Dissertation Research: The Social Organization of Early Copper Age Communities in the Koros Region of the Great Hungarian Plain

在约翰·奥谢博士的指导下，威廉·帕金森先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将调查饥饿大平原的科罗斯河谷系统，以绘制早期铜器时代(ECA)遗址的分布情况，并将分析从维斯托-马戈尔定居点出土的材料，这些材料可以追溯到同一时期。虽然这一地区以前的新石器时代晚期有大量信息，但令人惊讶的是，人们对非洲经委会的聚落模式知之甚少。维斯托-马戈尔遗址是该地区为数不多的经过仔细挖掘的遗址之一，大部分材料计划在不久的将来重新埋葬。帕金森先生将对丰富的陶瓷遗骸进行详细分析。由于陶器风格随着时间的推移变化相对较快，对这一年代标志的研究将使从地表环境中发现的碎片可以通过陶瓷比较来确定年代。维斯托-马戈尔保存着房屋遗骸，通过检查这些数据，将有可能重建家庭和遗址的大小以及社会组织。帕金森先生还将对该地区进行系统调查，以确定非洲经委会其他地点的位置，并收集表面材料。他将记录场地大小和地块位置，利用这些信息，应该可以重建聚落模式。匈牙利大平原从新石器时代晚期(约公元前5,000-4,500年)过渡到公元前4,500-4,000年(约4,500-4,000年)，考古记录发生了巨大的变化--文化群体的空间规模、房屋形式、聚落类型、聚落位置、贸易网络和殡葬做法都发生了变化。这些物质文化的变化表明，大约在公元前4500年，人口经历了一次彻底的社会变革。这种转变不仅影响了群体间的关系，如贸易网络和结算组织的变化所表明的那样，而且也影响了群体内的关系，如房屋形式和殡仪馆习俗的变化所表明的那样。无论是在新石器时代晚期，还是在非洲经委会，都没有强有力的证据证明社会等级制度化，这表明所讨论的社会群体是根据某种部落或自治的村庄组织来构建的。因此，必须从部落形式的社会组织内部发生的各种变化来理解社会转型。这是一个重要的事实，它对传统的人类学思维模式提出了挑战。考古学家通常从社会复杂性的发展和社会组织等级形式的出现的角度来看待从新石器时代到铜器时代的过渡。匈牙利的数据表明，这一时期的变化可能更为复杂，不能归因于这一单一因素。因此，提供了一个极好的案例研究，以寻找其他变化的原因。这项研究意义重大，因为它将使重要的考古材料得以记录和分析，这些材料很快就会丢失到科学研究中。它解决了一个有趣的理论问题，并将有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. John O'Shea, Mr. William Parkinson will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will survey the Koros River valley system in the Great Plain of Hungry to plot the distribution of Early Copper Age (ECA) sites and will also analyze material excavated from the settlement of Vesto-Magor which dates to the same period. Although substantial information is available for the preceding Late Neolithic period in this region, surprisingly little is known about ECA settlement patterns. Vesto-Magor is one of the few sites from this interval which has been carefully excavated and much of the material is slated for reburial in the near future. Mr.Parkinson will conduct a detailed analysis of the abundant ceramic remains. Because pottery style changes relatively rapidly over time, study of this chronological marker will allow sherds recovered from surface contexts to be dated through ceramic comparison. Vesto-Magor contains house remains and through examination of such data it will be possible to reconstruct family and site size as well as social organization. Mr. Parkinson will also systematically survey the region to locate other ECA sites and collect surface materials. He will note site size and plot location and with this information it should be possible to reconstruct settlement pattern. The transition from the Late Neolithic (ca. 5,000-4,500 BC) to ECA (ca. 4,500-4,000) on the Great Hungarian Plain is marked by dramatic changes in the archaeological record - changes in the spatial scale of cultural groups, house form, settlement type, settlement location, trade networks and mortuary practices. These changes in material culture suggest that the population underwent a radical social transformation about 4,500 BC. This transformation affected not only inter-group relationships, as indicated by changes in trade-networks and settlement organization, but also intra-group relationships, as indicated by changes in house form and mortuary customs. In neither the Late Neolithic nor ECA is there strong evidence for institutionalized social ranking, suggesting that the social groups in question were structured according to some sort of tribal or autonomous village organization. Therefore the social transformation must be understood in terms of the wide range of variability that occurs within tribal forms of social organization. This is a significant fact and it poses a challenge to traditional modes of anthropological thought. Most often archaeologists view the transition from Neolithic to Copper age in terms of the development of social complexity and the emergence of a hierarchical form of social organization. The Hungarian data indicates that change during this period can be more complex and not attributable to this single factor. An excellent case study is thus provided to search for other causes of change. This research is significant because it will allow the recording and analysis of important archaeological materials which will soon be lost to scientific study. It addresses an interesting theoretical question and will assist in training a promising young scientist.