THE MOCHE LIMA BEANS RECORDING SYSTEM, REVISITED.
One matter that has raised sufficient uncertainties among scholars in the study of the Old Moche culture is a system that comprises patterned Lima beans. The marked beans, plus various associated effigies, appear painted by and large with a mixture of realism and symbolism on the surface of ceramic...
| Published in: | Folklore (14060957) Vol. 45; pp. 89 - 137 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore
Jun2010
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=53485118&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 53485118 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 14060957 1COT jtl: Folklore (14060957) issn: 14060957 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2010 vid: 45 pid: 24401 pub: Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore artinfo: ui: 53485118 10.7592/FEJF2010.45.melka ppf: 89 ppct: 48 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 1MB tig: atl: THE MOCHE LIMA BEANS RECORDING SYSTEM, REVISITED. aug: au: Melka, Tomi S. su: Lima bean Effigies Realism Symbolism Gambling South America sug: subj: South America Lima bean Effigies Realism Symbolism Gambling keyword: 'messengers' 'ritual runners' ceramic vessels communicative system data storage and transmission fine-line drawings iconography painted/incised Lima beans patterns pre-Inca Moche culture tokens ab: One matter that has raised sufficient uncertainties among scholars in the study of the Old Moche culture is a system that comprises patterned Lima beans. The marked beans, plus various associated effigies, appear painted by and large with a mixture of realism and symbolism on the surface of ceramic bottles and jugs, with many of them showing an unparalleled artistry in the great area of the South American subcontinent. A range of accounts has been offered as to what the real meaning of these items is: starting from a recreational and/or a gambling game, to a divination scheme, to amulets, to an application for determining the length and order of funerary rites, to a device close to an accountancy and data storage medium, ending up with an 'ideographic', or even a 'pre-alphabetic' system. The investigation brings together structural, iconographic and cultural aspects, and indicates that we might be dealing with an original form of mnemotechnology, contrived to solve the problems of medium and long-distance communication among the once thriving Moche principalities. Likewise, by reviewing the literature, by searching for new material, and exploring the structure and combinatory properties of the marked Lima beans, as well as by placing emphasis on joint scholarly efforts, may enhance the studies. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Folklore (14060957) is the property of Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Folklore (14060957) holder: Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore dt: @attributes: year: 2010 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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