Chavin and the Origins of Andean Civilization [Hardcover]

Richard L. Burger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

Of the six independent centres of civilization in world prehistory, probably the least well known is Chavin de Huantar, high up in the Andes, where South America's oldest complex culture arose during the first millennium BC and created its earliest known city. The Chavin style dominated Peruvian art and architecture for hundreds of years and influenced all that came after. But what was the exact nature of this style? How did Chavin civilization develop, and why did it eventually collapse? New answers are emerging after unprecedented discoveries made over the past two decades. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of these findings, including his own excavations at Chavin and elsewhere, Professor Burger argues controversially - that the first monumental architecture and great art in the Andes were created by economically egalitarian pre-Chavin societies. It is now known that such pre-state cultures built massive truncated pyramids as ancient as those of Old Kingdom Egypt. Chavin civilization represents a synthesis of these traditions, forged through the impact of long-distance trade and a new religious ideology. Accompanied by a wealth of photographs, drawings and maps, it will be of great interest to art historians as well as archaeologists and students of comparative civilization.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The latest in a series of sterling contributions to world archaeology from Thames and Hudson, this book should be a high priority for every library. Burger (anthropology, Yale) presents a synthesis of Peruvian prehistory of the millennium B.C. Toward the end of this period there appeared in the highlands an art tradition centered around the depiction in sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, and cloth of an anthropomorphized feline--the Chavin style. Chavin is the first of ancient Peru's many famous art styles, such as Mochica and Nasca. With detailed descriptions and abundant illustrations of artifacts and sites, this book carries the reader from Chavin's roots in the third millennium B.C. to its florescence between 900 and 300 B.C. It is an engrossing account of prehistoric culture that ranks with the Sumerian, Shang, and Olmec as one of the world's earliest civilizations.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; First Edition edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500050694
• ISBN-13: 978-0500050699
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,429,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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