The Sea in the Pre-Columbian World
The Sea in the Pre-Columbian World
By: Elizabeth P. Benson
This volume focuses on the sea’s importance in the lives of the people of Pre-Columbian America.
Title information
The sea appears prominently in the art, myth, and archeological implications of Pre-Columbian America. From figures on sculpture at Chavín de Huántar holding strombus and spondylus shells to shells being found in highland burials in Mesoamerica located far from the sea, its importance is self-evident. This volume’s seven papers range in topic from art history to zoology, as each demonstrates how the sea acted as one of the most important forces in the lives of the people of Pre-Columbian America.
Elizabeth P. Benson
Elizabeth P. Benson (1924–2018) was an art historian known for her extensive contributions over a long career to the study of Pre-Columbian art, in particular that of Mesoamerica and the Andes. A former Andrew S. Keck Distinguished Visiting Professor of Art History at the American University in Washington, D.C., Benson had also a long association with Dumbarton Oaks, where she served as curator of the collection of Pre-Columbian artworks, and then, most influentially, as the inaugural Director of Pre-Columbian Studies.
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