Just scratching the surface: Post-fire engravings as semasiographic writing in the ancient Andes

We present analyses of post-fire engravings (PFEs), scratched markings made in the surface of ceramic vessels, from the sites of Atalla (800–500 BCE) and Huari (600–1000 CE), Peru. We compare engraved motifs, the vessel forms on which they appear, their placement on vessels, and the contexts in which they were found at Atalla and Huari to other examples mentioned in the Andean and international archaeological literature. These comparisons elucidate both regional and site-level spatial patterns that suggest that these markings constitute intentional visual notations created by the vessel users. Drawing upon the Quechua concept of quillca as “the creation of meaningful markings,” we argue that Andean PFEs are meaning-laden signs whose use was comparable to writing. Our analyses also reveal that PFEs appear most frequently on serving wares, such as bowls and cups, vessel forms that were used in commensal events. Semasiographic writing is particularly useful in multilingual contexts, and we highlight that the archaeological data support a correlation between the use of PFEs and historical moments of increasing intercultural interaction in the pre-Hispanic Andes. We present a case for this alternative form of literacy and suggest that this form of semasiographic writing played a role in multilingual commensal events.