Systematic, Intensive Surface-Survey at Sisupalgarh: First-Millennium Urbanism and Economic in India

在国家科学基金会的支持下，莫妮卡·史密斯博士将在位于印度奥里萨邦的西苏帕尔加尔遗址进行两个季节的考古实地考察。这座城市在早期历史时期就被占领，占地 130 公顷，周围有一座巨大的砖土城墙，有八个城门。建筑物是用石头和砖建造的，整体柱子证明了现存的纪念性建筑。先前的工作表明，文物种类丰富多样，包括金属物品（钉子、戒指、弹尖、镰刀）装饰品、硬币、象牙和石头珠子以及丰富的陶瓷。已确定了横跨公元前 300 年至公元 350 年占领时期的四个不同时期。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，史密斯博士和她的同事将对遗址进行系统的考古表面调查，以提供有关经济、社会和政治活动的数据。将准备详细的地形图并建立 50 x 50 米见方的网格。这将为系统的非对齐随机收集提供基础。将利用地理信息系统对两年田间季节收集的数据进行分析，以研究不同生产和消费指标的空间分布情况。在此基础上，将有可能确定商业和家庭活动的范围，以及如何将这些活动纳入更广泛的经济、社会和政治体系。该项目的目标是评估一个城市在社会政治复杂性日益增加的条件下的经济和社会配置。与世界上城市的出现与更广泛的国家级政治组织密切相关的地区不同，印度次大陆呈现出没有国家的城市的考古记录。西苏帕尔加尔和其他印度城市在政治组织相对薄弱的时期蓬勃发展，城市地区似乎是领土一体化的最大一致单位，其中政治领导人将任何盈余投资于高度可见的景观改造，例如防御工事和纪念性建筑。 该项目将深入了解这些不寻常的实体如何运作以及它们如何随着时间的推移而发展和变化。该项目也很重要，因为它将帮助有前途的年轻科学家的职业发展。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Monica Smith will conduct two seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the site of Sisupalgarh, located in the state of Orissa, India. Occupied during the early historic period, this city covers 130 hectares and is enclosed by a large brick and mud rampart with eight gateways. Buildings were constructed in both stone as well as brick and monolithic pillars testify to the monumental architecture present. Prior work has indicated a rich and varied artifact repertoire including metal objects (nails, rings, projectile points, sickles) ornaments, coins, beads of ivory and stone as well as abundant ceramics. Four distinct periods spanning the 300 BC to 350 AD period of occupation have been identified. With NSF support Dr. Smith and her colleagues will conduct a systematic archaeological surface survey of the site to provide data on economic, social and political activities. A detailed topographic map will be prepared and a grid of 50 x 50 meter squares established. This will provide the base for a systematic non-aligned random collection. The data gathered through the two-year field season will be analyzed using GIS to examine how different production and consumption indicators are spatially distributed. On this basis it will be possible to determine the range of activities, commercial and domestic, and how these were integrated into broader economic, social and political systems.The goal of the project is to evaluate the economic and social configuration of a city under conditions of increasing sociopolitical complexity. Unlike regions of the world in which the emergence of cities is closely linked to broader state level political organization, the Indian subcontinent presents an archaeological record of cities without states. Sisupalgarh and other Indian cities thrived in a period in which political organization was relatively weak and urban zones appear to have been the largest consistent unit of territorial integration in which political leaders invested any surplus in highly visible landscape modifications such as fortifications and monumental architecture. This project will provide insight into how these unusual entities functioned and how they developed and changed over time. The project is also important because it will assist the career development of a promising young scientist.