Abstract
High quality polychrome ceramics are an iconic aspect of Inca material culture. This ‘Cuzco Inca’ pottery appears suddenly in the archaeological record: but it draws upon technological and stylistic aspects of earlier local pottery and we discuss the specifics of how these pre-Inca traits were combined to form the distinctive new state ceramics. Using ceramic petrography, the dominant fabric of Cuzco Inca pottery is compared with those of two pre-Inca wares, Killke and Lucre. Andesite temper, identified in the Lucre and Cuzco Inca fabrics, is compared with samples of andesite from local geological outcrops. This suggests that Lucre pottery was made using similar materials to Cuzco Inca and was a technological precursor. Because these materials and technological knowledge would only have become available to the Inca after their conquest of the Lucre cultural area, this ceramic evidence has important implications for our understanding of Imperial expansion and state intervention in craft-production.
Highlights
The Inca Empire stretched from the borders of modern Colombia into Argentina and Chile, a territory comparable to that of the Roman Empire
Survey evidence shows that, for some two centuries prior to imperial expansion, the Cuzco region was an active area with diverse settlements sharing and exchanging similar ceramics, which were often used in feasting and communal drinking (Bauer 2004)
The ATF Cuzco Inca fabric is highly standardised in its preparation, irrespective of the type of andesite used as temper
Summary
The Inca Empire stretched from the borders of modern Colombia into Argentina and Chile, a territory comparable to that of the Roman Empire. Survey evidence shows that, for some two centuries prior to imperial expansion, the Cuzco region was an active area with diverse settlements sharing and exchanging similar ceramics, which were often used in feasting and communal drinking (Bauer 2004). A major research question is how this region became united to form the Inca state, developing the social and economic structures and material culture of a colonizing Empire. One feature of this was a change in the production of pottery, with the development of new, high-quality wares for state sponsored activities. Research into the materials and technological origins of these ceramics can inform our understanding of the social and economic processes at a crucial stage of state development
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