Magnificent cylindrical crown, Early Horizon, 400 to 200 BC
Description
gold: 16.5 ct, 218 g, reddish-brown pigment,
The thin metal sheet was produced by the cold-hammering of native gold with fine-grained hammer stones. The embossed relief images were made from the back and show warriors with headdresses and lances, as well as geometric ornaments.
A comparable piece of work (though no longer bent to a crown) is published in Berrin, 1998, pp. 192, ill. 137.
The creation of large precious-metal artifacts appears to have been stimulated by the spread of the Chavin cult in the middle of the first milllennium BC. In a search for technologies to convey the otherwordly power of the cult, new methods and materials were introduced to produce symbols of the religious system and create costume elements worn by the leaders associated with the cult (Berrin, p. 192 f.).
Comparing literature
Berrin, Kathleen (ed.), The spirit of ancient Peru, San Francisco 1998, p. 192 f., ill. 137Notices
This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).