Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Excavation at a Secondary Site Below Monte Alban: Local Elites in the Early State

博士论文改进补助金：阿尔班山以下二级遗址的发掘：早期国家的当地精英

• 批准号: 0083254
• 负责人: Joyce Marcus
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-07-01 至 2002-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0083254&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Excavation

Under the direction of Dr. Joyce Marcus, MS Christina Elson will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will continue ongoing archaeological research at the site of San Martin Tilcajete, located in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico. Archaeologists wish to understand the processes which lead to the development of social complexity and MS Elson's work focuses on a latter stage of this progression: the rise of the state. Evidence clearly indicates that early states arose independently in many parts of the world and scientists believe that through comparison of individual examples general underlying processes can be discerned. The Oaxaca region is important from this perspective because it saw the rise of the Zapotec state approximately 2,000 years ago. While considerable research has been conducted at Monte Alban, the capital, relatively little is known about the hinterland regions which came under centralized rule and MS Elson's research addresses this issue. Her work at the secondary outlying center of San Martin Tilcajete will contribute to an understanding of the role elites played in governance through investigation of local elites and their relationship to elites at the capital of Monte Alban. Scholars recognize that prehispanic Mesoamerican elites were a powerful group who comprised a very small percentage of the overall population. Although they made decisions that had far reaching consequences for themselves and their followers, it is difficult to acquire the archaeological data necessary to document the full range of variety in their decision making behavior. The elite at Monte Alban used many different political, economic and ideological tactics to integrate previously independent polities into the early state. However, while excavation data have revealed the presence of a similar group at San Martin Tilcajete, a clear picture of their behavior is not available. Since the site existed as an independent entity prior to incorporation into the Zapotec state it would be valuable to know how this group adapted during this fundamental change. In prior work MS Elson uncovered an elite residence and with NSF support she will continue her excavations to obtain comparative data from other contexts such as public buildings and commoner households. On this basis a more comprehensive picture can be developed of early state level administration.This research is important because it will yield data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed new light on the rise of complex societies and assist in training a promising young scientist.

在乔伊斯·马库斯博士的指导下，克里斯蒂娜·埃尔森女士将为她的博士论文收集数据。她将继续在墨西哥瓦哈卡谷的San Martin Tilcajete遗址进行考古研究。考古学家希望了解导致社会复杂性发展的过程，埃尔森女士的工作重点是这个过程的后一个阶段：国家的崛起。证据清楚地表明，早期国家在世界许多地方独立产生，科学家们认为，通过比较个别例子，可以辨别出一般的潜在过程。从这个角度来看，瓦哈卡地区很重要，因为它在大约2000年前见证了萨波特克国家的崛起。尽管在首都蒙特阿尔班进行了大量研究，但人们对集权统治下的腹地地区知之甚少，埃尔森的研究解决了这个问题。她在圣马丁·蒂尔卡杰特次要边远中心的工作将有助于通过调查当地精英以及他们与蒙特阿尔班首府精英的关系，了解精英在治理中所扮演的角色。学者们认识到，美洲裔精英是一个强大的群体，他们在总人口中所占的比例非常小。尽管他们做出的决定对他们自己和他们的追随者产生了深远的影响，但很难获得必要的考古数据，以记录他们决策行为的各种变化。蒙特阿尔班的精英们使用了许多不同的政治、经济和意识形态策略，将以前独立的政治制度融入了早期的国家。然而，尽管挖掘数据显示在San Martin Tilcajete存在类似的群体，但他们的行为尚不清楚。由于该遗址在并入Zapotec州之前是作为一个独立实体存在的，因此有必要了解这一群体在这一根本变化期间是如何适应的。在之前的工作中，埃尔森女士发现了一处精英住宅，在NSF的支持下，她将继续挖掘，以获得其他背景下的比较数据，如公共建筑和普通家庭。在此基础上，可以开发出更全面的早期国家一级管理的图景。这项研究很重要，因为它将产生许多考古学家感兴趣的数据。它将为复杂社会的崛起提供新的线索，并有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。