st century BCE to approximately 500 CE, although scholars often disagree on the range of dates. Little is known about the Moche. They had no system of writing and, therefore, even their name has not survived. The word Moche merely derives from the area in which their remains have been discovered in such large numbers. Because this region is arid desert the preservation of artifacts was better than in many other parts of the world and Moche refuse dumps and graves have provided most examples of their unique pottery. The one thing that is certain about the Moche is that their potters "commanded a spectacular range of technical skill and aesthetic expression, all executed within very structured formal and ideological limits" (Bawden & Conrad 58).
They worked primarily in oxidized redware, although reduce-fired blackware has also been found. The most characteristic form of pottery created by the Moche was the stirrup bottle, so-called because of the shape of the handle-like spout that was attached to the chamber of the pot. It is n
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