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Amber from 1000-Year Old Prehispanic Tombs in Northern Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Izumi Shimada ,
Ken B. Anderson ,
Herbert Haas  and
Jean H. Langenheim
Izumi Shimada
Affiliation:
Dept. of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL 62901
Ken B. Anderson
Affiliation:
Coal Chemistry Group, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
Herbert Haas
Affiliation:
Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV 89154
Jean H. Langenheim
Affiliation:
Biology Dept., University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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Abstract

Hundreds of large, shaped and perforated amber beads excavated from two Middle Sicán elite shafttombs at Huaca Loro on the northern coast of Peru represent the first scientifically documented case of amber use in prehispanic South America. Amber was highly valued and formed a key component of Sicán sumptuary good production. This paper describes the analytical procedures and archaeological and botanical background for source identification and cultural understanding of amber beads found on pectorals, necklaces and gold alloy objects. Samples were initially identified by XRD and FT-IR microscopy, followed by a more detailed and conclusive analysis using pyrolysis GC-MS. Radiocarbon dating points to a minimum age of 50,000 years. Results were compared with amber from known sources in the New World. Various lines of evidence suggest that the amber was derived from a heretofore unknown source, probably an ancient species of Hymenaea, possibly related to H. oblongifolia (family Leguminosae) occurring today in upper Amazonia.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 462: Symposium DD – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology V , 1996 , 3
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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