Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Keeping It Together?: State Centralization and Everyday Life in a Peripheral Neighborhood of Copan, Honduras

在辛西娅·罗宾博士的指导下，克里斯汀·兰道将在位于洪都拉斯西部玛雅地区的古城科潘进行考古测绘和挖掘项目。科潘是古典时期(公元400-900年)最重要的政体之一，今天是联合国教科文组织的世界遗产。该网站是独一无二的，因为它的两代人的密集研究和市中心的象形文字解读，揭示了与政治事件有关的丰富信息。然而，考古学家对大多数人的日常生活以及它们与中央行政管理的关系了解得很少。兰道的研究调查了科潘“圣卢卡斯”社区的全部历史，以确定当地居民是否以及如何受到市中心象形文字中讨论的政治事件的影响。这一目标将通过从当地而不是全市的角度重新绘制社区地图，对选定建筑进行有针对性的挖掘，以及新的令人兴奋的实验室方法来实现。探索城市中央行政当局及其组成部分社区之间的动态关系可以提高对城市运行方式的了解。这个项目不是遵循之前的研究，在中央集权和分散的州之间划出明显的区别，而是认为中央集权随着时间的推移而波动；确定集中化何时、如何以及为什么波动将导致对城市和州的过去和现在的更好的理解。此外，街区考古学是一个新兴的研究重点，它既强调特定的地理区域，也强调地方层面的日常社会互动。尽管之前发现了科潘定居点的不同分区，但从未对完整的居民区进行过考古发掘。对圣卢卡斯的详细重新绘制，有针对性的挖掘坑以揭示古代家庭，以及建筑阶段和特殊特征的年代测定，将使调查人员能够深入了解一个社区的历史，并将其与市中心的重大政治事件联系起来。贝叶斯统计分析将提高传统放射性碳测年的准确性；微制品分析将指出可能的手工艺活动；便携式X射线荧光将表明工艺材料的地质来源。此外，该项目寻求通过与洪都拉斯学生的密切参与来改善现代社区与考古研究之间的关系。项目成员已经开始在位于挖掘现场附近的高中教授人类学理论和方法的正式课程。一旦考古项目开始，学生们将参与挖掘和实验室分析，以补充目前的课堂教学。学生将得到洪都拉斯政府的正式认可和支持，激励他们完成学业，并可能参加国家大学有史以来的第一个人类学课程。学术研究和社区行动的成果将通过公开演讲、正式会议和同行评议的出版物在美国和洪都拉斯以英语和西班牙语传播。

Under the guidance of Dr. Cynthia Robin, Kristin Landau will carry out an archaeological mapping and excavation project at the ancient city of Copán, located in the Maya area of western Honduras. Copán was one of the most important polities during the Classic period (AD 400-900), and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is unique for its two generations of intensive research and hieroglyphic decipherment within the city center, which has revealed a wealth of information relating to political events. However, archaeologists understand much less about everyday life for the majority of people and how they related to central administration. Landau's research investigates the full history of the "San Lucas" neighborhood of Copán to determine if and how local residents were affected by the political events discussed in the hieroglyphs at the city center. This goal will be achieved by re-mapping the neighborhood from a local -not city-wide - perspective, targeted excavations of select buildings, and new and exciting lab methods.Exploring the dynamic relationship between a city's central administration and its component neighborhoods improves knowledge of how cities work. Instead of following previous research that draws stark distinction between states that are either centralized or decentralized, this project argues that centralization fluctuates over time; determining when, how, and why centralization fluctuates will lead to better understandings of cities' and states' past and present. Additionally, the archaeology of neighborhoods is a newly emerging research focus that emphasizes both a specific geographic area, and daily social interaction on a local level. Despite the previous identification of distinct subsections of Copán settlement, no archaeological excavation of a full neighborhood has ever been conducted. Detailed re-mapping of San Lucas, targeted digging of excavation pits to reveal ancient households, and dating of building phases and special features will allow the investigators to understand in depth the history of one neighborhood, and relate it to major political events at the city center. Bayesian statistical analysis will increase the accuracy of traditional radiocarbon dating; microartifact analysis will point to possible crafting activities; a portable x-ray florescence will indicate the geological origin of craft materials.In addition, this project seeks to improve the relationship between modern communities and archaeological research through close involvement with Honduran students. Project members have already begun to teach a formal course on anthropological theory and method at the high school located near the excavation site. These current classroom sessions will be complemented by the students' participation in excavation and lab analysis once the archaeological project commences. Students will receive official recognition and support from the Honduran government, motivating them to complete school, and possibly attend the first-ever anthropology program at the national university. The results of the academic research and community activism will be disseminated through public talks, formal conferences, and peer-reviewed publications, in English and Spanish in the US and Honduras.