Dissertation Research: Prehistoric Cultural Development and Highland-Lowland Rainforest Interaction in the Northeastern Andes of Peru

在理查德·伯格博士的指导下，沃伦·丘奇先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将分析位于秘鲁东部“云雾森林”地区的Cueva Manachaki遗址出土的考古材料。该地区位于中等海拔，将安第斯草原与地势较低的热带亚马逊雨林分开。场地本身是一个小的岩石掩体，包含了跨越陶瓷时期的精细分层沉积物。挖掘不仅发现了大量的陶瓷和石器材料，而且还发现了保存完好的有机遗迹。丘奇先生和他的同事将分析这些材料以实现三个目标：确定这个鲜为人知的地区的文化序列；2. 通过分析文化序列的连续性和变化，检验文化长期发展的假设，并随后对替代迁移假设进行评估；和3。识别和解释高地-低地雨林相互作用的证据。秘鲁是一个考古胜地，原因有几个。在西班牙人到来之前，这里出现了一系列复杂的国家级社会。该地区还具有强烈的垂直地带性，安第斯山脉的陡峭上升创造了许多不同的生态区。已经发展出许多模式，将复杂社会的发展与协调各区域间生活用品流动的需要联系起来。虽然广泛的挖掘工作为某些地区提供了极好的数据库，但对包括云雾森林在内的其他地区却知之甚少。丘奇假设，当地的适应发生在这个区域内，它不仅仅是高地和低地之间的一个中转站。对来自Cueva Manachaki独特遗址的材料的分析将使他能够评估这一想法。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据。它将增加我们对导致复杂社会发展的过程的理解，并将有助于培养有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Richard Burger Mr. Warren Church will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will analyze archaeological materials excavated at the site of Cueva Manachaki which is located in the "cloud forest" region of Eastern Peru. This area lies at a middle altitude and separates the high open Andean grasslands from the low lying tropical Amazon rainforest. The site itself is a small rock shelter which contains finely stratified deposits which span the per-ceramic through ceramic periods. Excavation has yielded not only large quantities of ceramic and lithic materials but also well preserved organic remains. Mr Church and his colleagues will analyze these materials to accomplish three goals: 1. to determine the cultural sequence for this little known region; 2. to test the hypothesis of long-term cultural development and subsequent evaluation of the alternative migration hypotheses through analysis of continuity and change in the cultural sequence; and 3. to identify and interpret evidence for highland-lowland rainforest interaction. Peru is of great archaeological interest for several reasons. It saw the rise of a series of complex state level societies before arrival of the Spanish. The region is also characterized by strong vertical zonation where the steep rise of the Andes creates a number of distinct ecological zones in close proximity. Many models have been developed which link the development of complex societies to the need to coordinate the movement of subsistence goods across zones. While extensive excavations have provided excellent data bases for some regions, others including the cloud forest are little understood. Mr. Church hypothesizes that local adaption took place within this zone and that it served as more than a way station between highlands and lowlands. Analysis of materials from the unique site of Cueva Manachaki will allow him to evaluate this idea. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will increase our understanding of the processes which lead to the development of complex societies and will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.