INDICES OF HOUSEHOLD MAIZE BEER PRODUCTION IN THE ANDES An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation

摘要

Recent literature on the role of alcohol in the ancient world has shown that the production and consumption of fermented beverages played a key role in the organization of many prehistoric political and household economies. The study of alcohol as a lubricant in social dynamics is especially salient in the Andes, where reciprocity is the primary form of traditional economic interaction. Despite the fact that scholars studying ancient Peru have long acknowledged the central role that the production and consumption of beer made from fermented grains or fruits (collectively referred to as chicha) played in traditional Andean societies, few field projects have focused on how to recognize the loci of small-scale chicha production in the archaeological record. In this paper, which presents the results of ethnoarchaeological research in eastern Cuzco province, Peru-where this type of research has not previously been undertaken-we use both new data and existing studies to identify fifteen independent indices capable of aiding archaeologists in the recognition of domestic brewing in the archaeological record. To do so, this study focuses on the material correlates of small-scale household chicha production, with an explicit emphasis on quantitative, rather than qualitative, data, including ceramic morphology and use wear; the particularities of vessel assemblages; the preponderance of tools, refuse, and residues; and the characteristics of brewing facilities. Previous studies demonstrate that, in spite of both variation in technology and organization across the region and cultural differences through time, ethnoarchaeological observations of modern production and consumption of chicha in traditional settings can generate valuable information pertinent to the interpretation of the archaeological record. This paper builds on these studies by verifying as well as questioning previous findings and by proposing new analogs. In doing so, this paper demonstrates that ethnoarchaeological observations of the modern production of chicha can provide valuable interpretive information not just for Andeanists but for any archaeologists seeking to identify and interpret the archaeology of brewers and brewing.