Table
of Contents for This Page
GOALS OF THIS COURSE:
The
field school is designed to provide students with instruction in archaeological
excavation, laboratory methods, database management, research design, and the
prehistory of Peru. Students participate in the excavation, surface
collection, and mapping of archaeological sites on the north coast of Peru and
learn about the analysis of artifactual and organic
remains. In addition to hands on training in field and laboratory
methods, the field school includes workshops on the analysis of pottery, stone
tools, organic remains, and total station transit mapping. Through talks,
readings, and site tours, students also gain an understanding of the
archaeology of Peru.
The field school is part of the Moche Origins Project directed by Brian Billman, Jesus Briceno, and Jennifer Ringberg. The project goal is to examine how highland-coastal relationships, social stratification, and warfare influenced the development of the Southern Moche state. The project, which began in 1997, involves household and stratigraphic excavation, analysis of existing collections of human remains and grave goods, ceramic sourcing, and environmental reconstruction. Flourishing during the Early Intermediate period between AD 200-800, the Southern Moche state was a highly centralized, hierarchically organized political system in which leaders exercised considerable economic, military, and ideological power. Leaders of the state directed the construction of some of the largest public monuments in the Americas, led the conquest of neighboring valleys, and organized the production of finely crafted ceramics, textiles, and jewelry. Although clearly one of the largest and most complex prehistoric political systems to have developed in the Americas, the origins and socioeconomic structure of the Southern Moche state are poorly understood.
At
the completion of this course, students should be able to:
The field school is based in Huanchaco, a pleasant fishing village and beach
resort just a few kilometers outside of Trujillo, a large city on the north
coast of Peru. Students stay at a hotel in Huanchaco and are provided
with group meals six days a week.
The
course consists of fieldwork, lab work, workshops, talks, group discussions,
and site tours. Fieldwork involves excavation and mapping of elite and
commoner households and tombs at sites dating to the Early Intermediate period
(400 BC–AD 800) in the Moche Valley on the north coast of Peru. Excavation,
mapping, and laboratory analysis are conducted five days a week. At the
sites, student excavation teams, consisting of four students and a crew chief, are assigned a set of rooms to
excavate. The team excavates, maps, and records each room. In the
lab, students wash artifacts recovered from their investigations, and assist in
the day-to-day management of the computer database for the project.
Several workshops are presented on artifact analysis and database design and
management.
In addition to gaining hands on training in excavation techniques, laboratory analysis, and database management, students are actively engaged in implementing the project research design. Through excavation, analysis, readings, and group discussions, we examine how ethnicity, class, and economic relationships are manifested in household remains.
Students also gain an understanding of the prehistory of Peru through site tours and talks. Dr. Billman conducts tours of archaeological sites and museums, including Chan Chan, Huaca de la Luna, El Brujo, Museo Tumbas Reales de los Senores de Sipan and Tucume. Brian Billman and project staff present regular talks on the prehistory of Peru.
Sundays are unscheduled free time.
A reader consisting of a collection of articles on the archaeology of the Moche
Valley is available in Peru.
Optional books: