Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: Spatial Organization Within A Traditional Political System

杜兰大学的Marcello Canuto博士和Maxime lamourex - st - hilaire博士，以及来自美国和危地马拉的同事，将对经典的玛雅皇室宫廷（公元250-830年）进行研究。这项研究将集中于位于危地马拉北部的拉科罗娜的古典玛雅政体。这个考古项目将研究几个世纪以来支持皇室政治活动的行政和经济行为这一难以捉摸的话题。这个项目与其他强调祭司国王和神圣王权作为古典玛雅政治活动焦点的项目不同，因为它关注的是权力的实际层面。对古典玛雅社会统治的日常实践的研究将有助于为古代政治制度的运作中精英和非精英的角色建立一个更实用的模型。虽然古典玛雅在许多方面都是独一无二的，但他们的政治制度在功能上与其他古代复杂社会相似。因此，这个项目的方法是可复制的，因此应该对更广泛的人类学考古学领域产生积极影响。此外，通过扩大我们的分析范围，对古代非西方政治制度的研究应该有助于对现代政治和经济制度的研究，其中许多制度源于并融合了这些传统因素。Marcello Canuto， Maxime lamourex - st - hilaire和他们的研究团队将研究主要的行政建筑，以及与La Corona皇家宫殿的支持部分相关的楼层和垃圾处理区域。除了传统的考古方法之外，本研究项目将采用经过验证的跨学科方法来重建这个古老制度的经济行为。地球化学分析将研究吸收在宫殿灰泥地板上的微量元素，而土壤浮选将用于回收嵌入在这些地板上的微型文物，以及从这个古代皇家宫廷产生的垃圾处理区回收的植物遗骸。这些不同的技术直到最近才联合应用于古代建筑的研究。这些跨学科技术产生的数据是独一无二的，因为它们将记录一些传统考古技术通常无法恢复的古代行为的微妙标志。这种研究古代政治制度实践方面的创新方法的发展可能会对人类学考古学的更广泛领域产生积极影响。该项目是较大的拉科罗娜区域考古项目的一部分，该项目在危地马拉佩特海姆西北地区开展工作；是玛雅世界研究最不充分的地区之一。此外，PRALC的长期存在有助于保护危地马拉这一偏远地区的自然和文化遗产免受偷猎、抢劫和非法定居等人类掠夺。

Dr. Marcello Canuto and Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire of Tulane University, along with colleagues from the United States and Guatemala, will undertake research to study Classic Maya royal courts (AD 250-830). This research will focus on the Classic Maya polity of La Corona, located in northern Guatemala. This archaeological project will study the elusive topic of the administrative and economic behaviors which supported the political activities of a royal court for centuries. This project departs from others which have emphasized priestly kings and divine kingship as the focus of Classic Maya political activities because it focusses on the practical dimensions of power. The study of the everyday practicalities of ruling in Classic Maya society will help develop a more pragmatic model for the roles of both the elite and non-elite in the operation of an ancient political institution. While the Classic Maya were unique in many ways, their political institutions were functionally similar to that of other ancient complex societies. Thus, this project's approach is replicable and therefore should positively impact the broader field of anthropological archaeology. Moreover, by broadening our analytical scope, the study of ancient non-western political systems should shed light on studies of modern-day political and economic systems many of which derive from and incorporate such traditional elements.Dr. Marcello Canuto, Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire, and their research team will study key administrative buildings as well as the floors and refuse-disposal areas associated with the support-oriented section of the La Corona regal palace. Beyond traditional archaeological methods, this research project will employ proven interdisciplinary methods in order to reconstruct the economic behaviors of this ancient institution. Geochemical analyses will study trace-elements absorbed in the plastered floors of the palace, while soil flotation will be used to recover micro-artifacts embedded in those same floors, along with botanical remains recovered from refuse-disposal areas produced by this ancient royal court. These different techniques have only been recently applied jointly to study ancient architecture. The data produced by these interdisciplinary techniques are unique in that they will document several subtle markers of ancient behaviors which would not normally be recoverable by traditional archaeological techniques. The development of this innovative methodology to study the practical aspects of ancient political institutions may positively impact the broader field of anthropological archaeology. This project is part of the larger La Corona Regional Archaeological Project (PRALC), which operates in the northwest Petén Region of Guatemala; one of the most under-studied regions of the Maya world. Moreover, the enduring presence of PRALC helps protect the natural and cultural patrimony of this remote region of Guatemala from human depredation such as poaching, looting, and illegal settlement.