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Reconstructing Ancient Technology:

Reconstructing Ancient Technology:. The analysis of Pre-Columbian Ecuadorian Textiles. Project Objective. To uncover aspects of the Guangala culture through analysis of textile impressions on pottery sherds. Introduction. The people of the Guangala region lived between 500 BC and AD 800

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Reconstructing Ancient Technology:

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  1. Reconstructing Ancient Technology: The analysis of Pre-Columbian Ecuadorian Textiles

  2. Project Objective • To uncover aspects of the Guangala culture through analysis of textile impressions on pottery sherds.

  3. Introduction • The people of the Guangala region lived between 500 BC and AD 800 • Southwest Coastal Ecuador • No recorded history • Left artifacts with textile imprints

  4. Background Information:Culture • Textiles played central role in pre-colonial South American cultures. • Textiles often showed status, identity, and had ceremonial implications. Mummy from Paracas, Peru

  5. The Guangala (500 BC – AD 800) • No evidence of any social stratification. • Communities simply organized. • Evidence that they were long-distance traders. • Not definitively tied to any modern culture.

  6. Textiles and Ceramics in the Guangala • The Guangala also used textiles in ceramics. • Textiles were usually recycled textiles, not textiles made specifically for ceramic production.

  7. Background Information: Textiles • Important component of Textiles: Warp and Weft

  8. Types of Plain Simple Weaves Balanced Warp-faced Weft-faced

  9. Textile Characteristics to Find • Number of threads in the warp and the weft • Type of weave • The fiber type • Thread diameter • Number of threads per centimeter • Regularity

  10. Method • Artifacts vs. experimental molds • Negative to positive images

  11. Observation Techniques • Photography • Light microscope • SEM

  12. Experimental • These are modern textiles of known material and technological processes. • Compared to artifacts.

  13. Cotton Saddlebag

  14. Cotton Towel

  15. Sheep Wool Bag

  16. Cabuya Coaster

  17. Cabuya Purse

  18. Alpaca Poncho

  19. The Artifacts • Artifacts range from Early Guangala (Artifact 5) to Late Guangala (Artifacts 1 and 3). • From El Azúcar Valley – varied sites.

  20. Artifact 1

  21. Artifact 1 - Cast Excavated Floor

  22. Artifact 2

  23. Artifact 3

  24. Artifact 3 - Cast

  25. Artifact 4

  26. Artifact 4- Impression

  27. Artifact 4 - Cast Above: Artifact cast Below: Alpaca poncho Above: Weft dominant Below: Warp dominant

  28. Artifact 5- Artifact, Casts

  29. Artifact 5 Side ASimple Plain Balanced Superimposed

  30. Conclusion • Hypothesis: Balanced Plain Weaves, irregularities, worn-down textiles • Actual: complex weaves with evidence of designs and color schemes • Conclusion: Sophisticated and Skilled • Alpaca fibers found although evidence suggests that there were no llamas on the coast • Trading System and Economic System

  31. Acknowledgments • Thank you Dr. Masucci for your guidance and support as our project leader. Thanks especially for the food!!! • Thank you Danielle for your long hours of patience and dedication and for just being cool. Cabooyah! • Thank you Dr. Miyamoto for everything.

  32. Works Consulted • [1] Masucci, Maria. Introductory Speech. New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences. Hall of Sciences, Drew University, New Jersey. July 2006 • [2] Boytner, Ran. 2004. Clothing the Social World. In Andean Archaeology, edited by Helene Silverman, pp. 130-145. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing • [3] Bruhns, Karen Olsen. The Story of a Sherd: The Second Oldest Textile in Ecuador. 12 July 2006 <http://username.sfsu.edu/~kbruhns/textile.html> • [4] Stothert, Karen E., Kathleen A Epstein, Thomas R. Cummins and Maritza Freire. “Reconstructing Prehistoric Textile and Ceramic Technology From Impressions of Cloth in Figurines From Ecuador.” Materials, Research Society, Symposium Proceedings., Vol. 185 (1991) pp. 767-776. • [5] Emery, Irene. The Primary Structures of Fabrics. The Textile Museum, Washington D.C.: 1966. p.10. • [6] Doyon-Bernard, Suzette J. La Florida’s Mortuary Textiles: The Oldest Extant Textiles From Ecuador. The Textile Museum, Washington D.C.: 1993-1994. pp. 82-102. • [7] Parker, JH and KE Stothert. Weaving a Cotton Saddlebag on the Santa Elena Peninsula of Ecuador. The Textile Museum Journal 1983; Vol. 22: pp.19-32. • [8] Rowe, Sarah Marie. Symbolic Function and Social Design: Analysis of Guangala Polychrome Ceramics from Coastal Ecuador. A Thesis in Anthropology, Drew University, New Jersey. May 2003. • [9] Bruhns, Karen Olsen. Ecuador’s Second Oldest Textile. The Textile Museum Journal 2001-2002. pp. 119-125.

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