Reconstructing Prehistoric Textile and Ceramic Technology from Impressions of Cloth in Figurines from Ecuador
- PDF / 1,612,170 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 420.48 x 639 pts Page_size
- 49 Downloads / 154 Views
RECONSTRUCTING PREHISTORIC TEXTILE AND CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY FROM IMPRESSIONS OF CLOTH IN FIGURINES FROM ECUADOR KAREN
E.
STOTHERT,* KATHLEEN A. EPSTEIN,** THOMAS R. CUMMINS,*** AND MARITZA FREIRE**** *Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78284 **Dept. of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 ***Dept. of Art History, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284 ****Museo Antropol6gico, Banco Central del Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador ABSTRACT A method is described for using vinyl polysiloxane dental impression material to make high definition casts from ceramic objects that bear negative imprints of textiles. Casts made from impressions found on prehistoric ceramic figurines from Ecuador were examined under magnification and features of the yarns and weaves were described. The data are used to reconstruct prehistoric spinning and weaving technology. The use of cloth in figurine manufacture and the reconstructed textile technology are interpreted in spatial, temporal and cultural perspectives. PREHISTORIC TEXTILE PRODUCTION AND USE Textiles had great social and cultural importance in the Andean region in the prehistoric period, but we know little about textile technology in ancient Ecuador where textiles are poorly preserved in archaeological sites. Fortunately, some ceramic artifacts bear the impressions of ancient textiles. Using casts of these impressions we have been able to reconstruct prehistoric textile technology and the use of cloth in ceramic manufacture [1]. The sample of textile impressions described in this paper is the basis for expanding the geographical and temporal extent of our knowledge of prehistoric textile manufacture and use in ancient Ecuador. The ArchaeoloQical Sample The present sample consists of casts made from textile impressions found on ceramic figurines from the collections of the Museo Antropol6gico of the Central Bank of Ecuador (Guayaquil); the Casa de la Cultura (Guayaquil); and the Museo Arqueol6gico y Galerias de Arte (Central Bank of Ecuador, Quito). The majority of the pieces have no provenience, but they have been assigned to groups based on features of style. The sample includes a Late Chorrera group (dated roughly 1000 B.C. to 500 B.C.); a Chorrera/Early La Tolita group (700-600 B.C.); a Jama-Coaque group (assigned to the period 500 B.C. to 500 A.D.); and a Bahia group (500 B.C. to 500 A.D.). This sample will be compared to a small group of Guangala textile impressions previously studied and assigned dates between 100 B.C. and A.D. 800 [1]. The approximate geographMat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 185. -01991 Materials Research Society
768
ical distribution of each style is shown in Figure 1. It is widely thought that the Chorrera style, which preceded the others, was ancestral to them: the Early La Tolita, JamaCoaque, Bahia and Guangala styles probably derive in part from the Chorreroid tradition. Cloth Use in
Figurine Manufacture
An analysis of the location of the textile impressions on Chorrera, Jama-Coaque and Bahia
Data Loading...
