Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Pottery and Pastoralism in East Africa: Ethnographic and Archaeological Perspectives

博士论文改进补助金：东非的陶器和畜牧业：民族志和考古学视角

• 批准号: 0752042
• 负责人: Fiona Marshall
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-02-01 至 2010-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0752042&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Pottery

In Africa, pathways to food production followed a unique trajectory: Cattle-based pastoralism developed on the continent long before any indigenous agriculture. In Africa, therefore, any study of early food production must focus on questions related to relatively high mobility rather than on settled village life. This research project will be among the first to examine archaeological relationships between mobile pastoralism and material culture, specifically pottery. Although technologically and stylistically-distinct ceramic industries are associated with many of Africa's earliest herders, we do not yet understand how pottery production and use was socially, economically, or ideologically integrated into the lives of these mobile pastoralists. The first group of pastoralists moved into East Africa during an arid climatic phase over 4,000 years ago. A distinctive type of pottery, referred to as "Nderit," is associated with this group of herders. Nderit pottery is widely recovered from both domestic and ceremonial archaeological sites, but we do not understand how it was used in either of these contexts. Neither do we know how the sizes, shapes, and quantities of Nderit pottery found at these sites may have been structured by pastoralists' needs for high mobility and reliance upon domestic animals instead of agriculture. To address these questions the first comprehensive study of Nderit ceramics from the Turkana Basin in northwestern Kenya will be conducted. The analysis will focus on material from the Jarigole Pillar Site, which comprises the largest assemblage of Nderit ceramics yet found in East Africa. Samples from domestic sites in the region will also be analyzed for comparative purposes. Analysis of lipid residues on the surfaces of Nderit ceramics will be conducted to determine how these pots were used, and data on clay types will be collected to examine patterns of ceramic production and circulation. In addition, ethnoarchaeological research will be conducted among Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya. This research will provide insight into pastoralists' functional needs for containers, as well as into the social and economic contexts of pottery production and use within a modern mobile pastoralist group. This project is designed to aid in the interpretation of the East African archaeological record, but will have broader implications for the study of mobile ceramic-producers in other parts of the world. As little systematic research has been conducted on pastoralist ceramics, this research will provide useful cross-cultural comparative material for archaeologists interested in the material culture of mobile groups in Africa and elsewhere. In Samburu District, potting traditions are dying out as traditional pots are being replaced by aluminum and plastic containers. This project may help to preserve this one aspect of Samburu cultural heritage, in the process contributing valuable information to the ethnographic literature on pastoralism and container production and use. Collaborations with Kenyan scholars at the National Museums of Kenya will focus on building infrastructure for the archaeology of the Turkana Basin. Training students will likewise contribute to an international exchange of information and to the development of new research initiatives examining the histories of East Africa's early pastoralist peoples.

在非洲，粮食生产的途径遵循一条独特的轨迹：以牛为基础的畜牧业在非洲大陆的发展远远早于任何土著农业。 因此，在非洲，对早期粮食生产的任何研究都必须集中在与相对较高的流动性有关的问题上，而不是集中在定居的乡村生活上。 这个研究项目将是第一个研究移动的畜牧业和物质文化，特别是陶器之间的考古关系。 虽然技术和风格独特的陶瓷工业与许多非洲最早的牧民有关，但我们还不知道陶器的生产和使用是如何在社会、经济或意识形态上融入这些移动的牧民的生活的。 第一批牧民是在4,000多年前的干旱气候时期进入东非的。 一种独特的陶器，被称为“恩德里特”，与这群牧民有关。 恩德里特陶器在国内和礼仪考古遗址中被广泛发现，但我们不知道它是如何在这两种情况下使用的。 我们也不知道在这些遗址发现的恩德里特陶器的大小、形状和数量是如何被牧民对高流动性的需求和对家畜而不是农业的依赖所决定的。 为了解决这些问题，将对肯尼亚西北部图尔卡纳盆地的恩德里特陶瓷进行首次全面研究。 分析将侧重于Jarigole支柱遗址的材料，该遗址包括东非迄今发现的最大的恩德里特陶瓷组合。 还将对该地区国内工厂的样本进行分析，以进行比较。 将对恩德里特陶瓷表面的脂质残留物进行分析，以确定这些陶罐是如何使用的，并将收集有关粘土类型的数据，以研究陶瓷生产和流通的模式。此外，还将在肯尼亚北方的桑布鲁牧民中开展民族考古学研究。 这项研究将深入了解牧民对容器的功能需求，以及现代移动的牧民群体中陶器生产和使用的社会和经济背景。 该项目旨在帮助解释东非考古记录，但对世界其他地区的移动的陶瓷生产者的研究将产生更广泛的影响。 由于目前对游牧民族陶瓷的系统研究较少，本研究将为非洲和其他地区对移动的群体物质文化感兴趣的考古学家提供有用的跨文化比较材料。 在桑布鲁区，传统的盆栽正在消亡，因为传统的盆栽正在被铝制和塑料容器所取代。 该项目可能有助于保护桑布鲁文化遗产的这一方面，在此过程中为关于畜牧业和容器生产和使用的民族志文献提供了宝贵的信息。 与肯尼亚国家博物馆的肯尼亚学者的合作将侧重于为图尔卡纳盆地的考古学建设基础设施。 培训学生也将有助于国际信息交流，并有助于制定新的研究举措，审查东非早期游牧民族的历史。