Dissertation Research: Prehistoric Social Interaction and the Aggregated Settlement Systems on the Northern Colorado Plateau

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Archaeological investigations will be undertaken in a prehistorically densely populated area of southwestern Colorado. Two large 13th century Anasazi sites will be surveyed to look at the development of the settlement system and the relationship of the sites to the environment. This project will examine the role of local and regional interaction networks as a society's response to increasing social and environmental stresses. The researcher will test the idea that social networks become localized and more circumscribed and that a group of people use a smaller area when stresses increase. Larger area networks will be replaced by increases in trade in nonessential goods. In addition to providing new information on the Colorado Plateau, this research will help us understand the variety of responses humans use in order to buffer themselves against uncertainty, risk, and environmental and social change. This research has relevance in helping us understand how societies respond to environmental stress.