George F. Lau's Books

Ancient Alterity in the Andes

A Recognition of Others

By: George F. Lau

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Ancient Alterity in the Andes

A Recognition of Others

By: George F. Lau

Alterity has yet to see sustained treatment in archaeology due in great part to the fact that the archaeological record is not always equipped to inform on the subject. Like its kindred concepts, such as identity and ethnicity, alterity is difficult to observe also because it can be expressed at different times and scales, from the individual, family and village settings, to contexts such as nations and empires. It can also be said to 'reside' just as well in objects and individuals, as it may in a technique, action or performance. One requires a relevant, holistic data set and multiple line of evidence. Ancient Alterity in the Andes provides just that by focusing on the great achievements of the ancient Andes during the first millennium AD, centred on a Precolumbian culture, known as Recuay (AD 1-1700).

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Page Count

250

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0415519217

ISBN 13

9780415519212

Andean Expressions

Art and Archaeology of the Recuay Culture

By: George F. Lau

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Andean Expressions

Art and Archaeology of the Recuay Culture

By: George F. Lau

Flourishing from A.D. 1 to 700, the Recuay inhabited lands in northern Peru just below the imposing glaciers of the highest mountain chain in the tropics. Thriving on an economy of high-altitude crops and camelid herding, they left behind finely made artworks and grand palatial buildings with an unprecedented aesthetic and a high degree of technical sophistication. In this first in-depth study of these peoples, George Lau situates the Recuay within the great diversification of cultural styles associated with the Early Intermediate Period, provides new and significant evidence to evaluate models of social complexity, and offers fresh theories about life, settlement, art, and cosmology in the high Andes. Lau crafts a nuanced social and historical model in order to evaluate the record of Recuay developments as part of a wider Andean prehistory. He analyzes the rise and decline of Recuay groups as well as their special interactions with the Andean landscape. Their coherence was expressed as shared culture, community, and corporate identity, but Lau also reveals its diversity through time and space in order to challenge the monolithic characterizations of Recuay society pervasive in the literature today. Many of the innovations in Recuay culture, revealed for the first time in this landmark volume, left a lasting impact on Andean history and continue to have relevance today. The author highlights the ways that material things intervened in ancient social and political life, rather than being merely passive reflections of historical change, to show that Recuay public art, exchange, technological innovations, warfare, and religion offer key insights into the emergence of social hierarchy and chiefly leadership and the formation, interaction, and later dissolution of large discrete polities. By presenting Recuay artifacts as fundamentally social in the sense of creating and negotiating relations among persons, places, and things, he recognizes in the complexities of the past an enduring order and intelligence that shape the contours of history.

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Page Count

366

Publisher

University of Iowa Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1587299747

ISBN 13

9781587299742

An Archaeology of Ancash

Stones, Ruins and Communities in Andean Peru

By: George Lau

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An Archaeology of Ancash

Stones, Ruins and Communities in Andean Peru

By: George Lau

An Archaeology of Ancash is a well–illustrated synthesis of the archaeology of North Central Peru, and specifically the stone structures of the Ancash region. All the major cultures of highland Ancash built impressive monuments, with no other region of South America showing such an early and continuous commitment to stone carving. Drawing on Lau’s extensive experience as an archaeologist in highland Peru, this book reveals how ancient groups of the Central Andes have used stone as both a physical and symbolic resource, uncovering the variety of experiences and meanings which marked the region’s special engagement with this material. An abundant raw resource in the Andes, stone was used for monuments, sculptures and other valuables such as carved monoliths, which were crucial to the emergence of civilization in the region, and religious objects from magical charms to ancestor effigies. Detailing the ways stone has played both an everyday and an extraordinary part in ancient social life, Lau also examines how cultural dispositions towards this fundamental material have changed over time and considers how contemporary engagements with these stone remains have the potential to create and regenerate communities. With an ample selection of color photos which bring these sites and artifacts to life, An Archaeology of Ancash is an essential guide to the key monuments, places and objects that distinguish this region and its rich archaeological heritage.

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Page Count

306

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317482158

ISBN 13

9781317482154

Ancient Community and Economy at Chinchawas (Ancash, Peru)

By: George F. Lau

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Ancient Community and Economy at Chinchawas (Ancash, Peru)

By: George F. Lau

Archaeological investigations advance current knowledge of prehistoric Andean societies with this groundbreaking study of Chinchawas, a small village community of the Recuay culture, in the first millennium AD.

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404

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ISBN 10

0300163622

ISBN 13

9780300163629

Book's by George F. Lau

Ancient Alterity in the Andes

Ancient Alterity in the Andes

Andean Expressions

Andean Expressions

An Archaeology of Ancash

An Archaeology of Ancash

Ancient Community and Economy at Chinchawas (Ancash, Peru)

Ancient Community and Economy at Chinchawas (Ancash, Peru)

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