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- Title
The Emergence of Complex Silver Metallurgy in the Americas: A Case Study from the Lake Titicaca Basin of Southern Peru.
- Authors
Schultze, Carol A.; Huff, Jennifer A.; Rehren, Thilo; Levine, Abigail R.
- Abstract
This paper discusses the emergence of silver metallurgy some two millennia ago in the south central Andes. It is argued that the availability of multiple abundant resources and a high population density were instrumental in the development of this complex technology. The potential for such resource-rich environments to stimulate and sustain innovation is briefly discussed, particularly for prestige goods in societies engaged in socially competitive networks. The Puno Bay area of Lake Titicaca and its hinterland is shown to be one such resource-rich region, which may have contributed to its role in developing a complex and labour-intensive silver metallurgy as part of a larger mining-metallurgical landscape.
- Subjects
PUNO Bay (Peru); SILVER metallurgy; LAKE Titicaca (Peru &; Bolivia); MINERAL industries; MINES &; mineral resources; SOUTHERN Peru Copper Corp.
- Publication
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2016, Vol 26, Issue 1, p53
- ISSN
0959-7743
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0959774315000517