The Moche Lima Beans Recording System, Revisited

Abstract

One matter that has raised sufficient uncertainties among scholars in the study of the Old Moche culture is a system that comprises patterned Lima beans. The marked beans, plus various associated effigies, appear painted by and large with a mixture of realism and symbolism on the surface of ceramic bottles and jugs, with many of them showing an unparalleled artistry in the great area of the South American subcontinent. A range of accounts has been offered as to what the real meaning of these items is: starting from a recreational and/or a gambling game, to a divination scheme, to amulets, to an application for determining the length and order of funerary rites, to a device close to an accountancy and data storage medium, ending up with an 'ideographic', or even a 'pre-alphabetic' system. The investigation brings together structural, iconographic and cultural aspects, and indicates that we might be dealing with an original form of mnemotechnology, contrived to solve the problems of medium and long-distance communication among the once thriving Moche principalities. Likewise, by reviewing the literature, by searching for new material, and exploring the structure and combinatory properties of the marked Lima beans, as well as by placing emphasis on joint scholarly efforts, may enhance the studies.

Marcas De Procedencia

“…Ahí, Ricardo desarrolló el oficio de impresor y se trasladó al Perú en 1581, obteniendo el permiso oficial para su taller tres años después (19). 5 En la producción de este primer ejemplar, el impresor no escatimó esfuerzos en su producción, e incluyó algunos grabados xilográficos, que además de embellecer la obra, permite dar testimonio que ya entonces se contaban con grabadores en la ciudad de Lima (21). Como bien ha señalado Estabridis (17), para entonces, existía una influencia italiana en las diversas manifestaciones del arte en la Ciudad de los Reyes.…”

“…Para mayor detalle de la historia de Ricardo y el estilo de la producción, ver Estabridis (2002)(17) 5. Debemos indicar que, antes de finalizar la impresión de la Doctrina Christiana, Ricardo produjo un folleto de cuatro páginas, titulado Pragmática de los Diez Días,para más detalles ver Vargas (1953)(20).…”

What Is a Written Word? And if So, How Many?

“…The idea for the essay emerged from research in symbolic and writ ing systems and semiotics in general (see Melka, 2008;Melka and Místecký, 2020;Melka and Schoch, 2020;Zörnig and Melka, 2014). A number of obstacles, present during the process of interpre tation and deciphering of unknown verbal and/or nonverbal informa tion, certainly raise parallels for the far more complex and difficult task: that of identifying and retrieving messages from nonterrestrial sources.…”