Funerary Practices in Complex Andean Societies

Clicks: 1
ID: 314462
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #1,146 of 1,518 articles by views in Oxford University Press eBooks

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 1,518 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract The nature and structure of authority are best reflected in a specific kind of archaeological evidence that elites have left, specifically their tombs. In theoretical terms, the Saxe-Binford representational approach has proven effective and widely used in the Andes. In contrast, the importance of worshipping (and other attitudes toward) the dead is generally studied with a postprocessual approach. As elite funerary practices and the exercise of power are closely linked, I propose a chronological review of outstanding mortuary contexts from the Formative period to the Inca Empire. It appears that if the impressive tombs do not seem to correspond to permanent leadership in the beginning, things change with the first states of the Early Intermediate period. The supreme leaders then incarnate the deities (for instance, among the Moche culture), holding all the political and ritual functions. The religious and ideological revolution carried out by the Wari-Tiahuanaco phenomenon is accompanied by growing importance given to the ancestors and kin links in exercising power. The cult of the mummy characterizes it up to and during the Inca period. This secularization of power is also manifested in the raising of palaces. Once there were only priests who were also kings; there are now kings and priests.
Reference Key
openalex_W7162015802 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Peter Eeckhout
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.74
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.74
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.