15.8

The Linares lintel is considered stylistically slightly later than the Kantataita lintel. It depicts two of the Late SAIS pantheon images, Staff God and Profile Attendants, although the attendants' formal attributes still relate very much to the early SAIS Sacrificer, and the incomplete Staff God figure might be intermediate between the Rayed Head and the Staff God. The photograph and upper reconstructive drawing were published by Arthur Posnansky (adapted from Posnansky 1945:Figures 140, 140a). The lower reconstruction was drawn by Patricia Knobloch (published with her permission) based on the Posnansky photograph and her knowledge of Tiwanaku-style art. The decision to hypothetically represent a complete but diminutive body with feet expresses her evaluation that there was sufficient space on the narrow lintel stone to include these elements (see http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/~bharley/images/WWWMINDICON2011and2.jpg). If Knobloch is correct, the lintel's imagery anticipated the SAIS Staff God more than if the body were only partial and, consequently, more of an intermediate between Rayed Head and Staff God. However, there seems little doubt that this imagery reveals a step toward the Late SAIS pantheon so prominent in both Wari and Tiwanaku, but only two of the three supernaturals are present, the Staff God and Profile Attendants.