Mace

A club-like weapon, wooden handle missing. Drawings on Moche ceramics show the mace being used in warfare by well-armoured figures (Sawyer). Published examples of Vicus mace heads (Disselhoff; Lumbreras) closely resemble this mace head.

Vicus style, Early Intermediate Period, 300 B.C.E. - 200 C.E.

The large white eye sockets and bared, shell teeth give the mace head a skull-like aspect.

Mace head composed of a short, heavy cylinder modelled with identical faces on two sides. These are separated by protuberant, round ears. White shell inlays in eyes, mouth, ears and cheek areas have drilled holes and incised details. One inlay (b) is dislodged. One ear inlay is thinner than the other three and does not have an engraved circle like the others.