Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Roles of Symbolic Communication

博士论文改进补助金：符号沟通的作用

• 批准号: 1832873
• 负责人: James Enloe
• 金额: $ 1.96万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-08-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1832873&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Roles

Symbolic information permeates modern human life. The human capacity to produce and manipulate symbols likely evolved during the Pleistocene and can be seen as a watershed development for the species. While past symbols themselves generally do not preserve into the modern day, the archaeological record can preserve traces of technologies that were used to produce symbolic information. Archaeological deposits dating to the Late Pleistocene produce some of the earliest evidence for these technologies in the form of ochres: iron-rich rocks and earth capable of producing vibrant pigments. Archaeologists are well situated to study this preserved material culture and to place these behaviors within a social and ecological context. While the relationship between the use of symbolic technologies and modern levels of intelligence has been well investigated, the capacity for these early technologies to communicate social information and what that might imply about the social group in which they were used have received relatively limited attention. This project investigates how human populations reacted to changing environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene through shifting demographics, with archaeological evidence for greater use of symbolic technologies indicating increased population interactions. The first phase of this project involves the examination and comparison of ochre assemblages from three Late Pleistocene archaeological sites located in the Western Cape province of South Africa: Pinnacle Point 5-6, Knysna Eastern Head 1, and Boomplaas Cave. This phase will generate data on how hunter-gatherer groups reacted to changing environmental conditions through population aggregations and dispersals through time. An increased use of symbolic technologies is likely to occur during periods characterized by highly productive environments and population growth. Archaeological deposits dating to these periods are expected to have a relative increased ochre nodule weight, size, count, and evidence of human modifications. Unproductive environments favor lower population densities, resulting in a reduction in symbolic behaviors and the opposite pattern in the ochre assemblages. The second phase of this project will involve the geochemical fingerprinting analysis of the ochres from Pinnacle Point 5-6 via neutron activation analysis. Data generated from this phase will be used to explore changes in territorial range sizes and land use accompanying these expected demographic shifts. Results from the overall study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge concerning population size and structure for early modern humans, the origins of symbolic behaviors, and archaeological approaches to signaling identity. This project has significant broader impacts by engaging with students and the local research community in Cape Town, South Africa through the Human Evolution Research Institute seminar series and training workshops at the University of Cape Town.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

符号信息渗透在现代人类生活中。人类产生和操纵符号的能力可能是在更新世进化的，可以被视为该物种发展的分水岭。虽然过去的符号本身一般不会保留到现代，但考古记录可以保留用于产生符号信息的技术痕迹。晚更新世的考古沉积物以赭石的形式为这些技术提供了一些最早的证据：富含铁的岩石和能够产生鲜艳颜料的泥土。考古学家很好地研究了这种保存下来的物质文化，并将这些行为置于社会和生态背景下。虽然符号技术的使用与现代智力水平之间的关系已经得到了很好的研究，但这些早期技术传达社会信息的能力以及这可能对使用它们的社会群体意味着什么，却受到了相对有限的关注。该项目调查了人类如何通过人口统计学的变化来应对更新世晚期不断变化的环境条件，考古学证据表明更多地使用象征性技术表明人口互动增加。该项目的第一阶段涉及检查和比较位于南非西开普省的三个晚更新世考古遗址的赭石组合：Pinnacle Point 5-6，Knysna Eastern Head 1和Boomplaas Cave。这一阶段将产生数据，说明狩猎采集群体如何通过人口聚集和随时间的分散对不断变化的环境条件作出反应。象征性技术的使用可能会在高生产力环境和人口增长的时期增加。这些时期的考古沉积物预计会有相对增加的赭石结核重量，大小，数量和人类改造的证据。非生产性的环境有利于较低的人口密度，导致减少象征性的行为和相反的模式，在赭石组合。该项目的第二阶段将涉及通过中子活化分析对Pinnacle Point 5-6的赭石进行地球化学指纹分析。从这一阶段产生的数据将被用来探索变化的领土范围大小和土地使用伴随着这些预期的人口变化。整体研究的结果将有助于对早期现代人类的人口规模和结构，象征性行为的起源以及信号身份的考古学方法的了解。该项目通过在开普敦大学举办的人类进化研究所系列研讨会和培训讲习班，与南非开普敦的学生和当地研究社区进行交流，产生了广泛的影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。