Dissertation Research: Building Chan Chan: Project Management Analysis of Ancient Architecture

在Michael莫斯利博士的指导下，Richard Smailes先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。Smailes先生有建筑承包的背景，熟悉现代计算机辅助技术，以帮助设计，成本估算和调度。这些为现代建筑提供了框架。在这个高度创新的项目中，他将采用这套技术，并将其应用于在秘鲁的Chan Chan遗址建造史前皇家大院。这座古城位于秘鲁干旱的北海岸，包含许多由围墙包围的纪念性建筑，这些围墙包围着多个建筑物和储藏室。考古学家认为，早期的化合物被多个连续的规则所占据，而后来的化合物只服务于一个：每个国王都建造了自己的建筑，在他死后被遗弃。然而，目前还不清楚这样一个大院需要多长时间才能建成，考虑到现有的建筑技术和劳工组织方法。以前在秘鲁和世界其他地区，估计纪念性建筑所涉及的劳动力的尝试是初步的，并且仅仅基于建筑所涉及的泥土和其他材料的数量。所涉及的任务类型、机组人员规模和时间安排等问题尚未得到考虑。现代承包商拥有基于计算机的技术，有助于规划和管理施工以及估算成本。斯梅莱斯先生将用这些来分析陈陈皇家的一个大院。该地点已被仔细绘制成地图，Smailes先生将利用这些数据构建该大院的三维计算机模型。这将为进行估算提供基础。他还将在秘鲁进行民族考古学研究，以深入了解土坯砖制作等传统建筑实践。考古学家不会不合理地假设建筑的规模和复杂程度与建造它的社会的复杂程度和社会组织之间存在相关性。因此，他们经常试图估计一个特定的纪念性建筑所需的劳动力数量，并以此来确定思考社会的其他方面。Smailes先生的研究将对迄今为止所采用的方法作出重大改进，如果成功的话，可能会应用于世界许多地区的许多考古情况。因此，它的方法影响可能会很大。这项研究将增加我们对文明摇篮之一的了解，并有助于培养一名有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Moseley, Mr. Richard Smailes will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. Mr. Smailes has a background in construction contracting and is familiar with modern computer assisted techniques to aid in design, cost estimation and scheduling. These provide the framework within which modern building takes place. In this highly innovative project he will take this set of techniques, adapt them and apply the retrospectively to the construction of a prehistoric royal compound at the site of Chan Chan Peru. This ancient city located on Peru's arid North Coast contains a number of monumental structures consisting of walled enclosures which surround multiple buildings and storerooms. Archaeologists believe that early compounds were occupied by multiple successive rules while later ones served only one: each king constructed his own which was abandoned after his death. It is unclear however how long such a compound took to build given available construction techniques and methods of labor organization. Previous attempts in both Peru and other regions of the world to estimate labor involved in monumental construction have been rudimentary and based solely on amount of earth and other material involved in construction. Issues of the types of tasks involved, crew size and scheduling have not been considered. Modern contractors have computer based techniques which assist in planning and managing construction and in estimating costs. Mr. Smailes will use these to analyze a Chan Chan royal compound. The site has been carefully mapped and Mr. Smailes will use these data to construct a three dimensional computer model of the compound. This will provide the basis from which estimation will proceed. He will also conduct ethnoarchaeological research in Peru to gain insight into traditional construction practices such as adobe brick making.Archaeologists not unreasonably assume that a correlation exists between the size and complexity of a construction and the level of complexity and social organization of the society which built it. Therefore they often attempt to estimate the amount of labor required for a particular monumental structure and use this to speculate about other aspects of the society. Mr. Smailes' research will constitute a significant improvement to the methodologies employed to date and, if successful will likely be applied in many archaeological situations in many parts of the world. Thus its methodological impact will likely be significant. This research will increase our understanding of one of the cradles of civilization and assist in training a promising young scientist.