Giuseppe Orefici (born 1946) is an Italian archaeologist noted for his studies of the
Pre-Hispanic
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
civilizations of the
Nazca
Nazca (; sometimes spelled Nasca; qu, Naska) is a city and system of valleys on the southern coast of Peru. It is also the name of the largest existing town in the Nazca Province. The name is derived from the Nazca culture, which flourished in ...
and
Rapa Nui
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...
cultures.
Biography
Orefici has a degree in architecture. Since 1982 he has been Director of the Nasca Project and has conducted several investigations in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua. He directed archaeological excavations in the ceremonial center of
Cahuachi(Peru) since 1984, Pueblo Viejo near
Nazca
Nazca (; sometimes spelled Nasca; qu, Naska) is a city and system of valleys on the southern coast of Peru. It is also the name of the largest existing town in the Nazca Province. The name is derived from the Nazca culture, which flourished in ...
(1983–85),
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku ( es, Tiahuanaco or ) is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America. Surface remains currently cover around 4 square kilo ...
, Bolivia from 2007 to 2014, and
Easter Island
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
(1991–93, 2001).
He has published several books and articles on Nasca and
Rapa Nui cultures and has curated numerous exhibitions on Pre-hispanic culture in the Americas and in Europe. The most important research, which continues, is the archaeological excavation and conservation of
Cahuachi.
Current research
Orefici is Director of Centro de Estudio Arquelogicos Precolombinos,
:es:Museo Arqueológico Antonini in
Nazca
Nazca (; sometimes spelled Nasca; qu, Naska) is a city and system of valleys on the southern coast of Peru. It is also the name of the largest existing town in the Nazca Province. The name is derived from the Nazca culture, which flourished in ...
, Peru and the Nasca Project. He is concentrating on the study of Nasca and Tiwanaku civilizations, with particular reference to architecture, and pre-Hispanic petroglyphs.
[Orefici 2013]
Scientific publications
*Ligabue G., Orefici G., ''Rapa Nui,'' Erizzo, 1994.
*Orefici G., ''Nasca: arte e società del popolo dei geoglifi,'' Jaca Book, Milano, 1993.
*Orefici G., ''Cahuachi. Capital Teocratica Nasca.'' Lima: University of San Martin de Porres, 2012.
*Orefici G., ''Mensajes de nuestros antepasados: petroglifos de Nasca y Palpa,'' Apus Graph Ediciones, Lima, 2013
*Lasaponara R.,
Masini N., Orefici G. (Eds). ''The Ancient Nasca World: New Insights from Science and Archaeology.'' Springer International Publishing, 2016
Bibliography
*Aimi A., ''Arqueólogos Intelectuales Italianos en el Peru.'' Instituto Italiano de Cultura de Lima, Lima, 2015, pp. 46–47.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orefici, Giuseppe
1946 births
Living people
Italian archaeologists