Bone and antler artifact use in the 1st millennium CE of Cusco, Peru: Insights on textile production and food processing from the site of Ak'awillay

Abstract

There is a long history in the use of osseous materials from some of the earliest contexts of the Andes, yet most technology studies have focused on durable materials of ceramic, metal, and stone. In this paper, we present evidence for the continual use of osseous raw materials before and during Wari state expansion in the 1st millennium CE in the Cusco region of Peru. Results indicate that, at the site of Ak'awillay, communities were exploiting osseous raw material to produce artifacts used in textile manufacture, food processing, and ceremonial activities. We argue that wide-scale access to bone and antler raw material fostered social interactions that mediated emergent power dynamics in private and public spaces. This key line of evidence reveals that communal practices in public spaces at Ak'awillay involved food processing activities, while private settings were reserved for sharing of familial knowledge around textile production. We emphasize the greater need in the Andes for a close look at osseous technology to detect these subtle, yet integral patterns to understand social and power relations in the past.