the changing environment.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

PNAS, 2023

The Lake Titicaca Basin has been inhabited for millennia, and cultural development has been linke... more The Lake Titicaca Basin has been inhabited for millennia, and cultural development has been linked to regional climate history. We reevaluated Lake Titicaca’s Holocene water-level history by integrating organic-carbon- stable-isotope measurements from multiple sediment cores with analysis of paleoshoreline indicators. We developed a lake-level model that is compatible with archaeological timescales and shows Late Holocene uctuations of ~5 m relative to the mean values. The model suggests low stands much shorter than indicated by prior studies and a more gradual lake-level rise, consistent with reconstructions of regional precipitation. Major lake-level rises coincided with periods of cultural emergence, including the Tiwanaku culture. The general trend of increased wetness during the Late Holocene likely promoted agricultural and sociopolitical development and in uenced population migration

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

World Archaeology, 2022

Andean societies have undergone abrupt climate changes that have affected their water resources a... more Andean societies have undergone abrupt climate changes that have affected their water resources and habitable or cultivable land. This is the case for Lake Titicaca, which has experienced fluctuations up to 20 metres during the last three millennia. Although paleoenvironmental reconstructions have provided valuable data on these lake level variations, their resolution is often not sufficient to assess their impact at the human time scale of land-use patterns. In this study, we provide a description of recent methodological developments in underwater archaeology that allows great advances in such reconstruction. Our results highlight that the level of the lake rose globally with multiple events of transgression and regression over the last two millennia. We also show that certain abrupt lake variation coincide with major transformations of the societies such as the emergence of the Tiwanaku state in the 6 th century during a major transgression.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Agua, tecnología y ritual: función y cosmología hidráulica en el mundo prehispánico, 2022

La conquista del Titicaca por los incas, a partir del siglo XV, cambió el paisaje cultural y rit... more La conquista del Titicaca por los incas, a partir del siglo XV, cambió el paisaje cultural y ritual de la cuenca lacustre. El lago funcionaba como un mar interior que ofrecía oportunidades socioeconómicas a las poblaciones preincas, las cuales desarrollaron medios para el aprovechamiento del agua en la producción (navegación, pesca, comercio, etc.). Con la dominación inca su uso fue reorientado a funciones principalmente rituales, ya que se le fue asignando un rol de huaca primordial. Con ello, una serie de normas y tabúes restringieron numerosas actividades en el lago e incentivaron otras, como los gestos rituales dirigidos a transformar y mantener este espacio en el ámbito cosmológico. Las ofrendas subacuáticas incas, articuladas alrededor de gurillas en miniatura hechas de materiales preciosos (contenidos), fueron descubiertas en cajas de piedra selladas con tapas (contenedores). Adaptada al espa- cio de inmersión, esta práctica ilustra el acto político-ritual de la ceremonia de la Capacocha. Estas ofrendas fueron sacri cios de sustitución y re ejaron la voluntad de los incas de mantener el orden cósmico del mundo y legitimar su poder en el nuevo territorio conquistado, reapropiándose del lugar de origen mítico de la pareja inca primordial.

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Atlas de l’Amérique précolombienne, 2020

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Anthropocène, 2021

Copper, silver, and gold exploitation has been a foundation of economic and socio-cultural develo... more Copper, silver, and gold exploitation has been a foundation of economic and socio-cultural development of Andean societies, at least for the last three millennia. The main centers of pre-colonial metallurgy are well-known from archeological artifacts, but temporal gaps inherent in this record handicap a finer understanding of the modalities of ore exploitation by succeeding civilizations. A continuous record over time of trace metals emitted during ore smelting operations make lake sediments excellent candidates to fill those gaps. Two millennia of metallurgy were reconstructed from atmospherically derived metals together with lead (Pb) isotope ratios in two dated sediment cores from Lake Titicaca. The first evidence for metallurgy is found during the apogee of the Tiwanaku state (AD 800 –1150), with a higher copper (Cu) accumulation that can be attributed to the smelting of local Cu ores, based on Pb isotopic fingerprinting. During the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1150 –1450), recorded peaks in metal deposition that persisted for twenty years show that mining activities were intensive but discontinuous. Pb isotope ratios suggest diversi fied extractive activities, mainly located in the southern part of the central Altiplano. Finally, the most intense mining epoch began during the Inca Empire (ca. AD 1500) and lasted until the end of the Colonial Period (AD 1830), with unprecedented metal deposition over this interval. Pb isotope fingerprinting shows that mining operations occurred mainly in the Lake Titicaca and Potosi areas and were responsible for metal emissions recorded in the entire Altiplano, as evidenced by other studies.

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Chachapuma, revista de Arqueología Boliviana, 2021

A medida que el Imperio Inca se expandía por los Andes sudamericanos, el lago Titicaca se convir... more A medida que el Imperio Inca se expandía por los Andes sudamericanos, el lago Titicaca se convirtió en su mítico lugar de origen y allí se construyó un complejo de peregrinaje centrado en la Isla del Sol. El complejo de peregrinaje incluía un arrecife subacuático donde se sumergían cajas de piedra que contenían costosas ofrendas rituales incluyendo figuras en miniatura de oro, plata y concha marina Spondylus. En este trabajo, se reporta el hallazgo de una caja de ofrendas de piedra intacta de un arrecife aislado situado en la orilla noreste del lago. Así mismo se examina la ubicación, el contenido y el contexto sociocultural más amplio de los sacrificios incas para discutir el significado religioso y social de las ofrendas rituales subacuáticas del lago Titicaca.

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Bulletin des Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, 2021

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BAR, 2020

This book re-examines the occupation of the lake basin at Lake Titicaca during the Tiwanaku perio... more This book re-examines the occupation of the lake basin at Lake Titicaca during the Tiwanaku period (500-1150 AD) using the concept of ‘lacustrine cultural landscape’. Considered as ‘cultures of the land’ (agriculture, pastoralism, etc.), the pre-Hispanic societies of Lake Titicaca developed many practices specific to ‘cultures of the sea’ (navigation, offerings, etc.). Whether politically, socio-culturally or ritually, the lake has had an impact on the evolution of these populations and has encouraged the emergence of practices that are inseparable from a lake area. Delaere proposes a new ‘vision’ of archaeology at Lake Titicaca by integrating the lacustrine factor into the interpretation of Tiwanaku cultures, and by reconciling our present knowledge of both terrestrial and underwater ‘archaeologies’.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Antiquity, 2020

As the Inca Empire expanded across the South American Andes during the fifteenth and sixteenth ce... more As the Inca Empire expanded across the South American Andes during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries AD, Lake Titicaca became its mythical place of origin and the location of a pilgrimage complex on the Island of the Sun. This complex included an underwater reef where stone boxes containing miniature figurines of gold, silver and shell were submerged as ritual offerings. This article reports a newly discovered stone offering box from a reef close to the lake's northeastern shore. The location, content and broader socio-cultural context of Inca sacrifices are examined to illuminate the religious and social meaning of underwater ritual offerings at Lake Titicaca.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

PNAS, 2019

Considerable debate surrounds the economic, political, and ideological systems that constitute pr... more Considerable debate surrounds the economic, political, and ideological systems that constitute primary state formation. Theoretical and empirical research emphasize the role of religion as a significant institution for promoting the consolidation and reproduction of archaic states. The Tiwanaku state developed in the Lake Titicaca Basin between the 5th and 12th centuries CE and extended its influence over much of the south-central Andes of South America. We report on recent discoveries from the first systematic underwater archaeological excavations in the Khoa Reef near the Island of the Sun, Bolivia. The depositional context and compositional properties of offerings consisting of ceramic feline incense burners, killed juvenile llamas, and sumptuary metal, shell, and lapidary ornaments allow us to reconstruct the structure and significance of cyclically repeated state rituals. Using new theoretical tools, we explain the role of these rituals in promoting the consolidation of the Tiwanaku polity.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Annales d’Histoire de l’Art & d’Archéologie, 2019

Durante más de treinta años, numerosos proyectos de investigación han hecho evidente el denso y c... more Durante más de treinta años, numerosos proyectos de investigación han hecho evidente el denso y complejo asentamiento humano en la cuenca lacustre del Lago Titicaca (Bolivia, Perú). La evidencia física de este establecimiento había sido descubierta en llanuras, valles y elevaciones naturales conectadas con el lago. Estos restos confirman la ocupación humana y el desarrollo en este ambiente, particularmente durante los periodos de Tiwanaku (500-1150 d.C.) e Inca (1400-1532 d.C.). El proyecto de investigación discutido incluye la consideración de áreas sumergidas a través de la arqueología subacuática. Esta investigación implica el análisis de dos áreas que han sido parte de la ocupación humana antigua, pero están mal documentadas: las regiones costeras y lacustres. Por su predominio en el paisaje, el Lago Titicaca siempre ha sido una característica importante en la vida e identidad de las poblaciones de esta vecindad. Estos habitantes han desarrollado conductas socioeconómicas y rituales directamente asociadas con el lago que han dejado una huella cultural y material que es el foco del presente estudio.

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Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2017

For more than 30 years, numerous research projects have revealed the dense and complex human sett... more For more than 30 years, numerous research projects have revealed the dense and complex human settlement of the lacustrine basin of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and Peru. Physical evidence of such establishments has been discovered in plains, valleys, and highlands connected to the lake. These remains confirm human occupation and development in this environment, particularly during the Tiwanaku (AD 500-1150) and Inca (AD 1400-1532) Periods. The research project discussed in this paper includes consideration of submerged areas through underwater archaeology. This investigation involves analysis of two areas that have evidence of ancient human occupation but are poorly documented: the coastal and lacustrine regions. Due to its dominance in the landscape, Lake Titicaca has always been a major feature in the life and identity of populations of this vicinity. These inhabitants have developed socioeconomic and ritual behaviours directly associated with the lake that have left cultural and material prints that are the foci of the present study.

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Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, 2016

Cette dissertation doctorale propose de réexaminer l’étude de l’occupation du basin lacustre du... more Cette dissertation doctorale propose de réexaminer l’étude de l’occupation du basin lacustre du lac Titicaca durant la période Tiwanaku (500-1150 PCN) en développant le concept de paysage culturel lacustre. Souvent considérées comme des ‘cultures de la terre’ (agriculture, pastoralisme, etc.), les sociétés préhispaniques du lac Titicaca ont, en réalité, développé, de nombreuses pratiques propres aux ‘cultures de la mer’ (navigation, offrandes, etc.). Que ce soit sur le plan politique, socioculturel ou rituel, le lac a eu une incidence sur l’évolution de ces populations et a favorisé l’émergence de pratiques indissociables à un espace lacustre. Les discussions proposent une nouvelle ‘vision’ de l’archéologie au lac Titicaca en intégrant le facteur lacustre dans l’interprétation des cultures Tiwanaku, et en conciliant nos connaissances actuelles des ‘archéologies’ du lac Titicaca, qu’elles soient ‘terrestres’ ou ‘subaquatiques’.

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Archéologia, 2016

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Restaurer l’ordinaire, exposer l’extraordinaire, 2015

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First Brussels Pre-Columbian Meeting, 2015

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Karstologia Mémoires , 2022

Archaeology in an underwater karst context: a new approach to anthropic and natural deposits at t... more Archaeology in an underwater karst context: a new approach to anthropic and natural deposits at the Lesse resurgence in the Han caves (Province of Namur, Belgium). The caves of Han‐sur‐Lesse are a reference point for both karstology and underwater archaeology. From the first discoveries in 1959 in the riverbed of the underground Lesse, thousands of artifacts from the Neolithic to the modern period have been collected. Under the direction of M. Jasinski, the underwater operations mainly concerned, from 1963 to 1978, the Tournant du jour located 70 m from the resurgence, then under the porch, in the Trou de Han, from 1978 to 1983. Since 2012, this sector is the focus of a new program by the “Centre de Recherches Archéologiques Fluviales” (CRAF) to obtain elements of understanding of the evolution of the river Lesse and its surroundings. Opened up from the left riverside to the centre of the river, the excavated area made it possible to record a section almost 4 m high, reaching the Neolithic levels at the base. Although marked by a few gaps, this sequence documents the evolution of a particular environment, both aquatic and underground.

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Chronique de l'Archéologie wallonne, 2021

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Heritage Under Water At Risk, 2020

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Between Worlds, 2019

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Lunula. Archaeologia protohistorica, 2018

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Études Napoléoniennes 46 (VI), 2018

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Chronique de l'Archéologie wallonne, 2015

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Chronique de l'Archéologie wallonne, 2014

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Le « pilier stratigraphique » correspond au témoin sédimentaire de presque trois mètres de hau... more Le « pilier stratigraphique » correspond au témoin sédimentaire de presque trois mètres de haut prélevé en 1902 en un seul bloc, dans un coffrage de plâtre sur cerclage de fer, sous le porche de la Galerie de la Grande Fontaine (GGF), aux Grottes de Han-sur-Lesse, dans le cadre des fouilles réalisées par Jean-Jacques Godelaine (1839-1905) sous la direction d’Édouard de Pierpont (1871- 1946). Il est aujourd’hui conservé en deux parties à Champion : la partie supérieure du coffrage (fouillée en 1981 par l’ULB) et la partie inférieure du coffrage (conservée à Namur de 1902 à 2022).

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