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Geophysical Survey on the Coast of Peru: The Early Prehispanic City of Gallinazo Group in the Viru Valley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jean-François Millaire  and
Edward Eastaugh
Jean-François Millaire
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2, ([email protected])
Edward Eastaugh
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5C2, ([email protected])
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Abstract

Recent geophysical survey at the early urban center of the Gallinazo Group in the Virú Valley highlights the potential for a multifaceted approach to remote sensing on the desert coast of South America and underscores the value of these well-established techniques for the rapid and detailed mapping of complex urban architecture. The Gallinazo Group (100 B.C.-A.D. 700) was an early city home to a population of between 10,000 and 14,400 people living in a network of agglutinated houses, plazas, public buildings, and alleyways. In 2008, detailed analysis of the site was undertaken, integrating traditional excavation techniques, soil coring, magnetometry, and ground-penetrating radar to gain a better understanding of the urban morphology of the site. The results of this fieldwork were extremely successful, with large areas of the urban layout being mapped in great detail. This article presents results from our survey, highlighting the potentials and limitations of each technique.

Resumen

Resumen

Los nuevos estudios geoflsicos en el centro urbano del Grupo Gallinazo en el Valle de Virú resaltan el potencial de un enfoque multifacético en la teledetección en esta costa desértica de Suramérica, además de subrayar el valor de estas ya probadas técnicas para el mapeo rápido y detallado de arquitectura urbana compleja en la región. El Grupo Gallinazo (100 a.C-700 d.C.) consiste en una ciudadantigua con una población de entre l0.000y 14.000 personas viviendo en una redde casas aglutinadas, plazas, edificios públicos y callejones. En 2008 se llevó a cabo un análisis detallado del sitio agregando a las técnicas tradicionales de excavación la extracción de muestras por calicata, la magnetometría y el georadar para mejorar nuestra comprensión de la morfologi'a urbana del sitio. Los resultados fueron un gran éxito, revelando grandes áreas de la trama urbana de la ciudad con gran detalle. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de nuestro relevamiento y destaca el potencial y las limitaciones de cada técnica.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , September 2014 , pp. 239 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2014

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