ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author focuses on the materialization of ideology because they believe that archaeologists are well positioned to reconstruct this process. Archaeologists representing both the processual and post-processual perspectives have examined the nature of ideology and its role in the development of complex societies. The author argues that ideology is materialized in distinct and concrete forms to become an effective source of power. Materialization is the transformation of ideas, values, stories, myths, and the like into a physical reality that can take the form of ceremonial events, symbolic objects, monuments, and writing systems. The author considers four means of materialization: ceremonial events, symbolic objects, public monuments, and writing systems. Objects and icons, as materialized ideology, include the paraphernalia used in performances, ritual attire, mural paintings, and icons and emblems in any form. The Moche of northern Peru provides some of the most dramatic examples of the effects of materialized ideology in an emerging state-level society.
