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·史密斯博士将在印度奥里萨邦的西苏帕尔加尔遗址进行为期两个季节的考古田野工作。这座城市在早期历史时期被占领，占地130公顷，被一座有八个大门的大型砖墙和泥墙所包围。建筑既是用石头建造的，也是用砖石和整体式柱子建造的，这证明了现在的纪念性建筑。先前的工作表明了丰富多样的文物剧目，包括金属物品(钉子、戒指、投射点、镰刀)装饰品、硬币、象牙和石头珠子以及丰富的陶瓷。已经确定了从公元前300年到公元350年占领时期的四个不同的时期。在NSF的支持下，史密斯博士和她的同事将对该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。将绘制详细的地形图，并建立50x50米正方形的网格。这将为系统的非对齐随机收集提供基础。将使用地理信息系统对通过两年田间季节收集的数据进行分析，以检查不同的生产和消费指标在空间上的分布情况。在此基础上，可以确定商业和家庭活动的范围，以及这些活动如何融入更广泛的经济、社会和政治系统。该项目的目标是评估一个城市在社会政治日益复杂的条件下的经济和社会结构。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，印度次大陆呈现了一种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，城市区域似乎是领土一体化中最大的、始终如一的单位，政治领导人将任何盈余都投入到高度显眼的景观改造上，如防御工事和纪念性建筑。这个项目将深入了解这些不寻常的实体是如何运作的，以及它们是如何随着时间的推移而发展和变化的。该项目也很重要，因为它将有助于一位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.