Reinventing the Study of Andean Civilization through Analysis of the Foundation of Power

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23222003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology/Folklore
• Research Institution: National Museum of Ethnology
• Principal Investigator: Seki Yuji 国立民族学博物館, 民族社会研究部, 教授 (50163093)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Inokuchi Kinya 埼玉大学, 人間社会科学研究科, 教授 (90283027) ; Sakai Masato 山形大学, 人文学部, 教授 (50292397) ; Uzawa Kazuhiro 東亜大学, 人間科学部, 教授 (60341252) ; Yoneda Minoru 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (30280712)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Shimizu Masaaki 富山大学, 理工学研究部, 教授 (50162714) ; Nagaoka Tomohito 聖マリアンナ医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (20360216)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 考古学 / 文化人類学 / 文明 / 複雑社会 / 権力

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have focused on the Formative Period (B.C.3000-A.D.1) in Andean Civilization. We carried out excavations at the Pacopampa archaeological site located in the northern highlands of Peru. Excavated materials were analyzed by an interdisciplinary team. We found that social leaders with ideological characteristics emerged already by around B.C. 800. The result presents an exact contrast to conventional theory in which economic factors such as the control of surplus have been regarded as the most likely cause for the emergence of power.
We also confirmed that regional diversity existed during the formation process and has a role in the foundation of power in Andean Civilization.It is possible that the model developed during this project can also be applied to the analysis of other ancient civilizations in the world. The project offers a new approach for studies on ancient civilization - studies that have generally taken historical materialism as a starting point for analysis.

Free Research Field

文化人類学・民俗学