Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant: Water Management At An Early Urban Center

提供可靠的水供应对今天和过去的人类社会都至关重要。辛辛那提大学的尼古拉斯·邓宁博士和杰弗里·布鲁尔先生将与一个由来自美国、墨西哥和加拿大的同事组成的跨学科研究小组一起，研究在墨西哥尤卡坦半岛中心有限而短暂的自然水资源区域内开发和维护一个城市化的复杂水收集、储存和分配系统。以前关于水管理的研究已经确定并分析了区域环境和文化变化背景下的各种水管理特征。特别是适应多变的气候条件和表现出政治控制，被认为是建立和监督蓄水设施的关键考虑因素。考古学通过关注水文、地形、植被和建筑之间跨越多个空间和时间尺度的复杂相互关系，很好地为这一讨论提供了独特的见解。精心管理的水资源何时以及如何成为城市适应的固有组成部分？尽管一个社区的水景的性质和规模会随着空间和时间的变化而变化，但了解蓄水、气候条件和人类住区之间的关系对于促进全球社会的可持续性、资源节约和公共教育至关重要。杜宁博士、布鲁尔先生和他的同事们将利用实证数据研究城市核心和城市外围的居民如何管理有限的水资源，以及如何发展和维护复杂的水资源管理系统。这项研究将在位于尤卡坦半岛中央低地的古玛雅遗址Yaxnohcah进行。该网站提供了一个独特的机会，促进对关键的资源管理和利用做法的了解，这些做法使当地居民能够在很长一段时间内支持高人口密度。研究人员将与考古学家、地理学家和环境科学家组成的团队合作，研究该地区从中古古典主义到后古典主义早期(公元前900年-公元1100年)的水文、生态和土地利用历史。考古发掘、沉积物岩心研究和高分辨率卫星图像分析相结合，将允许对这一文明的水利发展进行独特的检查，并将该领域推向新的方向。这一多样化的多学科数据集将使人们能够更全面地了解这些水力要素的物理、时间和空间特征，以及它们在社区居民日常生活和活动中的确切作用。这项研究将促进我们更广泛地了解人类社会面对重大环境挑战的恢复能力，该项目的合作重点还将建立和丰富国际学生培训和研究的机会。

The provision of a dependable water supply is of critical importance to human societies both today and in the past. Dr. Nicholas Dunning and Mr. Jeffrey Brewer of the University of Cincinnati, along with an interdisciplinary research group, consisting of colleagues from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, will study the development and maintenance of an urbanized, complex system of water collection, storage, and distribution within an area of limited and ephemeral natural water resources in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Previous studies on water management have identified and analyzed a variety of water management features within the context of regional environmental and cultural changes. Adapting to variable climatic conditions and expressing political control, in particular, are considered key considerations in the creation and oversight of water storage features. Archaeology is well positioned to provide unique insight into this discussion by focusing on the complex interrelationship between hydrology, topography, vegetation, and architecture across multiple spatial and temporal scales. When and how do carefully managed water resources become an inherent component of urban adaptation? Although the nature and scale of a community's water features change across space and time, understanding the relationship between water storage, climatic conditions, and human settlement is vital to promoting sustainability, resource conservation, and public education in global societies.Dr. Dunning, Mr. Brewer and colleagues will use empirical data to study how residents of both the urban core and urban periphery managed their limited water resources and developed and maintained a complex system of water management. The research will be conducted at the ancient Maya site of Yaxnohcah, located within the central lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula. This site provides a unique opportunity to advance understanding of critical resource management and utilization practices that permitted the local inhabitants to support a high population density across a long span of time. The researchers will work with a team of archaeologists, geographers, and environmental scientists to examine the area's hydrological, ecological, and land use history from the Middle Preclassic to Early Postclassic periods (900 B.C. - A.D. 1100). The combination of archaeological excavation, sediment core studies, and high-resolution satellite imagery analysis will permit a unique examination of this civilization's hydraulic developments and advance the field in new directions. This diverse multidisciplinary dataset will enable a more complete understanding of the physical, temporal, and spatial characteristics of these hydraulic features and their precise roles in the daily lives and activities of community inhabitants. This research will advance our broader understanding of the resilient capacity of human societies faced with significant environmental challenges, and the collaborative focus of the project will also establish and enrich opportunities for international student training and research.