Publisher's Synopsis
This publication aims to present the internal logic of one of the most fascinating iconographies of a prehistoric society, namely that of the Moche culture of Northern Peru, AD 100-800. This was a highly developed society with complex rituals, which were painted in great detail on ceremonial pottery. At the beginning of the twentieth century the images on the pottery were interpreted as scenes from daily life or from mythology, but we now know that the iconography shows exclusively ritual and religion. Since none of the Andean cultures possessed a writing system, the rich iconography of the Moche culture forms one of our main sources for studying the Andean civilisation. If we can identify the grammar of the Moche canon we can start to correlate scenes and to understand their meaning and that of the reoccurring components.
