Ceramics turning into humans: The meaning and use of Moche portrait vessels of northern Peru (100 – 800 AD)

This research involves the Moche full bodied portrait vessels. The Moche flourished from 100 till 800 AD and all that was left of the Moche society was their material culture. Today it is generally accepted that ceramic was the Moche language. The main research question focuses on the function and meaning of these artefacts. What was their place in the Moche culture? A study is made of social meaning, social biography and of the different statements an object can give. Objects function as memory, they tell stories and are used to remember certain occasions or activities. Furthermore, instead of using expensive tests here a descriptive approach, in combination with statistical analyses, was used to understand the function of these objects. The form and function of these vessels is connected, but the exact role of the portrait vessels is not known. It is clear that they played an important role in the life of the Moche society and were almost certainly connected with the ceremonial...Show moreThis research involves the Moche full bodied portrait vessels. The Moche flourished from 100 till 800 AD and all that was left of the Moche society was their material culture. Today it is generally accepted that ceramic was the Moche language. The main research question focuses on the function and meaning of these artefacts. What was their place in the Moche culture? A study is made of social meaning, social biography and of the different statements an object can give. Objects function as memory, they tell stories and are used to remember certain occasions or activities. Furthermore, instead of using expensive tests here a descriptive approach, in combination with statistical analyses, was used to understand the function of these objects. The form and function of these vessels is connected, but the exact role of the portrait vessels is not known. It is clear that they played an important role in the life of the Moche society and were almost certainly connected with the ceremonial sacrifice. This is assumed based on the characteristics of the people modelled on the vessels. Using statistical analyses will help to understand the relation between depictions and form and will also give ideas about how and wherefore these vessels were used. Based on the different analyses a decision tree learning model was made, creating the possibility to define and understand the different categories of Moche full bodied portrait vessels.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Ceramics turning into humans: The meaning and use of Moche portrait vessels of northern Peru (100 – 800 AD)