Chavín culture

Chavín culture appears on the timeline as a people or culture of Central Andean Highlands (South America) from c. 900 to 200 BCE, a span of 700 years. Its people spoke Unknown or undeciphered languages (Indus, Minoan, Moche, Nazca, Chavin, Jomon and other unattested languages).

Religious tradition centered on the temple of Chavín de Huántar, whose stone galleries hold the Lanzón idol. Its feline and serpent art spread across much of Peru as the first Andean horizon.

See Chavín culture on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates: c. 900 to 200 BCE
Duration: 700 years
Type: People or culture
Region: Central Andean Highlands, South America
Language family: Unknown or undeciphered
Capital: Chavín de Huántar

Events in South America during its time

900 BCE Chavín de Huántar becomes a pilgrimage center

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
Roman Republic 509 to 27 BCE, Europe
Parthian Empire 247 BCE to 224 CE, Middle East
Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE, Europe
Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 to 609 BCE, Middle East
Xiongnu Empire c. 209 BCE to 93 CE, Central and North Asia
Ptolemaic Kingdom 305 to 30 BCE, North and West Africa
Achaemenid Empire 550 to 330 BCE, Middle East
Western Han 202 BCE to 9 CE, East Asia
Athens 508 to 322 BCE, Europe

Questions

When did Chavín culture exist?

c. 900 to 200 BCE, about 700 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.

Where was Chavín culture?

Central Andean Highlands, in South America. Its capital was Chavín de Huántar.

What language did Chavín culture speak?

Unknown or undeciphered. This family includes Indus, Minoan, Moche, Nazca, Chavin, Jomon and other unattested languages.