page_title: Prehistoric art
section_title: Middle Horizon
hierarchical_section_title: Prehistoric art / The Americas / South America / Peru and the central Andes / Middle Horizon
caption_attribution_description: Piquillacta, 30 km SE from Cusco, Peru. The photo was taken by Håkan Svensson (Xauxa) in June 2002.
context_page_description: In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other methods of record-keeping, or makes significant contact with another culture that has, and that makes some record of major historical events. At this point ancient art begins, for the older literate cultures. The end-date for what is covered by the term thus varies greatly between different parts of the world.
  The earliest human artifacts showing evidence of workmanship with an artistic purpose are the subject of some debate. It is clear that such workmanship existed by 40,000 years ago in the Upper Paleolithic era, although it is quite possible that it began earlier. In September 2018, scientists reported the discovery of the earliest known drawing by Homo sapiens, which is estimated to be 73,000 years old, much earlier than the 43,000 years old artifacts understood to be the earliest known modern human drawings found previously.
context_section_description: The Middle Horizon lasted from 600 CE to 1000 CE, and was dominated by two cultures: the Huari and the Tiwanaku.  The Tiwanaku (also spelled Tiahuanaco) culture arose near Lake Titicaca (on the modern border between Peru and Bolivia), while the Wari culture arose in the southern highlands of Peru.  Both cultures appear to have been influenced by the Pukara culture, which was active during the Early Intermediate in between the primary centers of the Wari and Tiwanaku.  These cultures both had wide-ranging influence, and shared some common features in their portable art, but their monumental arts were somewhat distinctive.
  The monumental art of the Tiwanaku demonstrated technical prowess in stonework, including fine detailed reliefs, and monoliths such as the Ponce monolith (photo to the left), and the Sun Gate, both in the main Tiwanaku site.  The portable art featured "portrait vessels", with figured heads on ceramic vessels, as well as natural imagery like jaguars and raptors.  A full range of materials, from ceramics to textiles to wood, bone, and shell, were used in creative endeavours.  Textiles with a weave of 300 threads per inch (80 threads per cm) have been found at Tiwanaku sites.
  The Wari dominated an area from northern to central Peru, with their main center near Ayacucho.  Their art is distinguished from the Tiwanaku style by the use of bolder colors and patterns.  Notable among Wari finds are tapestry garments, presumed to be made for priests or rulers to wear, often bearing abstract geometric designs of significant complexity, but also bearing images of animals and figures.  Wari ceramics, also of high technical quality, are similar in many ways to those of the preceding cultures, where local influences from fallen cultures, like the Moche, are still somewhat evident.  Metalwork, while rarely found due to its desirability by looters, shows elegant simplicity and, once more, a high level of workmanship.
caption: The ruins of Pikillacta, a Wari site
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