Long Term Population Response to Environmental Fluctuation

正如当今世界许多地区所证明的那样，环境变化可能对人口分布产生重大影响，因为人口群体可能大规模迁移，在景观上更广泛地分散或在适应性反应中聚集。考古学与古气候科学携手合作，为评估这一过程提供了一个极好的背景，因为它允许重建长期的环境波动和人类的反应。这种变化可以在几个世纪的时间里缓慢地发生，并且在不同的州有所不同。在这个研究项目中。宾夕法尼亚州立大学的道格拉斯·肯尼特和托马斯·哈珀将重点研究东欧早期青铜器时代的一个这样的案例。在这一气候不稳定时期，定居模式表明人口动态的高度不稳定变化。在一段时间内，分散的人口融合成“大型定居点”，其规模达到100-320公顷，不仅在规模上是独一无二的，而且在它们没有显示出内部社会分层的迹象。虽然这些定居点是先前研究的重点，但它们的年代很差，因此很难将它们紧密地置于年代控制的环境背景中。研究人员将收集相关的文化材料进行放射性碳定年，以构建一个紧密固定在时间上的文化序列。为了牢固地确定居住序列，研究人员将从22个未确定日期或日期不确定的地点获得可测定数据的材料（动物骨骼样本；尽管在某些情况下可能会使用木炭），这些地点的人工制品组合表明大约在公元前4200-3300年。这些遗址代表了巨型定居点现象两侧的时期，这些遗址的材料保存在乌克兰国家科学院考古研究所（基辅），特里波利文化博物馆和其他地区博物馆和考古当局的收藏中。副主任哈珀将在本月前往乌克兰进行相关的收藏研究。样品将被包装并运往宾夕法尼亚州立大学，在那里它们将被清洗、制备并进行放射性碳测年。

As evidenced in many regions of the world today environmental change can have major impact on population distribution as groups of people may migrate in mass, disperse more broadly over the landscape or congregate in adaptive response. Archaeology, hand in hand with paleoclimate sciences, provides an excellent context within which to evaluate this process because it permits the reconstruction of both long term environmental fluctuation and human response. Such changes can play out slowly over multiple centuries and vary across multiple states. In this research project Drs. Douglas Kennett and Thomas Harper of Pennsylvania State University will focus on one such case dating to the Early Bronze Age period in Eastern Europe. During this period of climatic unstability settlement patterns indicate a highly volatile variation in population dynamics. During one time interval dispersed populations merged into "giant-settlements" which attained sizes of 100-320 hectares unique not only in size but also in the fact that they show no sign of internal social stratification. While these settlements, have been the focus of prior study, they are poorly dated and thus it is difficult to situate them tightly in an environmental context which is chronologically controlled. Researchers will collect relevant cultural material for radiocarbon dating to construct a cultural sequence which is tightly anchored in time.In order to firmly establish the habitational sequence, the researchers will obtain datable materials (faunal bone samples; though a contingency using charcoal may be implemented in some cases) from a selection of twenty-two undated or poorly dated sites with artifact assemblages suggesting occupation ca. 4200-3300 BC. These sites represent the periods on either side of the giant-settlement phenomenon, Materials from these sites are kept in the collections of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kiev), the Museum of Tripolye Culture and other regional museums and archaeological authorities. Co-PI Harper will travel to Ukraine for the month in order to perform relevant collections research. Samples will be packed and shipped to Penn State where they will be cleaned, prepared and radiocarbon dated.