Residential Compound Excavation at Copan

在国家科学基金会的支持下，大卫·韦伯斯特博士将在洪都拉斯科潘进行一季的考古实地研究。韦伯斯特博士和他的同事们对这个大型玛雅遗址进行了广泛的挖掘，其基本历史和定居模式已经广为人知。该遗址很大，既有巨大的石头建筑，也有许多小型的相关定居点和房屋土堆。它占据了玛雅史前的大部分时间，因此记录了这个社会的兴起和随后的衰落。在之前的工作中，韦伯斯特博士发现了一个似乎是一个精英团体住所的院子。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，他将扩大在该地区的调查和发掘。他会清除植被，重建所有附属建筑的网格和地图。然后在每个这样的结构附近挖掘至少一个2x2米的沟渠，直到无菌土壤。在一组建筑物前，一个大的浅沟也将被切割成最新的居住表面，以寻找烹饪等居住活动的迹象。最后，将挖掘一条长沟，将这一地区与遗址的其他地区联系起来。通常在这些建筑后面发现的垃圾堆和墓地将为确定绝对日期提供材料。凭借相对简单的技术，玛雅人发展出了像城市一样的大型定居点，这些定居点有巨大的建筑，这表明他们有能力动员和控制大量的人，并将他们结合在一起，形成功能性的社会单位。根据居住地大小的差异和墓葬相对财富的差异，很明显，社会是以等级的方式组织起来的，而发达的宗教、经济和政治制度支持这种差异。然而，令人惊讶的是，人们对精英本身以及他们如何生活和行使控制权知之甚少。目前尚不清楚“精英”的概念是否有用，因为考古学家不知道玛雅遗址内部和之间存在多少差异。这个项目将有助于得出一个答案，因为它将提供一个这样的群体的系统信息。根据迄今为止的研究，这座住宅似乎跨越了古典和后古典时期，因此记录了该遗址的顶峰和衰落。因此，有可能确定精英角色是如何随时间变化的。这项研究将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的资料。它将揭示社会分化是如何产生和维持的，以及玛雅文明在其发展的高度是如何运作的。

With National Science Foundation support Dr David Webster will conduct one season of archeological field research at Copan Honduras. This large Mayan site has been the focus of extensive excavation, much of it by Dr. Webster and his colleagues, and the basic history and settlement pattern are well known. The site is large, contains both massive stone architecture as well as many small associated settlements and house mounds. It was occupied over much of Mayan prehistory and thus documents both the rise and subsequent decline of this society. In previous work Dr. Webster located a compound which appears to have been the residence of an elite group. With National Science Foundation support he will extend his survey and excavation in this area. He will clear the vegetation, re-establish a grid and map in all ancillary structures. At least one 2x2 meter trench will then be excavated adjacent to each such structure down to sterile soil. A large shallow trench will also be cut down to the latest living surface in front of one set of structures to search for signs of residential activities such as cooking. Finally a long trench will be excavated to tie this area in with other regions of the site. Trash middens and burials, usually found at the rears of such buildings will provide materials for absolute date determinations. With relatively simple technology Mayan peoples developed large city-like settlements with monumental architecture which indicates the ability to mobilize and control large numbers of people and to bind them together into functioning social units. Based on differences in the size of residence compounds and differences in relative wealth of grave goods it is clear that society was organized in a hierarchical fashion and that developed religious, economic and political systems supported this differentiation. However surprising little is known about elites themselves and how they lived and exercised control. It is unclear whether the concept of `elite` is useful or not since archaeologists do not know how much variation exists within and between Mayan sites. This project will help to yield an answer since it will provide systematic information about one such group. Based on research to date this residence appears to span the period which includes both Classic and Postclassic periods and thus records both the apex and decline of the site. Thus it may be possible to determine how elite roles changed over time. This research will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed light into how social differentiation emerges and is maintained and how the Mayan civilization functioned at the height of its development.