Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: The Development Of Pastoral Based Subsistence Economies

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Anthropological studies from different regions of the world have emphasized that the adoption of pastoralism is important in the development of communities relying on multiple subsistence systems. Several archaeological studies have indicated that pastoralism, in conjunction with hunter-gatherer-fisher strategies, persisted for several millennia. Thus, a detailed investigation of the role that early pastoralist orientations played within traditional hunter-gatherer-fisher subsistence systems contributes importantly to anthropological studies on the origins of multi-resource pastoralism and the part this played in broader social, cultural and political complexity. Within this broader context, and under the supervision of Dr. Bryan Hanks of the University of Pittsburgh, doctoral candidate Chuenyan Ng will investigate multi-resource pastoralism strategies used by late prehistoric steppe communities at the Bronze Age settlement of Stepnoye (2100-1500 BC) located in the Southeastern Urals region of Russia. The long-standing subsistence model for these communities has been defined as a sedentary agro-pastoral strategy with dominant use of livestock. However, based on recent studies, the nature and variability of the subsistence economy, especially wild plant resource exploitation for both human and livestock, are not well understood. Within sedentary pastoral communities the relationship between increasing livestock productivity and decreasing risk associated with resource sustainability is a continuous process. It is achieved only through control of land for grazing, regulations of the composition and size of herds, and the establishment of seasonal herding strategies including foddering. Did multi-resource pastoralism and catchment resource sustainability influence the development of these communities? To address this question, this project will develop a new model for local human-environmental relationships to better understand multi-resource pastoralism as an important economic component of these communities. . A broader contribution of the research is reflected in the important and productive collaborative relationships that have been developed with Russian institutions, faculty and students.This project will undertake a systematic archaeobotanical and phytogeographical study of subsistence patterns among late prehistoric pastoralist communities. The multi-disciplinary approach draws productively from ethnographic, anthropological, and archaeological evidence, to examine relationships between ancient settlements, local site catchments, and the emergence of new forms of livestock herding that integrated with earlier traditions of hunting, gathering and fishing. A combination of detailed macro-botanical study, experimental archaeology, and computer simulation modeling through Geographic Information System software will produce a new model for understanding early traditions of multi-resource pastoralism. This research will contribute importantly to regional studies of the Sintashta culture and provide an important comparative case study for understanding key transitions among sedentary pastoralist societies with multi-resource subsistence economiesThis project will establish a detailed archaeobotanical database and computer simulation socio-ecnomic model that will provide a crucial foundation for future studies of late prehistoric subsistence patterns and pastoralist lifeways in the Eurasian steppes.