Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Archaeology of the Norte Chico Site

在乔纳森·哈斯博士的指导下，马修·皮斯奇特利将在古代晚期(公元前3,000-1,800)挖掘一系列小型寺庙。秘鲁福塔莱萨山谷的Huaricanga遗址，探索秘鲁海岸不断演变的复杂政治中宗教习俗的变化。对古代宗教的研究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和象征性地表达出来。宗教的这些间接和象征性表现也可能很难，甚至不可能准确地解释。然而，在南美洲安第斯山脉最早的复杂社会的出现中，与宗教有关的仪式行为广泛地体现在两个非常不同的建筑群中：纪念碑式的公共平台土丘和相关的圆形法庭，以及规模小得多的私人寺庙建筑群。在古代晚期，第一批定居的农业社区沿着秘鲁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进行的初步发掘表明，存在规模小得多的寺庙结构，这些结构与仅在安第斯高地发现的一种特定类型的礼仪建筑有许多相似之处，称为Mito寺庙。海岸上的一座水户寺庙的存在，将挑战40年来人们对水户传统及其相关仪式的理解。皮斯西泰利将应用花粉分析、微形态和X射线荧光等创新技术来重建古代的仪式。此外，该项目的彻底放射性碳测年计划将把这些位于Huaricanga的小规模寺庙置于区域年代学的背景下。这项研究将通过考察海岸上可能的Mito寺庙的性质和年表，阐明古代晚期秘鲁沿海和高地之间的文化联系。这样的比较将在史前安第斯山脉的背景下探索区域范围内古代社会互动的一个实例。从田野调查中收集的数据还将增进对礼仪活动的了解，超越了以前备受关注的大型平台土丘和下沉的圆形法庭。此外，这项研究将测试关于新兴复杂政治中社会不平等发展的模型。通过对仪式实践的更好的理解，我们可以研究早期领导人是如何通过仪式表演来协商社会环境的，因此，我们可以发展出关于宗教和社会的理论模型。该项目将对华里康加周围的社区产生积极影响。团队成员将向该镇分发书面信息，如网站地图和以西班牙语发布的年度报告。该项目预计将为当地社区带来就业机会，因为将聘请工人协助挖掘和初步加工文物。在现场的“社区”日和学校参观将激发人们对当地文化遗产的兴趣，并提高对秘鲁特别突出的当代问题(如抢劫)的认识。该项目还将延续秘鲁和美国学者之间密切合作的传统。此外，论文和发表论文的机会也将提供给项目成员和合作者，而研究将使皮斯西泰利先生能够满足他的博士论文要求。

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.