ETCHED into this fragment of a gourd bowl (right) is an image of a god, the first known from the Americas. It shows that not only did Andeans develop irrigation and build the continent鈥檚 first pyramids, they created the New World鈥檚 earliest religious image.
Two fragments of gourd bowls found at separate burial sites in the valley of Peru鈥檚 Patavilca river are incised with an image of the 鈥渟taff god鈥�, a major deity of later Andean cultures. A fragment of one gourd has been carbon dated to 2250 BC, clear evidence that Andean religion arose a thousand years earlier than any previous find shows.
The discovery comes from part of the Norte Chico region 200 kilometres north of Lima, which was densely populated from 2600 to 2000 BC. The Andean culture at the time built large stone monuments and pyramids, but did not sculpt or decorate stone, and did not use pottery.
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The cartoon-like figure of the staff god is the oldest clear image of a deity yet found in the Americas. The staff god is always depicted holding a staff, and usually has fanged teeth, and snakes in his headdress or garments. He appeared in later Andean cultures, until Europeans overthrew the Inca empire in the 16th century.
The team of American and Peruvian archaeologists who found the gourd were studying the beginnings of irrigation. Simpler cultures usually practise shamanism, which focuses on healing, rather than gods, says team member Winifred Creamer of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. But religious symbols are important in more complex, organised societies.