Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Archaeology of the Norte Chico Site

在乔纳森·哈斯博士的指导下，马修·皮斯泰利将在公元前3000 - 1800年期间挖掘一系列小型寺庙。在秘鲁的福塔莱萨山谷的瓦里坎加遗址，探索秘鲁海岸不断发展的复杂政治中宗教习俗的变化。 研究古代宗教对考古学家提出了独特的挑战。 在没有文字的情况下，宗教思想往往只能间接地和象征性地表达。 宗教的这些间接和象征性的表现也很难，甚至不可能准确地解释。 然而，在南美洲安第斯山脉最早出现的复杂社会中，与宗教相关的仪式行为主要表现在两种截然不同的建筑群中：纪念性的公共平台土丘和相关的圆形庭院，以及规模小得多的私人寺庙建筑群。 在中世纪晚期，第一批定居的农业社区沿着秘鲁的中北部海岸发展起来，那里的居民建造了新大陆最早的纪念性建筑。 此外，最近在Huaricanga进行的初步挖掘表明，存在规模小得多的寺庙结构，与安第斯高地特有的一种仪式建筑有许多相似之处，称为Mito寺庙。 在海岸上的水户寺庙的存在将挑战40岁的水户传统及其相关仪式的理解。Piscitelli先生将运用花粉分析、微形态学和X射线荧光等创新技术来重建古代仪式。此外，该项目的全面放射性碳测年计划将在区域年代背景下对瓦里坎加的这些小规模寺庙进行年代测定。 本研究将通过考察海岸上可能存在的水户神庙的性质和年代，阐明古希腊晚期秘鲁沿海和高原之间的文化联系。 这样的比较将探索史前安第斯山脉范围内区域规模的古代社会互动的一个实例。 从这次实地考察中收集的数据也将提高人们对仪式活动的理解，而不仅仅是以前备受关注的大型平台土丘和下沉的圆形法庭。 此外，本研究将测试有关新兴复杂政体中社会不平等发展的模型。 通过更好地理解仪式实践，我们可以研究早期领导人如何通过仪式表演来协商社会环境，因此，我们可以开发有关宗教和社会的理论模型。该项目将对Huaricanga周围的社区产生积极影响。 小组成员将向该镇分发书面资料，如网站地图和以西班牙文出版的年度报告。 该项目预计将为当地社区创造就业机会，因为将雇用工人协助挖掘和初步处理文物。 在遗址举办的“社区”日和学校图尔斯参观活动将激发人们对当地文化遗产的兴趣，并提高人们对抢劫等秘鲁特别突出的当代问题的认识。 该项目还将延续秘鲁和美国学者之间强有力合作的传统。 此外，论文和出版机会也将提供给项目成员和合作者，而研究将使Piscitelli先生能够满足他的博士学位的要求。论文

Under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Haas, Matthew Piscitelli will excavate a series of small-scale temples at the Late Archaic (3,000-1,800 B.C.) site of Huaricanga in the Fortaleza Valley, Peru to explore variation in religious practices in the evolving complex polities on the Peruvian coast. The study of ancient religions presents unique challenges to the archaeologist. In the absence of writing, religious ideas tend to be expressed only indirectly and symbolically. Those indirect and symbolic manifestations of religion can also be difficult, even impossible to accurately interpret. However, in the emergence of the earliest complex societies in Andean South America, the ceremonial behavior associated with religion is broadly manifested in two very different architectural complexes: monumental, public platform mounds and associated circular courts and much smaller scale, private temple complexes. During the Late Archaic Period, the first sedentary agricultural communities developed along the north central coast of Peru, where inhabitants constructed the earliest monumental architecture in the New World. In addition, recent preliminary excavations at Huaricanga suggest the presence of much smaller scale temple structures that bear many similarities to a particular type of ceremonial architecture found exclusively in the Andean highlands known as Mito temples. The presence of a Mito temple on the coast would challenge a 40-year-old understanding of the Mito Tradition and its associated rituals. Mr. Piscitelli will apply innovative techniques such as pollen analysis, micromorphology, and X-Ray Fluorescence to reconstruct ancient ritual practices. Furthermore, this project's thorough radiocarbon dating program will situate these small-scale temples at Huaricanga within a regional chronological context. This research will clarify cultural connections between coastal and highland Peru during the Late Archaic Period by looking at the nature and chronology of possible Mito temples on the coast. Such comparisons will explore an instance of ancient social interaction on a regional scale within the context of the prehistoric Andes. The data collected from this fieldwork will also enhance understanding of ceremonial activities beyond the large platform mounds and sunken circular courts that have previously garnered much attention. In addition, this research will test models concerning the development of social inequality within emergent complex polities. Through a better understanding of ritual practices we can investigate how early leaders negotiated the social milieu through ritual performance and, as a result, we can develop theoretical models relating religion and society. The project will have a positive impact on the community surrounding Huaricanga. Team members will distribute written information to the town such as site maps and annual reports published in Spanish. The project is expected to yield employment opportunities for the local community since workmen will be hired to assist in excavation and the initial processing of artifacts. "Community" days at the site and school tours will stimulate interest in the local cultural heritage and raise awareness about contemporary issues that are particularly salient in Peru such as looting. The project will also continue the tradition of strong collaboration between Peruvian and American scholars. In addition, thesis and publication opportunities will also be available to project members and collaborators while the research will allow Mr. Piscitelli to fulfill the requirements of his Ph.D. dissertation.