Dissertation Improvement: A Paleoethnobotanical Study of a Classic Hohokam Site

论文改进：经典霍霍卡姆遗址的古民族植物学研究

• 批准号: 0324748
• 负责人: Gayle Fritz
• 金额: $ 0.86万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-01 至 2005-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0324748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Improvement; Paleoethnobotanical; Study; Classic

Under the supervision of Dr. Gayle Fritz, Karla Hansen-Speer will analyze data gathered from the prehistoric Hohokam site of Marana in southern Arizona. The Hohokam were farmers who flourished in the Sonoran Desert between A.D. 200 and A.D.1450. The center of a prehistoric community, the Marana Mound site contains numerous walled residential areas and public spaces that facilitated community-wide interaction, with specialized agricultural fields nearby. It provides an excellent opportunity to examine aspects of the economy and social organization of an early Classic Hohokam community, as well as the impact that community had upon the surrounding landscape. The Hohokam people of the Classic Period (A.D. 1150-1450) lived in densely populated communities. The fate of their desert settlements was inextricably tied to the environment. While the environment imposed limitations, the Hohokam also manipulated it through agricultural practices. Discussions concerning the Hohokam acquisition of food in a desert environment often revolve around land use and agricultural technology. Systematic syntheses of Hohokam plant remains, however, have rarely been attempted. Such a study is needed to investigate the sometimes sweeping or speculative claims made about farming as the basis for models of economic and social organization. Because the Hohokam were farmers, much of their culture revolved around plants. Understanding the role of various types of plants, therefore, will illuminate elements of Hohokam society. To survive in an uncertain environment, people devise ways to manage risk. A portion of this research will look at a hypothesized strategy of risk management wherein the community spread risk by circulating crops among sites. To understand the role and movement of food at the Marana Mound site and within the larger community, one must examine the variability of plant remains across space. The project will use intra- and inter-site comparisons of plant material to study the economic and social dynamics of the site. This will provide a much needed synthesis of material that should clarify the role of plants in the early Classic period: was this a time of intensification, diversification, or stability in the use of plant resources? The research will then examine the question of how the Hohokam affected their environment and the plant resources available to them. This study aims to address these issues through the analysis of charred plant remains such as seeds from households, cooking fires, and trash heaps throughout the site.In addition to answering questions of interest to social scientists, this research has a broader impact by providing insight into human interactions with the environment. At a time when we, as a modern society, struggle with issues of conservation of the environment, the proposed research can help us to understand how a large, sedentary population affected the desert setting in which they lived, and how they prospered in a demanding environment. Lessons from the past about sustainability of resources may give us insight into environmental dilemmas of the modern world. This research is particularly pertinent to arid regions where agricultural resources must be carefully allocated.

在盖勒·弗里茨博士的监督下，卡拉·汉森·斯皮尔将分析从亚利桑那州南部的马拉纳史前霍霍坎遗址收集的数据。霍霍坎人是公元200年至1450年在索诺兰沙漠繁荣的农民。作为一个史前社区的中心，马拉纳丘遗址包含许多有围墙的住宅区和公共空间，促进了社区范围内的互动，附近还有专门的农田。它提供了一个很好的机会来研究早期经典Hohokam社区的经济和社会组织方面，以及社区对周围景观的影响。古典时期（公元1150-1450年）的霍霍坎人居住在人口稠密的社区。他们沙漠定居点的命运与环境密不可分。虽然环境带来了限制，但霍霍坎人也通过农业实践来操纵环境。 关于霍霍坎人在沙漠环境中获取食物的讨论往往围绕着土地使用和农业技术展开。 然而，Hohokam植物遗骸的系统合成很少有人尝试。这种研究是必要的，以调查有时笼统或投机的说法，农业作为经济和社会组织模式的基础。因为霍霍坎人是农民，他们的文化大部分都围绕着植物。因此，了解各种类型的植物的作用，将阐明霍霍坎社会的要素。 为了在不确定的环境中生存，人们设计了管理风险的方法。这项研究的一部分将着眼于一个假设的风险管理战略，其中社区通过在不同地点之间流通作物来分散风险。为了了解马拉纳丘遗址和更大社区内食物的作用和运动，必须检查植物遗骸在空间中的变异性。该项目将利用场地内和场地间的植物材料比较来研究场地的经济和社会动态。这将提供一个非常需要的材料的综合，应该澄清植物在早期古典时期的作用：这是一个时间的集约化，多样化，或稳定的植物资源的使用？然后，研究将探讨霍霍卡姆人如何影响他们的环境和他们可用的植物资源的问题。该研究旨在通过分析烧焦的植物遗骸（如家庭的种子，烹饪火灾和整个场地的垃圾堆）来解决这些问题。除了回答社会科学家感兴趣的问题外，这项研究还通过深入了解人类与环境的相互作用产生了更广泛的影响。 当我们作为一个现代社会与环境保护问题作斗争时，拟议的研究可以帮助我们了解大量定居人口如何影响他们生活的沙漠环境，以及他们如何在苛刻的环境中繁荣发展。过去关于资源可持续性的经验教训可能会让我们深入了解现代世界的环境困境。这项研究特别适用于必须谨慎分配农业资源的干旱地区。