Archaeological Reconnaissance at Chau Hiix: Agricultural, Settlement and Political Economy

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，安妮·派本博士将在伯利兹洲的玛雅遗址进行为期三个季节的考古实地调查。该遗址于1990年被发现，具有特殊的意义，因为它位于记录完好的Lamanai遗址和Altun Ha遗址之间，两者相距仅40公里。洲Hiix包含约25个大型结构，位于其中央平台上和周围，其中最大的高度为20米。外围定居区包含连续分散的平台群和小土丘，至少有4个地方被平台上的大型建筑群打断。Pyburn博士和她的合作者将在三个季节里，结合对定居点地区的测绘和测试挖掘，以及对中心区的挖掘，绘制洲Hiix及其周围的古代特征分布图。该方法旨在调查：1。洲海的维持面积和卫星人口；2. 农业功能;3. 晚期聚落和市民中心。沉降数据将通过测绘、点蚀测试和表面收集来收集。将绘制该定居点的等高线地图。并将挖掘沉降区10% - 20%的结构样本。在整个项目中，挖掘机将回收花粉样本、人类和非人类骨骼、碳、土壤、浮选样本和岩屑碎屑。生态事实将允许史前环境的重建，并提供洞察玛雅人使用它。考古学家一直把重点放在玛雅人的史前，因为这些散布在中美洲热带低地大部分地区的群体，创造了一个文明，在今天只有少数人居住的地区，支持并融合了大量的个人。有证据表明，在古典时期达到一个高峰之后，人口密度和社会融合水平迅速下降，文字停止了，也没有建造新的纪念性建筑。Chau Hiix在玛雅高潮和随后的衰落期间都被占领，通过仔细研究，Pyburn博士将深入了解这一过程的两个方面。她假设玛雅农民被组织成小农群体，这些小农群体是有效的生产单位，而国家对他们的干预为玛雅社会的解体提供了动力。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。它将为热带低地地区人类与环境的相互作用以及复杂社会的兴衰提供新的视角。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Anne Pyburn will conduct three seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the Mayan site of Chau Hiix located in Belize. The site was discovered in 1990 and is of special interest because it is located between the well documented sites of Lamanai and Altun Ha, themselves only 40 km apart. Chau Hiix contains about 25 large structures located on and around its central platform, the largest of which is 20 meters in height. The outlying settlement area contains a continuous scatter of platform groups and small mounds interrupted in at least 4 places by clusters of larger buildings on platforms. Dr. Pyburn and her collaborators will map the distribution of ancient features in and around Chau Hiix during three seasons combining mapping and test excavation of the settlement area with excavation in the central precinct. The methodology is designed to investigate: 1. Chau Hiix's sustaining area and satellite populations; 2. agricultural features; 3. late period settlement and civic center. Settlement data will be collected by mapping, testpitting, and surface collection. A contour map of the settlement will be constructed. and a sample of 10 to 20% of the structures in the settlement area will be excavated. Throughout the project excavators will recover pollen samples, human and non-human bone, carbon, soil, flotation samples and lithic debitage. The ecofacts will permit reconstruction of the prehistoric environment and provide insight into Mayan use of it. Archaeologists have focused on the prehistory of the Mayan peoples because these groups, spread over large portions of lowland tropical Middle America, created a civilization which supported and incorporated large numbers of individuals in regions which are today inhabited only by small numbers of people. Evidence indicates that following a high point during the Classic period, levels of population density and social integration declined rapidly and that writing ceased and no new monumental architecture was constructed. Chau Hiix was occupied during both the Mayan climax and following decline and through careful examination, Dr. Pyburn will gain insight into both aspects of this process. She hypothesizes that Mayan farmers were organized into smallholder groups which were effective productive units and that state interference with them provided the impetus for the disintegration of Mayan society. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed new light into human - environment interaction in tropical lowland regions and into the rise and decline of complex societies.