Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Origins Of Social Stratification

尽管人类学考古学的中心目标之一是了解社会、经济和政治不平等的起源及其长期影响，但人们对古代世界许多地区复杂社会的出现知之甚少。在Douglas Kennett博士的指导下，Claire Ebert将在伯利兹山谷的古玛雅遗址Cahal Pech进行考古研究，以检查中后期形成时期（约公元前900年至公元350年）家庭之间社会政治和经济不平等的出现。在玛雅低地，形成时期代表了家庭、社会、经济和政治组织的关键转变，之前的研究主要集中在大型区域中心的发展以及古代玛雅精英在此期间获得、维持和合法化其权力的策略。本项目考虑了腹地家庭在影响地位分化中的作用。家庭是古代社会中最基本的社会经济单位，对家庭的考古研究提供了对影响家庭转变的复杂过程的长期看法，而家庭转变反过来又影响区域一级更广泛的文化形态。了解家庭之间的资源分配可以揭示导致制度化的社会经济不平等出现的社会和经济背景。将测量Cahal Pech中期到晚期形成时期家庭之间建筑和人工制品的差异，以确定家庭进行的活动类型（例如，食品采购和准备，工具制造，工艺品生产，交换）以及如何获取原材料，生存资源和交换网络随时间变化。主要解决两个问题：1)在中期和后期形成时期，家庭之间是否存在不同的社会地位，它在物质记录（人工制品和建筑）中是否可见？2)家庭工艺生产、家庭间交换与社会地位之间是否存在关系？该项目将传统的考古调查和古代定居点的挖掘与创新的空间分析应用相结合，利用高分辨率激光雷达数据、AMS 14C测年、陶瓷和黑曜石文物的微量元素分析以及统计分析来了解古玛雅人家庭组织的变化。公众和社区外展也是项目的重要组成部分。在整个项目中，来自美国、加拿大、英国和伯利兹的本科生将参与现场和实验室研究，培养他们在实验室和现场情境中表达和应用科学概念的能力。研究成果将在美国和伯利兹的公共和专业论坛上发表，包括大学和当地学校。

Although one of the central goals of anthropological archaeology is to understand the origins of social, economic, and political inequality and its long-term effects, the emergence of complex society in many parts of the ancient world is poorly understood. Under the supervision of Dr. Douglas Kennett, Claire Ebert will conduct archaeological research to examine the emergence of sociopolitical and economic inequality between households during the Middle and Late Formative Periods (ca. 900 BC - 350 AD) at the ancient Maya site of Cahal Pech in the Belize Valley. In the Maya lowlands, the Formative Period represents a critical transition for domestic, social, economic, and political organization, and previous research has focused on the growth of large regional centers and the strategies used by the ancient Maya elite to gain, maintain, and legitimize their power during this time. This project considers the role of hinterland households in influencing status differentiation. Archaeological studies of households, the most fundamental socio-economic unit in ancient societies, provide a long-term perspective on the complex processes that influence domestic transformation, that in turn affect broader cultural patterns at the regional level. Understanding resource distribution between households can shed light on the social and economic contexts that led to the emergence of institutionalized socio-economic inequality.Differences in architecture and artifacts between households occupied during the Middle to Late Formative at Cahal Pech will be measured to determine the types of activities that the households performed (e.g., food procurement and preparation, tool manufacture, craft production, exchange) and how access to raw materials, subsistence resources, and exchange networks varied over time. Two primary questions are addressed: 1) Did differential social status exist between households during the Middle and Late Formative Periods, and is it visible in the material record (artifacts and architecture)? 2) Was there a relationship between domestic craft production, inter-household exchange, and social status? The project combines traditional archaeological survey and excavation of ancient settlements with innovative applications of spatial analyses using high-resolution Lidar data, AMS 14C dating, trace element analysis of ceramic and obsidian artifacts, and statistical analyses to understand changing ancient Maya domestic organization. Public and community outreach also form a strong component of the project. Throughout the project undergraduate students from the US, Canada, the UK, and Belize will be involved in field and laboratory research, cultivating their ability to express and apply scientific concepts to real-world situations in both laboratory and field situations. Research results will be presented at public and professional forums in the US and Belize including universities and local schools.