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

在美国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被占领，占地130公顷，由一个有八个大门的大型砖泥城墙包围。建筑物既用石头建造，也用砖和巨石柱建造，证明了现在的纪念性建筑。先前的研究表明，这里有丰富多样的人工制品，包括金属物品（钉子、戒指、抛射点、镰刀）装饰品、硬币、象牙和石头珠子，以及大量的陶瓷。从公元前300年到公元350年，已经确定了四个不同的占领时期。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该遗址进行系统的地表考古调查，以提供有关经济、社会和政治活动的数据。将制作详细的地形图，并建立50 × 50平方米的网格。这将为系统的非对齐随机集合提供基础。通过两年实地季节收集的数据将使用地理信息系统进行分析，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，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、社会和政治制度。该项目的目标是评估一个城市在日益复杂的社会政治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层面的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的繁荣时期，政治组织相对薄弱，城市区域似乎是领土整合的最大一致单位，政治领导人将任何盈余投资于高度可见的景观改造，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。这个项目也很重要，因为它将有助于一个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.