Christopher Donnan

Department of Anthropology

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1968

Areas of Interest

South American archaeology; iconography; ancient technology; the Moche people

Profile

Moche civilization flourished on the north coast of Peru between AD 100 and 800. Although the Moche people had no writing system, they left a vivid artistic record of their beliefs and activities in beautifully sculpted and painted ceramic vessels, colorful wall murals, sumptuous textiles, and superbly crafted objects of gold, silver, and copper. Dos Cabezas is a spectacular early Moche settlement located at the delta of the Jequetepeque River. Consisting of pyramids, palaces and domestic areas, it is perhaps the largest early Moche settlement ever built.