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Oct 18, 2011
Oct 18, 2011
Spatula with Carved Lizard
Spatula with Carved Lizard
100 BCE–700 CE
Peru, Nasca style
(100 BC-AD 700)
Bone with shell inlay
Overall: 11.8 x 2.6 cm (4 5/8 x 1 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1955.83
Location
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Description
Peruvian Indians today regard coca leaf as a sacred substance that creates communion with supernatural forces. The leaves are chewed with powdered lime that in antiquity was stored in containers and scooped with spatulas like those seen here. Aside from its ritual meaning, coca has practical benefits: it is vitamin-rich; like coffee, it induces clear-headedness; and it increases stamina. The lizard spatula is Nasca in style.
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