Dissertationn Research: Fish Exploitation of the Indus Valley Civilization

论文研究：印度河流域文明的鱼类开发

• 批准号: 9306645
• 负责人: Jonathan Kenoyer
• 金额: $ 0.5万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-08-01 至 1994-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9306645&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertationn; Research; Fish; Exploitation; Indus

Under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Kenoyer, Mr. William Belcher will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will both conduct an ethnographic study in Pakistan and apply the results to the analysis and interpretation of fish remains recovered from Indus Valley archaeological sites. The Harappan civilization developed and flourished in the Indus Valley from ca 2,600 to 1,900 B.C. It represents one of the great achievements of the late prehistoric world. Developments there rank the region with ancient Egypt and the Near East as well as New World states such as the Inca and Aztec empires. However much less is known about the Harappans than their counterparts. Archaeological data shows that this civilization had a strong riverine component and that fish constituted a major part of the diet. However such faunal remains are difficult to interpret and Mr. Belcher hopes to develop approaches which will aid in this goal. To this end, he will study modern fishing practices in the same region. He will interview fisherman and watch them at work to determine when in the yearly cycle, how, and in what environments particular species are caught. He will also observe how they are butchered, preserved, transported and consumed. After they are discarded such faunal remains may undergo a number of destructive practices such as damage by domestic animals and Mr. Belcher will examine these as well. Finally he will apply the interpretative techniques he develops to a series of Harappan archaeological remains. Mr. Belcher's primary interest lies not in fish per se, but rather in the social and economic organization of the Harappan state. By examining this one class of data, he hopes to reconstruct the economic system through which they moved. Trade routes will be reconstructed and the degree of economic centralization determined. It may also be possible to examine such issues as status difference between and within sites. This research is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of how one of the great early civilizations of the Old World emerged. It will help to develop techniques of faunal analysis which will be useful in many archaeological contexts. Finally it will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.

在乔纳森·肯尼尔（Jonathan Kenoyer）博士的指导下，威廉·贝尔彻（William Belcher）先生将收集数据的博士学位论文。他将在巴基斯坦进行民族志研究，并将结果应用于从印度河谷考古遗址中回收的鱼类的分析和解释。哈拉潘文明在印度河谷的2600至1,900公元前发展和繁荣发展。它代表了晚期史前世界的伟大成就之一。那里的发展与古埃及，近东以及印加和阿兹台克帝国等新世界等级。对于哈拉潘人来说，对哈拉潘人的了解要少得多。考古数据表明，该文明具有强大的河流组成部分，而鱼类构成了饮食的主要部分。但是，这种动物遗体很难解释，贝尔彻先生希望开发有助于实现这一目标的方法。为此，他将研究同一地区的现代捕鱼实践。他将采访渔夫，并在工作中观看他们，以确定何时在年度周期，如何以及在哪些环境中捕获特定物种。 他还将观察他们如何屠宰，保存，运输和消费。在丢弃这些动物遗体之后，可能会经历许多破坏性的做法，例如家畜损害，贝尔彻先生也会对其进行检查。 最后，他将把他开发的解释性技术应用于一系列哈拉潘考古遗骸。 贝尔彻先生的主要利益本身不是鱼类本身，而是在哈拉潘国家的社会和经济组织中。通过检查这一类数据，他希望重建他们移动的经济体系。将重建贸易路线，并确定经济集中化的程度。 也有可能检查站点之间和内部状态差异等问题。 这项研究很重要，原因有几个。这将增加我们对旧世界中伟大的早期文明之一的理解。它将有助于开发动物分析的技术，这在许多考古背景下将是有用的。 最后，它将有助于培训一位有前途的年轻科学家。