Nearly a millennium before the Inca forged a pan-Andean empire in the South American Andes, Tiwanaku emerged as a major center of political, economic, and religious life on the mountainous southern shores of Lake Titicaca. Tiwanaku influenced vast regions of the Andes and became one of the most important and enduring civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. Yet for centuries, the nature and antiquity of Tiwanaku remained a great mystery. Only over the past couple of decades has archaeological research begun to explore in depth the fascinating character of Tiwanaku culture and the way of life of its people. Ancient Tiwanaku synthesizes a wealth of past and current research on this fascinating high-altitude civilization. In the first major synthesis on the subject in nearly fifteen years, John Wayne Janusek explores Tiwanaku civilization in its geographical and cultural setting, tracing its long rise to power, vast geopolitical influences, and violent collapse.

The first major synthesis exploring Tiwanaku civilization in its geographical and cultural setting.

About the Author
Dr Janusek is an archaeologist interested in the development of complex societies and cities in the South American Andes. His theoretical interests include: human agency/identity, power relations, urbanism, space and place, ritual practice, and household archaeology. He has worked in the Bolivian highlands since 1987, conducting research principally focused on Tiwanaku civilization and its precursors. He currently directs an interdisciplinary research project at the sites of Khonkho Wankane and Iruhito in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin (see http://antiquity.ac.uk/ProjGall/janusek/janusek.html). His publications include: Craft and Local Power (Latin American Antiquity 10, 1999), Out of Many, One (Latin American Antiquity 13, 2002), Tiwanaku and its Precursors (Journal of Archaeological Research 12, 2004), Household and City in Tiwanaku (in Andean Archaeology, Helaine Silverman ed., Blackwell 2004), five chapters in Tiwanaku and its Hinterland Vol. II (Alan Kolata ed., Smithsonian Institution, 2003), and The Changing 'Nature' of Tiwanaku Religion (World Archaeology 38, 2006). His two books are Identity and Power in the Ancient Andes (Routledge, 2004) and Ancient Tiwanaku (Cambridge, 2008).

Reviews
"...Janusek succeeds in synthesizing existing research on Tiwanaku in an impressively solid way...This book is a valuable contribution to Tiwanaku scholarship, setting a benchmark for the newer generation of students and scholars." --Mathieu Viau-Courville, Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia, UK



Book Information
ISBN 9780521816359
Author John Wayne Janusek
Format Hardback
Page Count 378
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 157mm * 22mm