Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Woodstock: Understanding Subsistence, Settlement, and Socio-Political Change in the Late Woodland Southeast

美国东南部的原住民在伍德兰晚期末期和公元1000年左右密西西比时期初期经历了巨大的文化变迁，这是该地区文化复杂性发展的重要一步。当时，以分散的政治制度和基于个人成就的社会地位等级为特征的晚期林地部落转变为以集中的政治制度（控制多个社区的中央权力机构）为代表的酋长制和精英地位从出生时就继承的等级社会组织。这些变化发生的原因和过程已经被考古学家争论了很多年，可能也适用于世界其他地区类似类型的文化变化。本项目将考虑以土丘为行政中心的定居点的地理集群，这是密西西比时期的特征，也是政治集中的标志。在大卫·J·哈利博士的监督下，朱莉·马尔金将在该州40,000个遗址的考古数据库中寻找林地晚期和伍德斯托克过渡时期（公元800-1000年）格鲁吉亚北方遗址集群的证据。在伍德兰晚期和/或伍德斯托克阶段确定的地点集群可能表明，使密西西比酋长崛起的重大变化是现有部落内中央政治机构的发展，消除了酋长通过胁迫或征服邻近部落而产生的论点。由于生存的变化不仅影响饮食适应，而且影响社会和政治复杂性，确定粮食生产战略的变化对于理解密西西比文化的兴起也很重要。为此，Markin还将分析来自北方格鲁吉亚伍德斯托克时期遗址的植物收藏和陶器容器形式，以确定当时或密西西比时期后期是否发展了密集型玉米农业。 首先，它将为理解导致密西西比酋长制发展的政治变化和世界各地酋长制类型社会政治复杂性的上升提供基础。 第二，除了对学术界的影响外，这项研究也很重要，因为它将为业余爱好者和大学生提供机会，通过公共宣传项目了解考古学。 到目前为止，Markin已经指导了两所本科野外学校和1300个志愿者小时的挖掘和调查在伍德斯托克阶段网站。 志愿者和大学生将继续参与该项目。最后，学术和非学术团体将通过公开演示（专业会议，学校课程，非营利考古志愿者协会）和数据出版来访问该研究，以进一步开发数据库，考古学家可以从中了解这一过渡时期发生的许多变化。

The dramatic cultural changes experienced by the native inhabitants of the Southeastern United States at the end of the Late Woodland period and the beginning of the Mississippian period around A.D. 1000 represent a major step in the development of cultural complexity in the region. At that time, Late Woodland tribes, characterized by decentralized political systems and a social status hierarchy based on personal achievement, changed to chiefdoms typified by centralized political systems (a central authority controlling multiple communities) and a hierarchical social organization in which elite status was inherited at birth. The causes and processes by which these changes took place have been debated by archaeologists for years and are probably applicable to similar types of culture change in other parts of the world.This project will consider the geographical clustering of settlements around administrative centers with earthen mounds, a pattern that is characteristic of the Mississippian period and indicative of political centralization. Under the supervision of Dr. David J. Hally, Julie Markin will search for evidence of site clustering in northern Georgia during the Late Woodland period and transitional Woodstock phase (A.D. 800-1000) in the State's archaeological database of 40,000 sites. Determination of site clustering during the Late Woodland period and/or Woodstock phase may indicate that the significant change enabling the rise of Mississippian chiefdoms was the development of centralized political institutions within existing tribes, eliminating the argument that chiefdoms arose through the coercion or conquest of neighboring tribes.As changes in subsistence affect not only dietary adaptations, but also social and political complexity, identification of changes in food production strategies is also important for understanding the rise of Mississippian culture. To this end, Markin will also analyze botanical collections and pottery vessel forms from Woodstock phase sites across northern Georgia to determine whether intensive maize agriculture developed at that time or later in the Mississippian period.The importance of this project is twofold. First, it will provide a foundation for understanding the political changes that led to the development of Mississippian chiefdoms in general and the rise of political complexity in chiefdom type societies around the world. Second, in addition to the impacts it will have in the academic community, this research is important for the opportunities it will provide for amateurs and undergraduates to learn about archaeology through public outreach projects. To this point, Markin has directed two undergraduate field schools and 1300 volunteer hours of excavation and survey at Woodstock phase sites. Volunteers and undergraduates will continue to be included in this project.Finally, this research will be accessible to academic and non-academic communities through public presentations (professional conferences, school programs, non-profit archaeological volunteer societies) and publication of the data to further develop the database from which archaeologists can understand the many changes that occurred during this period of transition.