Included in this lot is a Nazca Polychrome Ceramic Bowl / Vase. Pre-Columbian, Southern Peru, Nasca, 400 to 700 CE. The Nazca culture (also Nasca) was the archaeological culture that flourished from c. 100 BC to 800 AD. Strongly influenced by the preceding Paracas culture which was known for extremely complex textiles, the Nazca produced an array of crafts and technologies such as ceramics, textiles, and geoglyphs. The Nazca culture is characterized by its polychrome pottery which has been divided into nine phases. During "Nazca 8", disjointed figures and a geometric iconography was introduced that has been difficult to decipher. Phases 8 and 9 are now believed to date to the Middle Horizon. This period was one of a shift in power from the coast to the highlands with the advent of the Wari culture about 650 AD. The Nazca, like all other Pre-Columbian societies in South America including the Inca, had no writing system, in contrast to the contemporary Maya of Mesoamerica. The iconography or symbols on their ceramics served as a means of communication. The motifs depicted on Nazca pottery fall into two major categories: sacred and profane. The Nazca believed in powerful nature spirits who were thought to control most aspects of life. The Nazca visualized these nature spirits in the form of mythical beings, creatures having a combination of human and animal/bird/fish characteristics, and painted them onto their pottery. These Mythical Beings include such varieties as the Anthropomorphic Mythical Being, Horrible Bird, Mythical Killer Whale, Spotted Cat, Feline Man and Rayed Face. This Nazca bowl features geometric and bird motifs, colours of red, black, and white. Remarkably very nicely preserved condition, fading of designs and colours from normal usage and age. Measures 5.75"H x 6" diameter, mouth 4.5" diameter, weight 1lb, 4oz.