New computational modelling reveals complex networks of gold exchange in pre-Hispanic Colombia

The scientific analysis of archaeological materials, such as metals or ceramics, allows archaeologists to decode patterns in how resources were sourced and processed, offering a window into the social and technological choices of ancient craftspeople. For instance, the chemical compositions of materials can shed light on past exchange networks and past peoples’ cultural preferences for different material properties.

Researchers based at Cambridge have developed new computational tools that now allow archaeologists to paint a broader picture, by further deconstructing the wealth of information locked inside the chemical compositions of archaeological artefacts. These tools allow novel insights into the drivers of regional standardisation, or lack thereof, in craft production practices. They also allow the concurrent modelling of local and regional trends, akin to zooming in and out on the past. These new tools are explored in a recent paper, published in this month's issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

A glimpse into the Muisca world: Intra-regional circulation of imported gold

In collaboration with the Museo del Oro, Banco de la República (Bogotá), the new methods were applied to a case study on 243 gold artefacts from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia dating to AD 600–1600. At the regional scale, the computational model outputs revealed that gold was imported from diverse regions, highlighting the complexity and resiliency of Muisca exchange networks. At the local scales, metals were sometimes pooled from a variety of these sources for the making of religious offerings.

The findings not only highlight the sophisticated craftsmanship of the Muisca but also their deeply intertwined social and spiritual connection to gold. In particular, the social value of gold, imported exclusively from foreign sources, appears to have accrued through intra-regional circulation. This highlights the participation of a multitude of people gathering from different Muisca polities for festivities.

Selected examples of Muisca A) votive figures and B) body adornments from different recovery locations. Image copyrights: Museo del Oro

Selected examples of Muisca A) votive figures and B) body adornments from different recovery locations. Image: Museo del Oro

This research was led by Dr Jasmine Vieri (Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research), as part of her PhD (University of Cambridge, 2023) supervised by the paper’s co-authors Dr Enrico R. Crema (Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology) and Prof. Marcos Martinón-Torres (Pitt-Rivers Professor, Department of Archaeology), with collaborators María Alicia Uribe Villegas and Juanita Sáenz Samper based at the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, Colombia.

This research was funded by an AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship (2112128), with additional funding obtained from the Osk. Huttunen Foundation and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 101021480, REVERSEACTION project).

Jasmine and her collaborators at the Museo del Oro and at Cambridge continue to research pre-Hispanic technologies in stateless societies as part of the ERC-funded REVERSEACTION project.

Published 7 January 2025

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