The odd, the unusual and the strange: bioarchaeological explorations of atypical burials, 2020
Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable beha... more Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable behavioral information. Previous studies suggest that atypical burial formats reflect society’s way of signaling their dis/approval of the interred individuals’ modus vivendi or moriendi. This has led to a negative sense of “deviant” burial, allied almost exclusively with the diseased, the socially excluded, the powerless, and the in/voluntarily marginalized. However, recent works indicate that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting so- cial repugnance toward the deceased. This paper explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative so- cial attitudes by the burial population. This paper adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular.
The Odd, the Unusual, and the Strange: Bioarchaeological Explorations of Atypical Burials Edited by Tracy K. Betsinger, Amy B. Scott, and Anastasia Tsaliki. University Press of Florida, 2019
Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable beha... more Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable behavioral information. Previous studies suggest that atypical burial formats reflect society’s way of signaling their dis/approval of the interred individuals ’ modus vivendi or moriendi. This has led to a negative sense of “deviant ” burial, allied almost exclusively with the diseased, the socially excluded, the powerless, and the in/voluntarily marginalized. However, recent works indicate that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting social repugnance toward the deceased. This chapter explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative social attitudes by the burial population. This chapter adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular. Formative Period Burial Patterns—State of the Art The Formative period of the South Central Andes (1300 BC–AD 200) saw a shift from small, undifferentiated villages to more complex habitation patterns, social stratification (Stanish and Cohen 2005: 6), regionalization and craft specialization.
Estudios Sociales del NOA. Nueva Serie no. 15, 2015. Instituto Interdisciplinario Tilcara, 2015
Andean topography presents natural limits on the appearance and cultivation of certain plants, an... more Andean topography presents natural limits on the appearance and cultivation of certain plants, and consequently offers a variety of specific products at different altitudes and in different climates. This is one reason for the high degree of mobility of Andean peoples, who developed certain systems of accessing resources not available in the region occupied. One of these pre-Hispanic systems was the interregional traffic and exchange of products via llama caravans. This tradition continues in remote areas of the Bolivian Andes and was subject of our ethnographic study. The investigation of modern caravans provides analogies that can help us understand the organization and material remains of prehistoric caravan trips. This paper is an ethno-archaeological approach to processes that produce material consequences that are useful for a possible investigation of caravan traffic in the past.
Choroqollo is a Formative Period Site in the Cochabamba Valleys, Bolivia, and was investigated fo... more Choroqollo is a Formative Period Site in the Cochabamba Valleys, Bolivia, and was investigated for the authors master thesis. This paper presents a brief summary of the thesis. The results of the investigations give light to questions of ceramic production, social and economic organization and interaction. Also, the new data provides an alternative chronological sequence of the Formative Period for the valleys of Cochabamba.
Durante 80 años de investigación del Período Formativo en los valles de Cochabamba, la organizaci... more Durante 80 años de investigación del Período Formativo en los valles de Cochabamba, la organización social no recibió mucha atención. El sitio de Aranjuez-Santa Lucía , en el Valle Alto, se caracterizó por la producción de cerámica y fue ocupado por más que mil años desde aproximadamente el 1300 a.C. hasta el 200 d.C. Sin embargo, la estructura social no fue estática durante el largo tiempo de ocupación. En una fase temprana, la producción de la cerámica tomó lugar en el área doméstica. A partir de 500 a.C., se separó el sector residencial del sector de producción, indicando un cambio en la organización de la producción así como en la organización social. Pero Aranjuez-Santa Lucía no es el único taller de producción de cerámica; sólo produce un 50% de las formas utilizadas en el Valle Alto. Existió un sistema complementario para la producción y el consumo de vasijas a nivel de todo el valle. Además existen redes de intercambio lejano que proveen bienes tales como conchas marinas de lugares tan alejados como la costa norte peruana. Aranjuez-Santa Lucía jugó un rol importante para la distribución de bienes entre las tierras altas y las tierras bajas de los Andes Sur-centrales
Santa Lucía is a pottery production site dating to the Formative period (about 1600 BC to AD 200)... more Santa Lucía is a pottery production site dating to the Formative period (about 1600 BC to AD 200). It is located in the Cochabamba valleys of the eastern Bolivian Andes. The settlement consists of a residential area and a separate workshop area. A peripheral sector of ash mounds was used as refuse sites and burial grounds. The excavations yielded a total of 16 radiocarbon samples from all 3 sectors, which were dated at the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory (Poland). The results from the deepest trench in the workshop sector (Trench 5) provide information for the stratigraphic sequence and help to define spatial and socioeconomic changes at around 600/500 BC with the beginning of the Late Formative or Santa Lucía III phase. The 14C dates from Santa Lucia, therefore, contribute to a better definition of the existing regional Formative period phases and finally to a better understanding of the processes during the Formative period in the South-central Andes.
Page 1. KERAMIKPRODUKTION IN SANTA LUCÍA EIN BLICK AUF DIE PERIPHERIE DES FORMATIVUMS IM SÜDZEN... more Page 1. KERAMIKPRODUKTION IN SANTA LUCÍA EIN BLICK AUF DIE PERIPHERIE DES FORMATIVUMS IM SÜDZENTRALEN ANDENRAUM Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades eingereicht am Fachbereich Geschichts-und Kulturwissenschaften der ...
The odd, the unusual and the strange: bioarchaeological explorations of atypical burials, 2020
Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable beha... more Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable behavioral information. Previous studies suggest that atypical burial formats reflect society’s way of signaling their dis/approval of the interred individuals’ modus vivendi or moriendi. This has led to a negative sense of “deviant” burial, allied almost exclusively with the diseased, the socially excluded, the powerless, and the in/voluntarily marginalized. However, recent works indicate that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting so- cial repugnance toward the deceased. This paper explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative so- cial attitudes by the burial population. This paper adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular.
The Odd, the Unusual, and the Strange: Bioarchaeological Explorations of Atypical Burials Edited by Tracy K. Betsinger, Amy B. Scott, and Anastasia Tsaliki. University Press of Florida, 2019
Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable beha... more Andean deviant burials are a rich yet relatively untapped resource of otherwise unobtainable behavioral information. Previous studies suggest that atypical burial formats reflect society’s way of signaling their dis/approval of the interred individuals ’ modus vivendi or moriendi. This has led to a negative sense of “deviant ” burial, allied almost exclusively with the diseased, the socially excluded, the powerless, and the in/voluntarily marginalized. However, recent works indicate that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting social repugnance toward the deceased. This chapter explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative social attitudes by the burial population. This chapter adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular. Formative Period Burial Patterns—State of the Art The Formative period of the South Central Andes (1300 BC–AD 200) saw a shift from small, undifferentiated villages to more complex habitation patterns, social stratification (Stanish and Cohen 2005: 6), regionalization and craft specialization.
Estudios Sociales del NOA. Nueva Serie no. 15, 2015. Instituto Interdisciplinario Tilcara, 2015
Andean topography presents natural limits on the appearance and cultivation of certain plants, an... more Andean topography presents natural limits on the appearance and cultivation of certain plants, and consequently offers a variety of specific products at different altitudes and in different climates. This is one reason for the high degree of mobility of Andean peoples, who developed certain systems of accessing resources not available in the region occupied. One of these pre-Hispanic systems was the interregional traffic and exchange of products via llama caravans. This tradition continues in remote areas of the Bolivian Andes and was subject of our ethnographic study. The investigation of modern caravans provides analogies that can help us understand the organization and material remains of prehistoric caravan trips. This paper is an ethno-archaeological approach to processes that produce material consequences that are useful for a possible investigation of caravan traffic in the past.
Choroqollo is a Formative Period Site in the Cochabamba Valleys, Bolivia, and was investigated fo... more Choroqollo is a Formative Period Site in the Cochabamba Valleys, Bolivia, and was investigated for the authors master thesis. This paper presents a brief summary of the thesis. The results of the investigations give light to questions of ceramic production, social and economic organization and interaction. Also, the new data provides an alternative chronological sequence of the Formative Period for the valleys of Cochabamba.
Durante 80 años de investigación del Período Formativo en los valles de Cochabamba, la organizaci... more Durante 80 años de investigación del Período Formativo en los valles de Cochabamba, la organización social no recibió mucha atención. El sitio de Aranjuez-Santa Lucía , en el Valle Alto, se caracterizó por la producción de cerámica y fue ocupado por más que mil años desde aproximadamente el 1300 a.C. hasta el 200 d.C. Sin embargo, la estructura social no fue estática durante el largo tiempo de ocupación. En una fase temprana, la producción de la cerámica tomó lugar en el área doméstica. A partir de 500 a.C., se separó el sector residencial del sector de producción, indicando un cambio en la organización de la producción así como en la organización social. Pero Aranjuez-Santa Lucía no es el único taller de producción de cerámica; sólo produce un 50% de las formas utilizadas en el Valle Alto. Existió un sistema complementario para la producción y el consumo de vasijas a nivel de todo el valle. Además existen redes de intercambio lejano que proveen bienes tales como conchas marinas de lugares tan alejados como la costa norte peruana. Aranjuez-Santa Lucía jugó un rol importante para la distribución de bienes entre las tierras altas y las tierras bajas de los Andes Sur-centrales
Santa Lucía is a pottery production site dating to the Formative period (about 1600 BC to AD 200)... more Santa Lucía is a pottery production site dating to the Formative period (about 1600 BC to AD 200). It is located in the Cochabamba valleys of the eastern Bolivian Andes. The settlement consists of a residential area and a separate workshop area. A peripheral sector of ash mounds was used as refuse sites and burial grounds. The excavations yielded a total of 16 radiocarbon samples from all 3 sectors, which were dated at the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory (Poland). The results from the deepest trench in the workshop sector (Trench 5) provide information for the stratigraphic sequence and help to define spatial and socioeconomic changes at around 600/500 BC with the beginning of the Late Formative or Santa Lucía III phase. The 14C dates from Santa Lucia, therefore, contribute to a better definition of the existing regional Formative period phases and finally to a better understanding of the processes during the Formative period in the South-central Andes.
Page 1. KERAMIKPRODUKTION IN SANTA LUCÍA EIN BLICK AUF DIE PERIPHERIE DES FORMATIVUMS IM SÜDZEN... more Page 1. KERAMIKPRODUKTION IN SANTA LUCÍA EIN BLICK AUF DIE PERIPHERIE DES FORMATIVUMS IM SÜDZENTRALEN ANDENRAUM Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades eingereicht am Fachbereich Geschichts-und Kulturwissenschaften der ...
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Papers by Olga U. Gabelmann
that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting so- cial repugnance toward the deceased. This paper explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative so- cial attitudes by the burial population. This paper adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular.
that while ancient motivations are usually opaque, sensitive reading of contextual signals can elevate the perception of deviant burials beyond merely reflecting so- cial repugnance toward the deceased. This paper explores this ambiguity in the context of what we believe to be a unique case for the Andes: a corpse buried with a finger inserted into their own anus/vagina. The burial context has yielded markers potentially consistent with social persona and both positive and negative so- cial attitudes by the burial population. This paper adds to arguments concerning deviant burial in general, and ancient Andean funerary traditions in particular.