Hunter-herder Transitions and later Stone Age Ceramics

狩猎牧民的转变和后来的石器时代陶瓷

• 批准号: 9804693
• 负责人: C. Garth Sampson
• 金额: $ 8.16万
• 依托单位: Southern Methodist University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-06-01 至 2001-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9804693&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Hunter; herder; Transitions; later; Stone

Until approximately 2,000 years ago South Africa was inhabited solely by `San` (`Bushman`) foragers who lacked pottery and domestic livestock and subsisted solely by hunting and gathering. This picture changed with the appearance of both livestock and ceramics, introduced by other Bushman/Hottentot groups. In the parts of South Africa such as the Karoo these two groups and lifestyles interacted for almost a thousand years until the appearance of the Boers in the 1700s. The goal of Dr. Sampson's research is to understand the interactions between hunter-gatherers and pastoralists over this extended period of time. The work focuses on culture contact and adaptation and sets these processes within a shifting environmental context. How do peoples with originally distinct lifestyles interact with each other. To what extend do they divide space in a mutually exclusive way? What cultural elements such as pottery are shared? To what extent are interactions fashioned in mutually beneficial ways? Does competition for limited space lead to antagonistic relations? As environment changes, either as a result of overgrazing or climate change how do these factors shift through time? These are the central issues which Dr. Sampson's project addresses. With prior NSF support Dr. Sampson and his colleagues have conducted extensive archaeological survey and excavation in the Upper Zeekoe Valley, a 5,000 km. square region in South Africa. All surface sites have been mapped and stratified caves have been excavated. With this enormous data base it is possible to examine spatial relations between hunter-gatherers and herders and to analyze changes in site distribution over time. During the current NSF project, Dr. Sampson will expand this work. He will obtain a large series of radiocarbon dates to fix the sequence more precisely in time. Analysis of fossil pollen will provide insight into fluctuating environmental conditions. A detailed study of ceramics will shed light on patterns of production and exchange. Trace element analysis of both pottery and clay sources will reveal the extent of local production and provide information on broader regional interaction. The work will provide an unprecedented and detailed picture of a cultural interaction which extended over a millennium.

直到大约2，000年前，南非还只有“桑人”（“布须曼人”）觅食者居住，他们缺乏陶器和家畜，仅以狩猎和采集为生。随着其他布须曼人/霍屯督人群体引入牲畜和陶瓷的出现，这种情况发生了变化。在南非的卡鲁等地区，这两个群体和生活方式相互作用了近一千年，直到18世纪布尔人的出现。桑普森博士的研究目标是了解狩猎采集者和牧民在这段时间内的相互作用。 这项工作的重点是文化接触和适应，并在不断变化的环境背景下设置这些过程。原本生活方式截然不同的人们是如何相互影响的。它们在多大程度上以相互排斥的方式划分空间？陶器等哪些文化元素是共享的？互动在多大程度上是以互利的方式进行的？对有限空间的竞争是否会导致敌对关系？随着环境的变化，无论是由于过度放牧还是气候变化，这些因素如何随着时间的推移而变化？这些都是桑普森博士的项目解决的中心问题。 在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，桑普森博士和他的同事在5，000公里长的上Zeekoe山谷进行了广泛的考古调查和挖掘。南非的一个广场。所有地表遗址都已绘制地图，分层洞穴也已挖掘。有了这个庞大的数据库，就有可能研究狩猎采集者和牧民之间的空间关系，并分析地点分布随时间的变化。在目前的NSF项目中，桑普森博士将扩大这项工作。他将获得大量的放射性碳年代测定数据，以更精确地确定时间序列。对花粉化石的分析将使人们对环境条件的变化有更深入的了解。对陶瓷的详细研究将揭示生产和交换的模式。对陶器和粘土来源的微量元素分析将揭示当地生产的程度，并提供关于更广泛的区域相互作用的信息。这项工作将提供一个前所未有的和详细的文化互动的图片，延续了一千多年。