Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Origins Of Social Stratification

虽然人类学考古学的核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方复杂社会的出现知之甚少。在道格拉斯肯内特博士的监督下，克莱尔·艾伯特将进行考古研究，以研究形成期中后期家庭之间社会政治和经济不平等的出现。公元前900年-公元350年）在伯利兹山谷的卡哈尔佩奇古玛雅遗址。在玛雅低地，形成时期代表了国内，社会，经济和政治组织的关键转变，以前的研究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，维持和合法化他们的权力的策略。该项目考虑内地家庭在影响地位差异方面的作用。对古代社会最基本的社会经济单位-家庭的考古学研究，为影响家庭变革的复杂过程提供了一个长期视角，而家庭变革又反过来影响区域一级更广泛的文化模式。了解家庭之间的资源分配可以揭示导致制度化社会经济不平等出现的社会和经济背景。将测量卡哈尔佩奇形成中期至晚期期间居住的家庭之间的建筑和文物差异，以确定家庭进行的活动类型（例如，粮食采购和准备、工具制造、手工艺生产、交换）以及如何获得原材料、维持生计的资源和交换网络随时间而变化。本文主要探讨两个问题：（1）在形成期中后期，家庭之间是否存在社会地位的差异，这种差异在物质记录（器物和建筑）中是否可见？2)家庭手工业生产、家庭间交换和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空间分析的创新应用相结合，这些空间分析使用高分辨率激光雷达数据，AMS 14 C测年，陶瓷和黑曜石文物的微量元素分析以及统计分析，以了解不断变化的古玛雅国内组织。公众和社区外联也是该项目的一个重要组成部分。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实地和实验室研究，培养他们在实验室和实地情况下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.