Earth and Space Science Project Abstract
THE ROLE OF DOMESTICATED COTTON IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEX SOCIETY IN PERU
Presenter:
Julia Jennings, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506; toast@imsa.edu
Mentor:
Winfred Creamer, Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115-2854; 815-753-7038
Abstract:
Cotton is thought to have been domesticated in the highlands of Peru by approximately 3000-2000 b.c. Domestication developed first in the highland valleys, such as the Ayacucho Valley, later spreading to the coastal regions, such as Huaca Prieta. During the Preceramic period, cotton grown in inland valleys, like the Supe Valley, may have been traded for production of the coast, such as fish. This trade may have contributed to the accumulation of a surplus in the valley, making large construction projects, such as pyramids, possible in this early period. Identifying the source of cotton will help determine whether the Supe Valley participated in such a trade pattern. Chemical sourcing of both archaeological and modern cotton samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) may determine whether cotton in the Supe Valley was grown locally or in an adjacent valley. An experimental procedure is proposed which involves the use of ICP-MS to determine chemical differences among archaeological cotton samples such as textiles, as well as modern samples grown in test plots to be located in the Supe, Pativilca, Fortaleza, and Huaura valleys.