Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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This study aims to investigate how evidence from human dentition contributes to the knowledge of cultural practices of the Prehispanic indigenous society of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. As such, it...Show moreThis study aims to investigate how evidence from human dentition contributes to the knowledge of cultural practices of the Prehispanic indigenous society of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico. As such, it focusses on the expression of gender through the analysis of dental modifications. The study is twofold, as it focusses on the one hand on the dental modifications of the individuals found in the archaeological record of the city of Monte Albán, while on the other hand, it deals with the theoretical struggle to relate the biological body to socio-theoretical understanding of gender and the expression of this concept. A theoretical standpoint is chosen where the body is seen as a material culture, and changes to the body – temporal and permanent – are made to express certain cultural values, such as gender. It is assumed that the concepts of sex and gender are related, but not equal. Statistical analysis is conducted to test if there is a difference in the use of dental modifications between men and women, and the exploration of ethnohistorical sources dating from the Colonial period, are used to interpret these results. This exploratory data analysis has established that dental modifications in the skeletal assemblage of Monte Albán is indicative of different gendered identities, however future research is necessary to understand the full extent of the expression of gender through dental modifications discovered in the archaeological record of Monte Albán, and several propositions are made to aid this future research.Show less
This thesis aims to give a clear understanding of the difficulties in brick research and to suggest new options on behalf of local production. To do this, the second part of this thesis will...Show moreThis thesis aims to give a clear understanding of the difficulties in brick research and to suggest new options on behalf of local production. To do this, the second part of this thesis will compare clay samples with early brick structures in their vicinity (using X-Ray Fluorescence). This will –hopefully- give an indication of the locality of brick production in the earliest period (end of the twelfth into the thirteenth century and first half of the fourteenth century). The thesis forms the connection between archaeological and building history debates.Show less
Archaeology on television has been a widely debated subject amongst academic archaeologists. Perhaps the dilemma that archaeologists face is that archaeology – its practice, its interpretations and...Show moreArchaeology on television has been a widely debated subject amongst academic archaeologists. Perhaps the dilemma that archaeologists face is that archaeology – its practice, its interpretations and the archaeological record it studies – is much like television, in that they both require high degrees of involvement to give them meaning. Thus concerns arise over the validity and ambiguity of the television programme’s information, and the archaeologist’s authority in discerning the past. However, should archaeologists be concerned about portrayal of archaeology in television documentaries? To provide answers to this question, the presentation of archaeological research, sites, objects and researchers in nine documentaries on the National Geographic Channel in the Netherlands in 2013, that were produced in 2012 and 2013, were analysed through ethnographic content analysis. The documentaries mainly focused on the practice of research, including the scientist’s fascination with research. Sometimes research methods were repeated before the camera after it initially had taken place, or they were shown ‘live’ and its results were analysed first-hand. However, the appearance and discussion of the research processes varied per type, possibly due to the structure of the method. In particular, archaeological fieldwork is a difficult process to capture on film, but the process of archaeological interpretation was often embedded in the entire storyline. Amongst other researchers, archaeologists appeared few in number. However, the archaeologists had a specific authoritative role as guides in understanding the past, and they would appear several times in a documentary to provide context or to interpret research results. It was found that certain narrative styles enabled, or disabled, involvement in the research and interpretation processes. There were many cases in which archaeology was presented in an open, yet informative way, while regarding the archaeologists (and researchers in other fields) as authorities. However, research can also be faked or appear unauthentic and authority can be abused. Therefore in communicating archaeology to the public a high degree of transparency is key.Show less
Since 1983 several rescue excavations have been performed in the lignite mine of the German town Schöningen. During one of those excavations the world famous, 300kyr old hunting spears were found....Show moreSince 1983 several rescue excavations have been performed in the lignite mine of the German town Schöningen. During one of those excavations the world famous, 300kyr old hunting spears were found. The site hosting these spears has been the subject of extensive research ever since and excavations still take place to this day. The other sites did not get much attention anymore and there are still many questions unanswered. In this bachelor thesis research has been carried out on the zoological assemblages of the Schöningen 12 sites and what they can tell us about the former climates and environments. Since not much research had been done yet on the faunal compositions many bones still had to be determined and entered into the database of Schöningen. After the completion of this task the climatic and environment preferences of all identified species were studied. Using the results points were divided over the preferred climates and environments. These were then used to create graphs to make the former climates and environments more visible. Not all sites yielded enough complete material to be used for further research. Comparisons of the faunal results of the resourceful sites with earlier research on the geology and botany of Schöningen show that during the sedimentation of layer II-1 the climate was on the warm side and the area was a mix of forest and open ground. Through time the area gradually cooled down and become more open, the latter was also visible in the faunal assemblages of the Schöningen 13 sites. Only the faunal composition of Schöningen 12 II-4 does not support this change, since only one individual of Bos primigenius has been encountered. Despite the fact that this zoological study did not add much new information to the knowledge about the former environments, it does confirm the conclusion drawn by geological and botanical research. At the same time this is the first time a complete overview of the zoological remains of Schöningen 12 that are stored in Leiden.Show less
This thesis focuses on the visualisation of the stories behind objects in the ethnological and archaeological museum. Objects form a fundamental part of our daily life, but we do not always know...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the visualisation of the stories behind objects in the ethnological and archaeological museum. Objects form a fundamental part of our daily life, but we do not always know the full stories behind them. Some objects possess an intriguing story about their use in indigenous communities or their impact on an historic civilization, but the stories that are sometimes of even more interest are the object biographies. These biographies consist of the people, places and events the objects encountered on its way to a (museum) collection. The research done for his thesis will provide new insights into the visualisations of stories behind object in the 20th and 21st century. Furthermore it will discuss some case studies that show how stories, and what kind of stories, are being visualised in the modern day ethnological and archaeological museum. The research reflects the combination of a literature study and case studies. These case studies have been exercised within the National Museum of Ethnology and the National Museum of Antiquities. The selected objects within the case studies have been extensively researched in terms of their history, method of collecting, biographies and presence within the exhibition. These objects are: the Lombok Treasure, the Singosari statues, the golden helmet of de Peel and the Cypriot head. The results of the research showed that the visualisation of the stories behind objects has never been the same and is still shifting, which provide a diverse array of objects and stories. Object biographies were sporadically present in museum exhibitions, but they were never fully embraced. Nowadays this becomes more and more present in museums and new exhibition techniques, such as multi-media and interactive platforms that are implemented to tell and show those hidden stories.Show less
The Palaeolithic locality Schöningen (Germany) is known particularly well for its magnificently preserved hominin crafted spears and the remains of large mammals with traces of butchering and...Show moreThe Palaeolithic locality Schöningen (Germany) is known particularly well for its magnificently preserved hominin crafted spears and the remains of large mammals with traces of butchering and marrow exploitation. The Palaeolithic sites in the Schöningen area yielded also several other find categories such as botanical remains, fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. This thesis reports on the investigation of the avian remains from Schö 13 II-4, the site where they found the wooden spears. Most (≥70%) of the bird remains are from that site. For the identification of the bird remains three different comparison collections as well as the literature have been consulted. At least five species have been identified; four different ducks and a member of the Phasianidae family. The avian assemblage seems to have natural origins; there are no distinctive anthropogenic marks on the bones and the quantity of the elements is one to be expected after a natural death. The avian fauna does not contradict previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions i.e. the occurrence of open water, temperate climate conditions and a somewhat sheltered type of vegetation.Show less
This Master thesis on archaeology and cultural heritage management of the Caribbean and Amazonia was written at the University of Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology. The special emphasis in this...Show moreThis Master thesis on archaeology and cultural heritage management of the Caribbean and Amazonia was written at the University of Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology. The special emphasis in this research is on finding out which role the Amerindian past and archaeology play in a Surinamese image of the past. The research design in the first place needed to reveal the past perception of individual people with a Surinamese Caribbean background. The interviewees who participated in this research however were Surinamese migrants who are living since many years in the Netherlands. The approach taken to reveal the past emphasis of individuals from the Surinamese community was through holding semi structured open interviews. The Surinamese community in the context of this research consists of groups of people that share their experience and memory on Suriname within communication, both in the Netherlands and their mother-country. It is within this community that an image of the Surinamese past is being constructed. A key note to the research is that the past is a present construct. From this point of departure multiple pasts do exist. People in their own diversity, within different environments, have to deal with personal socio-cultural realities. This implicates that a meaningful past for Surinamese people needs to be constructed from their individual and community perspectives. This research applied insights from memory theory, archaeological theory, heritage theory and a more anthropological example to show that such a construct asks for people’s balanced historical involvement and community concern. Community concern demands reciprocal involvement that should accomplish mutual understanding. The goal of this thesis is to show that archaeology can be a tool in accomplishing shared understanding and concern from doing research after past happenings and cultural environments. The thesis further advocates engaged archaeology as a tool to create shared understanding. Engaged archaeology does not only imply that an archaeologist should listen to society and people’s concern in order to find topics for research. It even more asks for stimulating participation of people in past interrogation and creating an open critical attitude towards personal perceptions and those of others. The role of the archaeologist in this process of past communication is one of being an example to people with respect to care about archaeological heritage and involvement in both the past and people’s present environment. As an archaeological professional, who executes a profession that primarily is concerned with people, the archaeologist’s task is to facilitate involvement and provide society with critical questions on people’s past supposition. The practice of archaeology in itself needs to be a research environment where people communicate their understandings and from this realize a more inclusive community of involved people that show interest in their surroundings and each other. There can be worked towards a more stable future from contemporary knowledge or understanding about the past. Besides the interview technique, in order to find out more on people’s past concern this research aimed for application of methods from the social sciences. These were methods like discourse analysis and grounded theory. From the interrogation a better understanding of contemporary Surinamese community was accomplished. It made clear that Amerindians in Suriname in general were perceived as being unchanged. From a Western colonial perspective they did not bring about much development and their culture was regarded primitive. Their political, economic and cultural significance was neglected within the culturally diverse and divided Surinamese colonial community. From contemporary and continuous political and societal shifts reorientation on those people who are indigenous to Suriname as well as on other groups in society however is needed in order to create communality. The recommendation to Surinamese society is that ongoing conceptualization on the past and people in society, is necessary in order to accomplish a stable community.Show less
For the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty...Show moreFor the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty of the country, in combination with an destabilised authority, has made people to start large-scale looting of archaeological sites in the desert of Southern Iraq, as an alternative way of income. the antiquities they dig up from the ground are sold to smugglers, which again sell them on to collectors, museums and institutions all over the world through the illegal trade market. Unfortunately, the looting and selling of these ancient objects does not happen occasionally, but it happens on a gigantic scale and gets worse and worse. Entire villages, clans and tribes are involved in the trade and profit from it. Furthermore, powerful elites mingle in the trade, which is why it is completely intertwined with the country’s political situation. Starting in 1990 with the first Gulf war, the problem has never had such a magnitude as with the start of the Second Gulf War in 2003, and it is still increasing today. Not only is this process destructive for the archaeological objects, monuments, and science, it also further destabilizes the country as looting groups are armed, merciless, dangerous and powerful. Furthermore, especially during the 2003 war but also before, sites have been damaged by military forces and bombs, and museums have been robbed. This bachelor thesis explains what kind of archaeology destruction has occurred in the past of Iraq, how looting has developed and why, why it is so hard to stop and most importantly, how we can counteract it.Show less
The broader purpose of this study is to better understand the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe. During this period, which lasted approximately from 45.000 to 30.000 cal. years ago,...Show moreThe broader purpose of this study is to better understand the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe. During this period, which lasted approximately from 45.000 to 30.000 cal. years ago, the first anatomically and genetically modern humans (Homo sapiens) are considered to have arrived in Europe, after their dispersal out of Africa. The last Neanderthals were still in existence in Europe, and where about to become extinct shortly after. The lithic industries of this period contain an apparent mixture of features typical of both Middle and Upper Paleolithic industries (which is not the result of post depositional processes). Therefore, a heated debate has arisen about the manufacturer of these industries, and the potential interaction between H. sapiens and Neanderthals that the tool types may reflect. Over time, the increasing discovery of transitional industries has only yielded a blurred understanding of the transition. This thesis is focused in the area of the southern Balkans, and more specifically in Greek Peloponnese. Suffice it to say, due to its geographical position Greece may have contributed to the passage of the first modern humans from Africa and the Near East into Europe. Additionally, it may have been used as a refugium for the last Neanderthal population of the continent. For this reason, an interpretation of the archaeological transitional evidence that was recovered from the sites of Lakonis and Klisoura in Greece will be attempted. The discovery ofthe two caves, both located in the Peloponnese region, demonstrates that at some point between 46.000-39.000 cal. years ago, both species inhabited the area contemporaneously.The examination of Lakonis indicates that, based on the material evidence, the producers of the transitional layer may have been modern humans. This is in contrast to the human fossil that was recovered in situ from the layer and indicates a Neanderthal identity of the assemblage. Therefore, different scenarios can be made about the manufacturer. The analysis from Klisoura reveals evidence about the movement of modern populations in southern Europe, which further supports the modern identity of the Uluzzian industry. After the analysis is completed, the issue is focused on how we can identify possible interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans in the future within the Peloponnese region.Show less
This thesis is concerned with the city gates of Roman Ostia, the harbour-town of ancient Rome.The study examines whether there are any features (e.g. buildings, monuments and spatial use) that only...Show moreThis thesis is concerned with the city gates of Roman Ostia, the harbour-town of ancient Rome.The study examines whether there are any features (e.g. buildings, monuments and spatial use) that only occur because of the presence of the city gates. Furthermore, it investigates whether these buildings or spaces changed over time, responding to new infrastructural demands or functional requirements. To answer these questions, a detailed, map-based study and an on-site inspection of selected areas of Ostia’s built environment have been carried out. The principal data set for this study are the site maps of Ostia, available in printed form (Calza 1953) and in digital form (Manucci 1995). By examining the urban landscape of the areas around the city gates and by comparing this data to the urban composition throughout the rest of Ostia we noticed that the area around the city gates is equipped with a wide diversity of building-types. Around the gates we encountered all of the building that were needed for everyday life in Roman Ostia.Show less
This thesis describes the economical situation in the 11th-15th Century during the Crusades. It researches how the rise and reign of the Mamluks influences the Mediterranean trade networks in place.
Since the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have...Show moreSince the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have often not included the personal, intimate aspects of death, nor the persons in the past involved. Also, funerary practices are often set apart from other aspects of society, and the interconnectedness of the individual with society neglected. The concept of personhood can be used to bridge this divide that has formed within archaeology between people and society, as it enables the investigation of the persons in the past through their relationships. This study aims to explore the relationships of the Late Neolithic inhabitants of Tell Sabi Abyad with their social, cultural, material and natural environments. The main focus lies on the grave goods, a not yet studied aspect of the Late Neolithic cemeteries at the site, as they can be regarded elements of identity and personhood of the deceased, but also of the living community. The cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, dated to ca. 6400-5800 BC, hold tremendous potential to add to the emerging image of death and burial during the Late Neolithic in the Near East. Owing to the presence of secure chronological control, extensive documentation and an unusually large burial sample, we are able to investigate practices surrounding death and burial from a bottom-up approach. Within the present research, it becomes clear that the Late Neolithic cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, Operation III, offer ample opportunity to go further than the mere analyses of social complexity and the creation of typologies of burial practice, and to investigate aspects of mortuary behavior related to the person. As deduced from the burial record, personhood at Tell Sabi Abyad seems to have been experienced in terms of both relational and individual identities. Within the grave good assemblages we see expressions of the wide variety of relationships held by the prehistoric inhabitants of the site. These relationships range from supra-regional, to the most intimate of relations, such as those between mother and child.Show less
During the excavation at the St. Plechelmus church in Oldenzaal between 2011 and 2013, six skeletons were found in a single burial context and were interpreted to be family members buried in a ...Show moreDuring the excavation at the St. Plechelmus church in Oldenzaal between 2011 and 2013, six skeletons were found in a single burial context and were interpreted to be family members buried in a ‘family grave’. Ancient DNA recovered from these individuals yielded information that is used to determine if there are genetic indications which can prove or disprove this interpretation. Furthermore, 81 surrounding skeletons were incorporated in this research for the determination of possible additional family relationships from a larger area of the cemetery. Short tandem repeat amplifications for 16 autosomal markers and 22 y-chromosomal markers provided reliable polymerase chain reaction products with no contamination. With allele frequency data from present-day Dutch people, and allele frequencies from all the Oldenzaal samples, statistical analyses were performed with the programs Relpair and Familias to reconstruct kinship relations. The results found no genetic indications for possible kinship relations between the six individuals from the ‘family grave’. However, this cannot exclude that these individuals were biologically related to each other. For the surrounding 81 skeletons, the results indicate eight possible kinship relations. A Harris matrix showing all the excavated skeletons revealed that three out of the eight possible kinship relation pairs were spatially linked to each other; an aspect upon which the interpretation of the ‘family grave’ was based in the first place. This thesis demonstrates the successful use of aDNA from the Oldenzaal cemetery to reconstruct family relationships.Show less
The famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush...Show moreThe famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush region. Between the 5th and 8th centuries, Bamiyan and other adjacent archaeological sites in Central Asia, were connected by a highly developed network of trade. The visual culture of Bamiyan, aside from the two Great Buddhas, suggests there was a necessity to represent ideology and power of the social elite in symbolic ways. At Bamiyan, frescos depict many figures with different type headdresses or crowns. The depiction of these crowns is also found in other archaeological sites and on coins distributed throughout present day Central Asia and China. The details of a headdress or crown suggest characteristics of the social or political identities of the individual or group depicted. The similar type crowns found on figures in other geographical contexts may indicate a degree of interaction between Bamiyan and other religious and trade centers.Show less
Analyzing the acquisition policies of museums is an important way to understand how the legal as well as ethical standards have evolved since 1970. Museums were influenced by these changing...Show moreAnalyzing the acquisition policies of museums is an important way to understand how the legal as well as ethical standards have evolved since 1970. Museums were influenced by these changing standards: What could be bought legally some years ago can no longer be bought legally today. This has to do with how the legal and ethical standards evolved. Furthermore, it is evident from the research that museums have understood that they can no longer buy unprovenanced antiquities and, for this reason, have published acquisition policies and declarations. The year 1970 can be seen as the turning point in the protection of antiquities. In this year, the first ethical codes were published by museums as well as the ICOM Code of Ethics; and in November 1970 the UNESCO Convention was put into effect. This thesis analyzes the acquisition policy of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and compares it with other major museums.Show less
On the beach of Happisburgh iron rich blocks have been washing up for centuries. When an iron mineralised faunal fossil with cut marks was found, this formed the direct occasion for further...Show moreOn the beach of Happisburgh iron rich blocks have been washing up for centuries. When an iron mineralised faunal fossil with cut marks was found, this formed the direct occasion for further investigation. The iron rich blocks are filled with plant macro and other fossils. In the nineteenth century Clement Reid and six others reported similar iron rich blocks washing up. They named the presumed locality the ‘Elephant Bed’ after the many Elephant fossils yielded from the same deposition. This thesis investigates the plant macro fossils and a basic lithological analysis of 66 iron rich blocks collected from Happisburgh Site 5 in 2012 by dr. M.H. Field in an attempt to establish a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction that could indicate possible habitability of early hominins. In order to do so this research has been placed in the context of East Anglian, Pleistocene research on the stratigraphy. This sequence is extremely complex and has been revised, including Reid, West, Lee, Hamblin and others. Not only are there now two opposing views on the classification of these sediments, the associated ages differ by several Marine Isotope Stages. Some general consensus has been achieved on the palaeogeography, namely the presence of ancient rivers in this part of England. Whether this be the ancient Thames or a local river called Bytham remains a discussion. Fluvial sediments are known for depositing iron rich blocks. Several sites in East Anglia have yielded flaked artefacts, such as Pakefield and Happisburgh Site 3, but no human fossil remains. Happisburgh has four other sites other than the one investigated for this thesis, that have all yielded some form of evidence for hominin presence (i.e. cut marks, flaked artefacts). Clement Reid of the British Geological Survey, Peter Murphy of the English Heritage and Simon Parfitt of the Natural History Museum have, respectively published and shared, plant macro fossil results for these iron rich blocks. The fossils included aquatic and woodland taxa. Murphy’s methodology is different from the methodology used for this thesis. Both methods have their pros and cons, and depending on the research questions one or the other may be used in future investigations. The iron rich blocks have underwent severe taphonomic processes that have had their influence on the preservation of the botany, and possibly had an effect on over- or underrepresentation of the taxa. Results from the lithological analysis indicate the existence of several different facies, indicating the presence of both a river as a wetland or horse shoe shaped lake. The plant macro fossils indicate aquatic taxa, terrestrial taxa and woodland taxa. Some faunal remains have been found, such as shell impressions and one fossilized abraded mammal long bone. The shell impression identification corresponds with identifications made by both Reid as Murphy and suggest reasonably clear, stagnant or mild flowing fresh waters. In the absence of an in situ locality for these blocks, several inferences can be made based on the presented results. Three scenarios are described, order from most likely to least likely. The final conclusion attests the hypothesis, as there seems to be a clear indication for a temperate environment that could possibly have been a habitat for early hominins.Show less
This thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the...Show moreThis thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the Chontales province, Central Nicaragua, where there is not much archaeological research done. Linguistic and ethno historical research shows that the province was a cultural complex area in pre-Columbian times. Aguas Buenas is the largest known site in this province and so far only studies in surveys. The aim of the thesis is trying to say something about the identity of the people who build the site and regional interaction. During the field season of 2012 pottery was the most found material. The ceramics were studied using a modal analysis. The following modes were analysed: pot shape, lip shape, diameter of the pot, firing colour, colour, slip, decoration, and surface finishing. These results are compared with previous studies from Chontales and the Pacific region of Nicaragua.Show less
This thesis discusses researching sexuality of past peoples through archaeological investigation, both its problems and advantages. It discusses the birth of sexuality research as a topic of...Show moreThis thesis discusses researching sexuality of past peoples through archaeological investigation, both its problems and advantages. It discusses the birth of sexuality research as a topic of interest and also considers its development over time. To be able to properly conduct sexuality research it is important to know the problems one might encounter in doing so and find ways of dealing with these. Besides discussing issues such as the negative views of sex and sexuality, heteronormativity and the recognition of sexual imagery and related artefacts in the archaeological record, the case study of the ancient bathhouse Qusayr ‘Amra is discussed, placing this theoretical issue in a more concrete framework. The question asked here is to what extent we can archaeologically research sexuality for the Umayyad Period, by looking at the frescoes of Qusayr ‘Amra. Here, we find a number of frescoes of nude men and women, that offer the potential to try and answer questions about sexuality. We find here that there might very well be a sexual component to the frescoes of this desert castle, that we might be able to understand when they are placed in a context of a number of literary sources from this time period.Show less
In deze scriptie worden drie muurschilderingen geanalyseerd die afkomstig zijn uit drie verschillende valleien binnen het gebied waar de Moche woonden: de Nepaña vallei (Pañamarca), Moche vallei ...Show moreIn deze scriptie worden drie muurschilderingen geanalyseerd die afkomstig zijn uit drie verschillende valleien binnen het gebied waar de Moche woonden: de Nepaña vallei (Pañamarca), Moche vallei (Huaca de la Luna) en de Chicama Vallei (Huaca Cao Viejo). Door schilderingen uit verschillende politieke centra met elkaar te vergelijken, wordt getracht een ideologische overeenkomst te vinden tussen de drie afzonderlijke bestuurscentra. Voor de analyse wordt een door Mieke bal omschreven theorie gebruikt, waarin narratieve teksten worden geanalyseerd aan de hand van drie onderscheidende termen: tekst, story en fabula. Er zal gekeken worden naar de afgebeelde figuren en de interpretaties die daaraan gegeven zijn. Eveneens wordt er een blik geworpen op de onderlinge relaties van de figuren en de activiteiten die zij uitvoeren. Op deze manier wordt er getracht het verhaal te achterhalen dat in de schildering verbeeld wordt. Bij de analyse wordt gebruikt gemaakt van eerder onderscheiden personages en thema’s die van belang zijn voor de Moche iconografie. Deze zijn op verschillende objecten weergegeven en komen ook terug in de schilderingen. Na het uitvoeren van de analysen, wordt er een vergelijking gemaakt tussen de drie schilderingen, waaruit zal blijken dat er een ideologische overeenkomst bestaat tussen de verschillende centra. Alle onderzochte schilderingen behandelen eenzelfde thema: het belang van vruchtbaarheid en de offers die voor de instandhouding daarvan gebracht dienen te worden.Show less
