Exploratory Research: Systematic, Regional Survey in Southeastern Shandong Province, China

在国家科学基金安妮·安德希尔博士的支持下，加里·费曼和他们的同事将在位于黄河流域中国地区的东南部山东省进行一次考古调查。这个为期一个月的实地考察季的目标是对该地区进行初步评估，确定存在的表面材料的范围，并建立一个长期合作的美中研究计划。该地区之前的研究揭示了新石器时代晚期的大量遗迹的存在，包括可能是聚落等级中心的大型围墙遗址，表明社会分化的墓地，以及精致的工艺品，如玉器和精致的陶器。鉴于这些遗址的出现时间较早，该地区长期以来一直被认为是复杂社会发展的可能中心。然而，迄今为止的研究侧重于个别地点，并未试图将其置于更广泛的区域背景下。目前尚不清楚这些中心地区是如何与周围腹地相互作用或扩大其影响力的。对世界其他地区复杂社会的研究表明，只有从这一更广泛的角度来看待个别地点，才能获得充分的理解。安德希尔和费曼博士将使用在美国中部开发并广泛应用的调查技术，并在山东地区测试其可行性。他们将对50平方公里的区域进行系统的调查，调查结果将为设计更大规模的项目提供依据。考古学家希望了解复杂的社会是如何在史前世界的许多地方产生和维持的。他们希望通过对个别案例的比较来辨别潜在的一般过程。很明显，复杂的社会在中国是独立发展的，虽然许多遗址已经被发掘，但它们并没有被置于必要的区域背景中。安德希尔-费曼的研究很重要，因为它将实现这一点。它将向中国介绍一种新的考古方法，以及中美科学家之间的进一步合作。

With National Science Foundation support Drs. Anne Underhill, Gary Feinman and their colleagues will conduct an archaeological survey in southeastern Shandong province which is located in the Yellow River region of China. The goal of this one month field season is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the region, determine the extent of surface materials present, and establish a program of long term collaborative U.S. - Chinese research. Previous work in the region has revealed the presence of abundant remains from the late Neolithic Period, including large walled sites that were probably centers of settlement hierarchies, cemeteries indicating social differentiation and finely made craft goods such as jade ornaments and elaborate pottery vessels. Given the early dates for these sites, the region has long been recognized as a likely center for the development of complex societies. Research to date however has focused on individual sites and has not attempted to set these into a broader regional context. It is not known how such central places interacted with or extended their power over surrounding hinterlands. Research into complex societies in other parts of the world has demonstrated that full understanding can be gained only when individual sites are viewed from this broader perspective. Drs. Underhill and Feinman will use survey techniques which were developed and have been broadly applied in Middle America and test their feasibility in the Shandong region. They will conduct a systematic survey of a 50 km square region and the results will provide the basis to design a larger scale project. Archaeologists wish to understand how complex societies arose and were maintained in many parts of the prehistoric world. Through the comparison of individual cases they hope to discern underlying general processes. While it is clear that complex societies developed independently in China, and while many sites have been excavated, they have not been set into the necessary regional contexts. The Underhill-Feiman research is important because it will accomplish just this. It will introduce a new archaeological approach to China and further collaboration between Chinese and American scientists.