Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Development Of Hierarchical Status Systems

博士论文改进补助金：等级地位系统的发展

• 批准号: 1446148
• 负责人: Robert Drennan
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2016-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1446148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Development

Researchers seek understanding of the processes that led to the very complex, large-scale societies in which most of the world's population now lives, and of the factors that bound their members together and fostered continued development. Archaeology is uniquely able to study the origins of complex societies because their beginnings occurred far back in time, well beyond the reach of written history. The pathways followed in the development of the earliest complex societies were diverse, and they led to forms of complex social organization with highly varied characteristics. In many instances there is conspicuous archaeological evidence of the emergence of permanent institutions of leadership, forged by ambitious individuals pursuing their own aims and objectives. As these aspiring leaders marshaled resources to further their interests, they increasingly comprised an elite group set off from the majority of the population in one or more ways, including the accumulation of wealth, higher standards of living, prestige, power, military authority, ritual roles, and other social characteristics. The economic foundations of these elite groups could be constructed with resources obtained in a variety of ways. Agricultural production could be intensified by constructing systems to regulate water supplies and protect crops from drought or flooding. Control of the importation of materials not available locally could reinforce a privileged elite position. Fostering local craft production and exchange could also provide elites with a source of income with which to pursue their political ambitions. If conflict with neighboring societies were prevalent, elites could solidify their positions of leadership by organizing either offensive or defensive military activities.This research project aims to document the strategies pursued by emerging elites in the Casanare region of the Orinoco drainage in the Llanos zone at the foot of the Andes of Colombia. The overall environmental setting, as well as initial archaeological information, suggest that intensive agriculture in raised field systems was a major source of resources for these elites, as it was elsewhere in the Llanos. The presence of nearby highly developed Muisca chiefdoms, however, provided Casanare elites with particular opportunities for focusing on specialized production and medium-distance exchange--opportunities that were not available to emerging elites in other parts of the Llanos. Warfare appears, initially, to have been less prevalent in Casanare than it was elsewhere. The researchers will verify or correct these initial impressions and determine what impact these different opportunities for emerging elites had on the nature and timing of the development of initial complex social organization in the Casanare region. Local cultural and educational groups will be important collaborators, facilitating access to essential environmental information; the project will in turn contribute data on the archaeological remains of early societies in the region to aid in heritage preservation efforts. Local students will also participate in the field and laboratory work, gaining first-hand experience of scientific research. It will also further the academic and intellectual development of Mr. Juan Carlos Vargas Ruiz the co-Principal Investigator who will conduct the project as part of his doctoral dissertation work.

研究人员寻求了解导致世界上大多数人口现在生活的非常复杂的大规模社会的过程，以及将其成员联系在一起并促进持续发展的因素。考古学在研究复杂社会的起源方面具有独特的能力，因为它们的起源要追溯到很久以前，远远超出了有文字记载的历史范围。最早的复杂社会的发展路径是多种多样的，它们导致了具有高度不同特征的复杂社会组织形式。在许多情况下，有明显的考古证据表明，出现了永久性的领导机构，这些机构是由追求自己目标的雄心勃勃的个人打造的。当这些有抱负的领袖们集结资源来推进他们的利益时，他们越来越多地组成了一个精英群体，在一个或多个方面与大多数人不同，包括财富的积累、更高的生活水平、声望、权力、军事权威、仪式角色和其他社会特征。这些精英群体的经济基础可以用各种方式获得的资源来构建。农业生产可以通过建立调节供水和保护作物免受干旱或洪水的系统来加强。控制当地无法获得的材料的进口可以加强特权精英的地位。促进当地工艺生产和交换也可以为精英们提供收入来源，以实现他们的政治野心。如果与邻近社会的冲突普遍存在，精英们可以通过组织进攻或防御军事活动来巩固他们的领导地位。本研究项目旨在记录哥伦比亚安第斯山脉脚下Llanos地区奥里诺科河流域Casanare地区新兴精英所追求的战略。整体的环境背景，以及最初的考古信息表明，高田系统的集约化农业是这些精英的主要资源来源，就像在大草原的其他地方一样。然而，附近高度发达的穆斯卡酋邦的存在，为卡萨纳雷精英提供了专注于专业化生产和中距离交换的特殊机会——这是大草原其他地区新兴精英所没有的机会。最初，在卡萨纳雷，战争似乎没有其他地方那么普遍。研究人员将验证或纠正这些最初的印象，并确定这些新兴精英的不同机会对卡萨纳雷地区最初复杂社会组织的性质和发展时间的影响。当地文化和教育团体将成为重要的合作者，促进获取必要的环境信息；该项目将反过来为该地区早期社会的考古遗迹提供数据，以帮助遗产保护工作。本地学生还将参与实地和实验室工作，获得科学研究的第一手经验。它还将进一步促进Juan Carlos Vargas Ruiz先生的学术和智力发展，Juan Carlos Vargas Ruiz先生将作为其博士论文工作的一部分进行该项目。