Dissertation Research: Craft Production and Political Centralization: Iron Working in Central Madagascar

在亨利赖特博士的指导下， 密歇根大学的一名研究生将收集数据 写博士论文她将进行考古 研究在马达加斯加东部地区，并侧重于 铁加工技术的产生和发展。两 历史记录和考古证据表明， 冶炼曾经很普遍。盖布勒女士将检查三个地点 在Ankay地区。她将绘制地表发现的地图， 文物密度，找到潜在的渣堆，并收集 表面伪影的样本。在第二阶段， 地下测试的特点，特别是铁工作场所。 在最后的实地拍摄阶段， 是用来揭露铁工厂的渣堆的大小将是 以确定产量。碳样品用于 并会收集植物遗骸的年代及样本。 将进行陶瓷分析，以确定 并确定发生的活动。后续 冶金分析将有助于重建冶炼 过程 马达加斯加最初由东南亚民族定居， 不是来自非洲大陆。在史前时代 最早的欧洲观察家发现， 高度集权的社会。 酋长们的手段 然而，在这个与世隔绝的岛屿上， 明白 考古学家们把注意力集中在 近年来，复杂社会是如何产生的，因为这一过程是 在世界许多地方都能看到。他们认为专业化 对劳动力的控制和社会分层 一个主要的角色，但它是否作为一个原因本身， 继发性症状尚不清楚。 盖布勒女士的研究将 解决这个问题。 因为炼铁的副产品 在考古学上如此可见， 考古记录，马达加斯加的数据提供了一个很好的 进入这个问题。 广泛的历史记录提供了一个 来解释史前的数据。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将增加 这对我们了解一个知之甚少的 世界它将为复杂的起源提供新的线索， 并将协助培养一个有前途的学生。

Under the direction of Dr. Henry Wright, MS Sigrid Gabler, a graduate student at the Univeristy of Michigan, will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will conduct archaeological research in the eastern region of Madagascar and focus on the emergence and development of iron working technology. Both historical records and archaeological evidence indicate that iron smelting was once widespread. Ms. Gabler will examine three sites in the Ankay region. She will map surface finds in terms of artifact densities, locate potential slag heaps and collect a sample of surface artifacts. In a second phase she will undertake subsurface testing for features, especially iron working locales. In the final field phase careful horizontal exposures will be made to uncover iron working locales. Size of slag heaps will be measured to determine production output. Carbon samples for dating and samples of plant remains will also be collected. Ceramic analysis will be conducted to establish both relative age of sites and to determine activities which occurred. Subsequent metallurgical analysis will serve to reconstruct the smelting process. Madagascar was originally settled by Southeast Asian peoples and not from the mainland continent of Africa. In prehistoric times chiefdoms developed and the earliest European observers found highly centralized societies. The means by which chiefdoms emerged on this isolated and circumscribed island however are not understood. Archaeologists have focussed much attention in recent years on how complex societies arise since this process is seen in many parts of the world. They believe that specialization and control over labor together with social stratification plays a major role but whether it serves as a cause per se or is a secondary manifestation is not known. Ms.Gabler's research will address this issue. Because the byproducts of iron smelting are so archaeologically visible and because they preserve well in the archaeological record, the Madagascar data provide an excellent entree to this issue. Extensive historical records give a context to interpret the prehistoric data. This research is important for several reasons. It will add significantly to our knowledge of a poorly understood region of the world. It will shed new light on the origins of complex society and will assist in the training of a promising student.