Fibre Production on the West Coast of South America

Fibre production on the west coast of South America

'I conducted a systematic analysis of bast fibre technologies manufactured by coastal hunter-gatherer groups between 12,000 and 3,500 BP in southern Peru and northern Chile. Plant fibres assemblages from five archaeological sites belonging to different chronologies and locations were examined through archaeobotanical and structural analyses. In this talk, I will present the result of fibre identification (Typhaceae, Cyperaceae and Apocynaceae) to discuss how plant resources for technology were critical material among coastal hunter-gatherer groups. Additionally, this talk also will focus on the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire of fibre production to draw conclusions on how manufacturing techniques (splicing, looping, knotting, and twining) evolved and persisted throughout the Preceramic Period. Ultimately, this study provides data on fibre production that allow me to argue that bast fibre technologies offered templates for more elaborated technologies such as basketry, cotton nets and textiles, suggesting that fibre technologies represent the foundation of weaving technologies in the Andean region.'

All our seminars this term will be delivered in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance at the McDonald Institute Seminar room, and online broadcasting via Zoom. There is no need to register for either mode of attendance. To attend this event please follow this link:

https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97271550360?pwd=K3pITVRzQ2dwZ2tYTzFIN3lSMUljZz09