Plaque

Discs like this have not been published but Sr. Walter Alva of the Bruning Museum in Lambayeque says this type of ornament is associated with Vicus graves. The precise use is not known although the hole suggests they were suspended. Several Vicus effigy ceramics portray a disc hung around the neck of the figure.

Vicus style ? Early Intermediate Period, 300 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.?

This disc has a relatively thick and continuous layer of yellow-coloured metal over the surface of one side, including the incisions. The incisions are trapezoidal in cross-section and made up of a series of short, straight lines. ESM analysis (Sf597) showed surface is half gold, half copper while the interior is mostly copper with some gold and a trace of silver. Of the gilding techniques known for the Vicus area, electrochemical replacement plating is most consistent with these features.

A thick disc with gilding and an incised design of a front-facing human head with a headdress. The face has cup-shaped eyes with rolled up pupils, and ears with holes. The headdress has an inverted triangle in centre. The design fits inside a circular incised border. There is a small drilled hole at the top of the headdress, near the border. The back of the disc is undecorated.