Cahuachi in the Ancient Nasca World

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Other Ceramic Artifacts

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Other Ceramic Artifacts Figurines On the surface of the Lower Eastern Rooms of Unit 19 at grid point N16/E45, a solid modeled ceramic figurine that has been broken and lacks its head and lower left leg was recovered (fig. 17.1). Preserved height of the figurine is 88 millimeters. Maximum width is 58 millimeters . Maximum thickness is 24 millimeters. The figurine is completely oxidized, and the clay is a bright orange . The paste is gritty with abundant small white inclusions and occasional tiny pebbles. The figurine has been slipped, but there are no traces of painted decoration . Surface color is light reddish brown to light red (Munse1l2.5YR6/4-6). Clearly the figurine is Nasca. It is identical in its slightly bent body posture, size, and form to other Nasca figurines, such as two published by Morgan (1988: pIs. I-I, 2, 3). It may, therefore, date to Nasca 40r 5. Perforated and Unperforated Ceramic Disks A total of eleven reutilized discoidal sherds were found. Three that are perforated may be spindle whorls. Although Strong (1957: 28) suggests that the remains in his Cut 5 (Unit 7) pertained to a textile craft area, no mention of spindle whorls is made in the fieldnotes, and spindle whorls are unreported by Phipps (1989). These three artifacts are pieces of broken pottery that have been modified into disks through which a central hole has been drilled (see fig. 17.2 for an example). These discoidal artifacts have been made from closed utilitarian 260 vessels that were slipped ORthe exterior but not the interior . The sherds were not perfectly smoothed round. Their holes vary in centricity and size (from 6 to 12 millimeters ). The thickness of these artifacts is between 5 and 6 millimeters. Diameters range from 36 to 42 millimeters. Eight of the reutilized sherds are unperforated ceramic disks (see fig. 17.3 for examples). This lack of perforation suggests that they functioned differently from the perforated disks; they might have been plugs. Some were made from sherds from open vessels since they are slipped on both sides; others were made from sherds from closed vessels which were slipped on the exterior only. They range from 22 to 50 millimeters across and from 5 to 11 millimeters in thickness. Other Reutilized Sherds A large, roughly triangular reutilized sherd from an open slipped vessel :with a smooth, even surface was re~ covered. It shows abrasion on the two longest sides (fig. 17.4). It measures 13 by 6.9 centimeters and is 1 centimeter thick. Repaired Sherds Various examples of repaired pottery were recovered, and many more are known from the literature and museums . One sherd with a repair hole is noteworthy for the ornateness of the cord tie going through its repair hole (fig. 17.5). The vessel is an oxidized slipped bowl o 5 ••• em 17.1. Broken Nasca figurine. a oc H &'H}2\W1ji'i$i) b H t4"~S d H gifilB 17.2. Example of a perforated ceramic disk made from a reutilized sherd. Excavation 1L Stratum 7. with marked basal angle. The repair hole is just above the basal angle. Beads (?) Another ceramic object is a rounded, truncated, little cone. It has a dark brown surface color and an incised geometric design (fig. 17.6). Because of its small size and fine decoration, it is possible that this is a ceramic bead (compare to Willey 1943: 163, fig. 3d). Alternatively, it may be a spindle whorl (compare to Kroeber 1944: fig. 7). o 5 ••• em 17.3. Examples of unperforated ceramic disks made from reutilized sherds. a: Excavation 2, Stratum 2. b: Room 6, fill. c: Test Pit 13, Level 13. d: Test Pit L Levell. o 5 ••• em 17.4. Reutilized sherd. Excavation 7. Stratum 3. Special Object Figure 17.7 illustrates an object whose purpose is uncertain . Two little (20 by 10 millimeters) pieces of thick (7.5 and 3 millimeters) utilitarian pottery are separately and securely tied by a thin cotton string which joins them. forming an artifact that looks like a miniature or toy version of balancing scales. It is a surface find from the top OTHER CERAMIC ARTIFACTS 261 17.5. Repaired sherd from summit surface of Unit 19. Top: front. Bottom: back. of the Unit 19 mound. A somewhat similar artifact is illustrated by Tello and Mejia Xesspe (1979: fig. 39-6); they show a little round rock...