Dissertation Research: A Regional Analysis of Early Woodland Cultural Variability

论文研究：早期林地文化变异的区域分析

• 批准号: 9812751
• 负责人: Charles Cobb
• 金额: $ 0.97万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Binghamton
• 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: 1998-09-01 至 2000-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9812751&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Regional; Analysis; Early

Under the direction of Dr. Charles Cobb, Mr. Sean Raffertry will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. His goal is to study a large and regionally diverse sample of smoking pipes excavated from Eastern and Midwestern US archaeological sites dated to the Early Woodland Period (1,000 BC - 0 AD). In North America, this period marks the transition from hunting and gathering mode of subsistence to the adoption of agriculture and a more sedentary way of life. Burial practices were elaborated and items indicative of status such as elaborately carved stone sculptures are also present. Their distribution over a wide area suggests the presence of shared ritual and ideology. Tubular smoking pipes are often found on sites dating to the Early Woodland and despite their common occurrence often in ritual contexts (such as burials) there has been little synthetic research. With National science support Mr. Rafferty will undertake such an analysis. He will travel to museums which contain specimens and conduct a detailed stylistic study. On this basis it will be possible to estimate the extent of sub-regional variation which exists. He will extract residue from pipes' interiors and subject this to chemical examination to determine whether nicotine, indicative of tobacco, is present. This regional study will be supplemented by a local scale analysis to examine whether pipes occur in regular association with other types of burial goods and whether (based on skeletal examination) they tend to occur with individuals of particular age or gender. On this basis it will be possible to gain insight into the degree and nature of ritual use and how this varied over space. In later North American prehistory it is clear that regional archaeological traditions were often integrated into larger areal commonalties. The Mississippian tradition, for example, extended from the Gulf Coast to the northern US and local groups were linked through trade and shared ideology. Archaeologists wish to know how far this pattern extends back in time and what conditions led to its rise. Mr. Rafferty hypothesizes that because of the distribution of pipes, its roots may be found in the Early Woodland period as early as 2,000 years ago. This hypothesis will be significantly strengthened if he can show the pipes represent more than objects per se, but rather are associated with shared ritual behavior. Although smoking pipes have been excavated in many sites and described, no synthetic studies using a consistent set of analytic criteria have been conducted. Mr. Rafferty's research is original and the data he collects will be widely utilized. The project will also assist in training a promising young scientist.

在查尔斯·科布博士的指导下，肖恩·拉弗里先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他的目标是研究从美国东部和中西部考古遗址挖掘出来的大量不同地区的烟斗样本，这些遗址可以追溯到伍德兰时期(公元前1000年-公元00年)的早期。在北美，这一时期标志着从狩猎和采集的谋生方式向农业和更久坐的生活方式的转变。墓葬做法得到了详细的阐述，还展出了一些表明身份的物品，如精心雕刻的石雕。它们在广泛地区的分布表明，存在着共同的仪式和意识形态。管状烟斗经常被发现在可以追溯到早期伍德兰的遗址上，尽管它们经常出现在仪式环境中(例如葬礼)，但很少有人工研究。在美国国家科学研究院的支持下，拉弗蒂将进行这样的分析。他将前往收藏标本的博物馆，并进行详细的文体研究。在此基础上，将有可能估计存在的次区域差异的程度。他将从烟斗内部提取残留物，并对其进行化学检查，以确定是否存在代表烟草的尼古丁。这项区域研究将辅之以当地规模的分析，以检查管道是否与其他类型的埋葬物品有规律的关联，以及(基于骨骼检查)管道是否倾向于在特定年龄或性别的个人中发生。在此基础上，将有可能洞察仪式使用的程度和性质，以及这种情况如何在空间上变化。在后来的北美史前时期，很明显，地区性考古传统往往被纳入更大的区域共同点。例如，密西西比州的传统从墨西哥湾沿岸延伸到美国北部，当地团体通过贸易和共同的意识形态联系在一起。考古学家希望知道这种模式可以追溯到多远的时间，以及是什么条件导致了这种模式的兴起。拉弗蒂假设，由于管道的分布，其根源最早可以追溯到2000年前的早期伍德兰时期。如果他能证明烟斗代表的不仅仅是物品本身，而是与共同的仪式行为相关，这一假说将得到显著加强。虽然已经在许多地点挖掘并描述了烟斗，但还没有进行过使用一套一致的分析标准的综合研究。拉弗蒂的研究是原创的，他收集的数据将被广泛利用。该项目还将帮助培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。