Dennis Ogburn
My research centers on investigating ancient empires of Andean South America. In particular, I have focused on the expansion and maintenance of the Inca Empire in Ecuador. I am also interested in the general theoretical exploration of imperialism and comparing earlier imperial societies in the Andes (e.g., Wari) to the Incas.
I employ a range of methods in my research, from survey and excavation to ethnohistory, geochemical analysis, and GIS. My geoarchaeological research encompasses geochemical provenance studies of obsidian, andesite, and other igneous materials used in the Andes.
I have conducted fieldwork primarily in the southern highlands of Ecuador, centered on the Saraguro region. I have also conducted or participated in research in Nasca and Cusco, Peru.
I employ a range of methods in my research, from survey and excavation to ethnohistory, geochemical analysis, and GIS. My geoarchaeological research encompasses geochemical provenance studies of obsidian, andesite, and other igneous materials used in the Andes.
I have conducted fieldwork primarily in the southern highlands of Ecuador, centered on the Saraguro region. I have also conducted or participated in research in Nasca and Cusco, Peru.
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Papers by Dennis Ogburn
of the Inca occupation of the Saraguro region in the southern highlands of Ecuador,
with the objective of exploring the strategies of expansion and maintenance employed
by pre-industrial empires, and the role played by forced resettlement within those
processes. These issues were addressed by assessing the sociopolitical, economic,
military, and other conditions encountered by the Incas in the Saraguro region and
analyzing how those conditions may have influenced the strategies the state pursued
in the conquest and consolidation of control over the area.
Two sources of data were utilized to explore these issues in the context of
Saraguro. First, a field survey was conducted to collect data on settlement patterns,
architecture, and artifacts from the Integration Period (ca. A.D. 500 to ca. A.D. 1460)
and the Inca Period (ca. A.D. 1460 to ca. A.D. 1534). Second, ethnohistorical
documents from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were examined for
information regarding the pre-Inca inhabitants and the nature of the Inca conquest and
occupation of the area.
A total of thirty-eight sites dating to the Integration Period and six Inca
imperial sites were recorded during the survey. The pre-Inca settlement patterns
indicate that the region was probably not unified politically, but organized into
separate chiefdom-level societies, with a generalized economy. The inhabitants also
appeared concerned with warfare, as indicated by the establishment of settlements on
terraced hilltops. After taking over the region, the Incas imposed direct state control,
as indicated by the establishment of administrative centers, the construction of
storehouses, and the creation of ceremonial sites. Although the survey data did not
reveal any convincing evidence of resettlement in the Saraguro region, the settlement
patterns suggest that the Incas may have placed colonists within existing habitation
sites. Overall, the relatively high level of investment by the Incas in the region may
have been connected to its strategic location within the Inca road network and its
proximity to the important center at Tomebamba.
of the Inca occupation of the Saraguro region in the southern highlands of Ecuador,
with the objective of exploring the strategies of expansion and maintenance employed
by pre-industrial empires, and the role played by forced resettlement within those
processes. These issues were addressed by assessing the sociopolitical, economic,
military, and other conditions encountered by the Incas in the Saraguro region and
analyzing how those conditions may have influenced the strategies the state pursued
in the conquest and consolidation of control over the area.
Two sources of data were utilized to explore these issues in the context of
Saraguro. First, a field survey was conducted to collect data on settlement patterns,
architecture, and artifacts from the Integration Period (ca. A.D. 500 to ca. A.D. 1460)
and the Inca Period (ca. A.D. 1460 to ca. A.D. 1534). Second, ethnohistorical
documents from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were examined for
information regarding the pre-Inca inhabitants and the nature of the Inca conquest and
occupation of the area.
A total of thirty-eight sites dating to the Integration Period and six Inca
imperial sites were recorded during the survey. The pre-Inca settlement patterns
indicate that the region was probably not unified politically, but organized into
separate chiefdom-level societies, with a generalized economy. The inhabitants also
appeared concerned with warfare, as indicated by the establishment of settlements on
terraced hilltops. After taking over the region, the Incas imposed direct state control,
as indicated by the establishment of administrative centers, the construction of
storehouses, and the creation of ceremonial sites. Although the survey data did not
reveal any convincing evidence of resettlement in the Saraguro region, the settlement
patterns suggest that the Incas may have placed colonists within existing habitation
sites. Overall, the relatively high level of investment by the Incas in the region may
have been connected to its strategic location within the Inca road network and its
proximity to the important center at Tomebamba.