Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Symbolic Capital and Ceramic Prestige Goods in the Terminal Preclassic Period Holmul Region, Guatemala

在Francisco Estrada-Belli博士的指导下，Michael Callaghan将分析在Vanderbilt Holmul考古项目2000-2005赛季收集的陶瓷材料。霍尔穆尔地区位于危地马拉北藤省东北部，最著名的是对危地马拉霍尔穆尔遗址第二组B号建筑的挖掘，其中包括三座末期前古典主义时期(公元0-400)的玛雅坟墓。墓葬中有许多橙色光泽的器皿，展示了前古典时期(公元前300年-公元前00年)和古典时期(公元400-950年)之间的过渡风格-包括最早出现的多彩绘画。这些器皿在其他玛雅遗址中相对稀缺，它们独特的物理外观，以及公元0-400年的可靠年代，导致玛雅考古学家测试和拒绝了许多关于它们与经典玛雅文明出现的关系的理论。目前的研究立足于政治经济学，并检验了这样的假设，即橙色光泽陶器是公元前三个世纪政治危机时期所采取的一种新的精英力量战略的具体化。这项研究对考古学和人类学具有重要意义，因为它将表征很少被研究的末期前古典主义时期玛雅陶瓷经济，并准确地将橙色光泽陶器与古典时期文明的出现联系起来。橙色光泽陶器出现在旧的政治权力网络崩溃的时候，这可以从许多玛雅遗址的战争迹象以及许多晚期前经典中心的崩溃中看到。橙色光泽陶器的生产和交换可能是精英阶层获得或维持当地政治权力的一种方式。这一战略类似于古典时期的政治经济学，在古典时期，控制彩陶的生产和销售是古代玛雅政治的标志。彩罐在精英送礼或再分配网络中流通，发挥着社会资本的作用，以巩固站点间的军事、政治或经济联盟。末期前古典时期的橙色光泽陶器可能是这一后期古典时期权力战略的第一个体现。这项研究借鉴了考古学(陶瓷模型和标准化分析)、地质学(岩相学分析)和化学(仪器中子活化分析)等领域的陶瓷分析技术，将检验这一假设，即终端前经典橙色光泽陶器是在类似古典时期的精英名牌商品网络中生产和分配的。该研究还将产生重大的社会影响，因为它将有助于美国研究生和危地马拉本科生的考古学培训。与此同时，卡拉汉将在实验室磨练他的陶瓷分析技能，他将得到危地马拉城大学考古专业本科生的帮助。学生们将学习国内机构没有教授的高水平陶瓷生产分析。这项研究不仅将有助于培训美国和危地马拉的学者，还将促进这两个群体之间的密切互动，这将导致未来在考古项目和分析方面的合作。

Under the supervision of Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli, Michael Callaghan will analyze ceramic material collected in the 2000-2005 seasons of the Vanderbilt Holmul Archaeological Project. The Holmul Region is located in the northeastern department of Peten, Guatemala and is best known for the excavation of Building B, Group II at the site of Holmul, Guatemala which contained three Terminal Preclassic period (AD 0-400) Maya tombs. The tombs held a number of orange gloss vessels exhibiting a transitional style between the Preclassic (300 BC - 0) and Classic (AD 400-950) periods - including the earliest appearance of polychrome painting. The relative scarcity of these vessels at other Maya sites, their unique physical appearance, and secure dating to AD 0-400 has led Maya archaeologists to test and reject numerous theories concerning their relationship to the emergence of Classic Maya civilization. The current research is grounded in political economy and tests the hypothesis that orange gloss vessels were the materialization of a new elite power strategy adopted at a time of political crisis during the first three centuries AD.This research is significant to archaeology and anthropology because it will characterize the little studied Terminal Preclassic period Maya ceramic economy and accurately relate orange gloss pottery to the emergence of Classic period civilization. Orange gloss pottery appeared at a time when old networks of political power were crumbling as seen in signs of warfare at many Maya sites as well as the collapse of many Late Preclassic centers. The production and exchange of orange gloss pottery may have been a way for elites to gain or maintain their local political power. This strategy resembles political economy of the Classic periods where control of the production and distribution of polychrome pottery was a hallmark of ancient Maya politics. Polychrome pots circulated in elite gift-giving or redistribution networks functioning like social capital to cement intersite military, political, or economic alliances. Orange gloss pottery of the Terminal Preclassic period may be the first manifestation of this later Classic period power strategy. Using a combination of ceramic analytical techniques borrowed from the fields of archaeology (ceramic modal and standardization analysis), geology (petrographic analysis), and chemistry (Instrumental Neutron Activation analysis) this research will test the hypothesis that Terminal Preclassic orange gloss pottery was produced and distributed within an elite prestige goods network similar to the Classic period.The research will also have a significant social impact as it will contribute to the archaeological training of American graduate students as well as undergraduate Guatemalan students. At the same time that Callaghan will be honing his ceramic analytical skills in the laboratory, he will be assisted by undergraduate students in the archaeological program at Universidad del Valle, Guatemala City. The students will learn the type of high level ceramic production analysis not taught in their home institution. Not only will this research help train both American and Guatemalan scholars, it will promote close interaction between the two groups which will result in future collaboration in archaeological projects and analyses.