In every historical period, people strive to achieve a certain order of life that will enable them material and human progress. This is how cultures and civilizations emerge, opening up space for various forms of human expression over time and space. Looking back, regardless of differences and temporal-spatial distance, we recognize something deeply human in them, something that is familiar to us but difficult to describe in words because it eludes the usual terminology for describing material culture…
The Valdivian culture originated in Ecuador, in an area washed by cold Pacific currents, and heated by a very hot and dry climate. The first bearers of this culture established their settlements by the ocean or by the Guayas River and the bay where it flows into the ocean.
The beginnings of this culture are unclear. It is believed to have started around 3500 BC and disappeared around 1800 BC, but there are no complete archaeological remains that could tell a complete part of the story, and there is a complete absence of written traces.
kaže, zauzimala je i šire područje, poput današnjih pokrajina Manabi i Guayas. Arheološki nalazi sugeriraju da su se ljudi bavili poljoprivredom, obradom keramike, tkanjem tekstila i ribolovom. Također su poznati po izradi kamene oruđa i obrednih artefakata. Unatoč svim tim značajnim tragovima njihove kulture, ostaje mnogo nepoznanica o njihovom jeziku, religiji i političkoj organizaciji. Odjednom nestaju iz povijesnih izvora, ostavljajući veliku prazninu u povijesnom sjećanju tog kraja. Laconic: It leaves significant gaps in the historical memory of that area. The town was named, and it included several other places: San Pablo, Real Alto, and Salango on the coast, as well as Loma Alta, Colimes, and San Lorenzo del Mate in the interior.
Over time, these towns develop a form of administrative center, and eventually, individual families separate from these relatively large organized units and settle outside the town to create the first artisan settlements. This gradual expansion inevitably led to a different form of social relationships and a new way of harmonizing among people within the community, where everyone needed to secure their place in order to participate in the creation of culture.
With the cessation of the necessity for continuous migration and the stabilization of the new way of life, a greater quantity of diverse objects began to be produced. New forms of expression, such as working with clay and firing ceramics, were discovered. From the very beginnings of the establishment of this culture, ceramic objects were made in large quantities and considered surprisingly good in terms of technique. In terms of craftsmanship and artistic sensibility, the earliest examples of pottery were already standardized in shape and clear rules of decoration were evident, but there was also a certain degree of freedom in expression. A distinctive style called the Valdivian style was created.
Initially used only for the production of practical and simple vessels for food preparation and storage, ceramics expanded into the realm of art.
Valdivian Art
It is believed that art in Valdivian culture began with the creation of stone figurines. These were actually lightly indicated human figures on stone tiles, without specific features that would determine gender or the specifics of a particular person. Over time, they became more detailed, and with the transition to a more malleable material, clay, the figures gained greater expressiveness and became known as small Valdivian Venuses, popularly named because of their accentuated female bodily characteristics.
In Valdivia, during the first excavations, over six hundred such figurines were found. There are ten fragments and one complete female figurine. The whole statues are very small, ranging from 4.6 to 8.8 cm in height. The Valdivian artist paid special attention to the characteristic features of the upper body in a very interesting way – using hair as a fundamental characteristic. Each figurine is individualized by intricately crafted hair, to the extent that certain parts of the face are completely covered and thus placed in the background. It is believed that the use of hair aimed to represent or emphasize different stages of a woman’s physical maturity, as certain hair styles can be associated with specific types of depiction, such as a young girl, a mature woman, or a pregnant woman. When visible, the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth are depicted simply but skillfully, contributing to the expressiveness of the representation.
In Valdivian culture, there are no recorded statues with prominent male attributes. This could indicate a matriarchal society in which the dominant role is played by the idea of female fertility and a sense of connection. connection with nature. The agricultural way of life greatly relies on the fertility and gifts of the cultivated land, and as a result, women assume a socially significant role as the bearers of life, being seen as connected to the land through their ability to bear children. This is supported by the fact that the statues were found in places such as around hearths, near houses, and in areas designated for rituals.
However, there have been statues found that have both feminine and masculine traits, which is not uncommon in art. This is a symbolic representation of the union of two complementary forces that emphasizes fertility.
Nature
One of the most common questions that people ask themselves when confronted with the enigmatic human sculptures from any culture is what compelled a person to shape this piece of clay or stone. Besides the need for creation, growth, and expression – direct or symbolic – is there any other reason for the creation of these figurines?
The Valdivian Venuses are associated with the idea and connection to Mother Earth. In ancient times, fertility rituals were prevalent. As shamanistic practices were highly developed during that time, wise men and healers who had profound knowledge of nature, including the visible and invisible aspects of human existence, as well as the medicinal properties of certain plants, existed. Shamans were skilled in using herbs to heal and restore the psycho-physical balance of individuals, which also included preparations for specific tasks that individuals intended to undertake.
Keeping this in mind, Clifford Evans and Betty J. Meggers, archaeologists who significantly contributed to understanding Valdivian culture, state that the figurines in the original shamanistic practice took on the role of sacred objects with healing power. They were crafted “due to spiritual needs, for specific rituals or ceremonies (likely associated with fertility), for a particular woman, or for the well-being of a home or community.”
In the shamanistic ritual, the Valdivian woman connects herself with the concept of fertility, embodying the invisible force of nature that enables the creation of life.
In addition to the figurines, They are called Venera, this culture is also known for its unusual stone slabs and stone mortars. We do not have much information about mortars from the Valdivian period, it is even doubtful if they belong to that culture.
The mortars are of very high quality. The harmony of shapes and the skillfulness of stone shaping are evident, the vitality and convincing depiction of animal figures are striking. It is possible that this type of vessel was used for ritual purposes and for the preparation of medicines by grinding plants or shamanistic preparations.
The enigmatic stone slabs are divided into two groups: one contains slabs called “maps of the starry sky” due to their geometric motifs, and the other is called “stone owls”. Very little is known about either of them. It is believed that the stone owls were created due to the symbolic meaning that this nocturnal bird had in some pre-Columbian cultures. Its role was to carry the Sun during the night hours, ensuring its rising every morning. That is why in shamanism, owls are considered to be the carriers of the Sun. It was believed to be a being that helps people after death, guiding souls on their journey to other worlds. The purpose of these stone representations is unknown.
The so-called maps of the starry sky are rectangular plaques covered with lines and shallow indentations. Their function is also unknown. Various theories have been proposed, some suggesting that they are an early form of writing, others suggesting that they are simply abstract ornaments, and still others suggesting that they were used for divination.
To this day, there have been few scientific archaeological studies in this area, and few theories have been fully confirmed, making it difficult to create a complete picture of Valdivia. One of the unexplored theories is the influence of Japanese Jomon culture on the production of early Valdivian ceramics, which hypothesizes that Japanese sailors sailed to Ecuador and stimulated the emergence and development of ceramic activity. Similarities in motifs and ceramic forms would serve as evidence.
Due to very weak supervision of archaeological exploration in this area, there There have been thefts of discoveries at Valdivian archaeological sites, followed by their resale and the production of skillful forgeries. Some completely invented objects have become “Valdivian”. An example of this is the so-called ancestral idols, inspired by authentically carved palm-sized figurines.
What we can recognize as deeply human in Valdivian representations is mankind’s desire to touch and express what surpasses him, what is hidden behind the veil of matter.
1 The name refers to the similarity with statues from the Stone Age that depict naked female bodies with highly emphasized female features, the most famous of which is the Venus of Willendorf.
3 Evans and Meggers, Early Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: The Valdivia and Machalilla Phases
2 Lewandowski, Speaking through Stone: Ancient Voices of Ecuador and Colombia