Dissertation Research: Precolumbian Maya Terracing in the Xunantunich Area, Belize, Central America

在Wendy Ashmore博士的指导下，L. Theodore Neff先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将继续研究与位于伯利兹热带中西部低地的Xunantunich玛雅遗址有关的梯田。该遗址面积很大，最大直径超过10公里，在古典玛雅发展的高峰期被占用。因此，它是研究玛雅人如何将成千上万的人整合到高度组织化的社会中，并在相对非生产性的环境中维持自己的合适地点。近年来，考古学家开始认识到玛雅人发展了复杂的农业系统，与今天许多低地地区使用的刀耕火种技术有很大不同。研究人员特别关注了沼泽涝渍环境中由堆积土形成的广泛的凸起田系列。对其他方法的关注较少，Neff先生将研究在Xunantunich广泛使用的梯田系统，该系统也存在于其他玛雅遗址中。他特别感兴趣的是农业和社会组织之间的联系，他注意到梯田的不同安排和相关房屋土丘的数量之间的相关性。他认为，有可能重建现场的社会组织，并确定群体组织的变化对特定农业实践的影响程度。要做到这一点，他首先需要更多地了解梯田本身，而这个奖项将使他能够收集必要的信息。他将进行试验，然后在精心挑选的梯田上进行更大规模的挖掘。在此基础上，他希望确定它们是在历史上什么时候建造的，它们是如何建造的，以及它们上面种了什么作物。这需要仔细的地层挖掘和土壤、文化和植物遗迹的分析。放射性碳测年也将得到。玛雅人在今天只能支持低人口密度的环境背景下，使用技术简单的手段发展了一个复杂的社会。内夫先生的研究将为这种成功的适应提供更多的见解。他将收集许多考古学家感兴趣的资料，这个项目将有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Wendy Ashmore, Mr. L. Theodore Neff will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will continue his examination of terraces associated with the Mayan site of Xunantunich which is located in lowland tropical west-central Belize. The site is large - it covers an area exceeding 10 km. in maximum diameter - and was occupied during the height of Classic Mayan development. Therefore it serves as an appropriate location to study how the Mayans integrated thousands of individuals into highly organized societies which sustained themselves in a relatively unproductive environments. In recent years archaeologists have come to recognize that Mayan peoples developed complex agricultural systems significantly different from the slash and burn technique which is applied in many lowland areas today. Researchers have focused particular attention on widespread series of raised fields which were formed by mounding earth in swampy waterlogged environments. Less attention has been paid to other approaches and Mr. Neff will examine a terracing system which was widely used at Xunantunich and is present at other Mayan sites as well. In particular he is interested in the articulation between agriculture and social organization and he has noted correlations between different arrangements of terraces and the number of associated house mounds. He believes that it is possible to reconstruct the social organization at the site and determine the extent to which variations in group organization affected specific agricultural practices. To accomplish this he needs first to understand more about the terraces themselves and this award will allow him to collect the necessary information. He will conduct test and then larger scale excavation in a carefully selected number of terraces. On this basis he hopes to determine when in the site's history they were built, how they were constructed and what crops were grown on them. This requires careful stratigraphic excavation and the analysis of soil, cultural and plant remains. Radiocarbon dates will also be obtained. The Mayan peoples developed a complex society using technologically simple means in environmental contexts which today can support only low population densities. Mr. Neff's research will provide additional insight into the adaptations which allowed this success. He will collect data of interest to many archaeologists and the project will assist in training a promising young scientist.