Warfare in the pre-Columbian Andes took on many forms, from inter-village raids to campaigns of conquest. Andean societies also created spectacular performances and artwork alluding to war – acts of symbolism that worked as political rhetoric while drawing on ancient beliefs about supernatural beings, warriors, and the dead. In this book, Elizabeth Arkush disentangles Andean warfare from Andean war-related spectacle and offers insights into how both evolved over time. Synthesizing the rich archaeological record of fortifications, skeletal injury, and material evidence, she presents fresh visions of war and politics among the Moche, Chimú, Inca, and pre-Inca societies of the conflict-ridden Andean highlands. The changing configurations of Andean power and violence serve as case studies to illustrate a sophisticated general model of the different forms of warfare in pre-modern societies. Arkush's book makes the complex pre-history of Andean warfare accessible by providing a birds-eye view of its major patterns and contrasts.
Author(s): Elizabeth N. Arkush
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 306
City: Cambridge
Copyright_page
Dedication
Contents
Figures
Maps
Tables
Preface and Acknowledgments
1 INTRODUCTION
2 SEVERITY AND SPECTACLE
3 TOWARD A BETTER MODEL OF WAR
4 WARRIOR LORDS
5 US VERSUS THEM:
6 THE INVENTION OF CONQUEST
7 CONCLUSIONS
Appendix 1_Database_of_Cranial_Trauma_from_Published_Sources
Appendix 2_Defensive_and_Non-Defensive_Settlement_Patterns_Over_Time_from_the_Published_Literature
Notes
Bibliography
Index
