Before its conquest by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century Peru had a long tradition of pottery making which has been traced back to about 3000 BC in the Upper Amazon. Some of the decorated styles have become recognised as being among the major artistic achievements of the American Indians. This book traces the development of the main styles of Peruvian pottery from earliest times up to the Spanish conquest and sets these within their cultural context. It looks at the technology employed, using a combination of the examination of finished pieces, modern experiments in manufacturing reproductions of ancient pots, and studies of modern potters working with pre-Hispanic technology. Next the iconography of the principal ancient styles is studied, showing its content and overall themes, with a section on fakes and reproductions. The last section of the book looks at Peruvian pottery today to see how it has been influenced by European technology and artistry, with special attention to areas where ancient technology and artistry have continued or been revived using evidence from field research. About the author George Banks spent a year doing post-graduate study in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he carried out research on Moche pottery. After visiting Peru he went to the Institute of Archaeology, London University, to continue post-graduate study. He was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship which enabled him to spend three months studying modern potters on the north coast of Peru and making a collection of their wares that is now in Manchester Museum, where he is Keeper of Ethnology.