Doctoral Dissertation Research: Bioarchaeological and Biogeochemical Evidence in the Study of Ritual

这一博士论文项目将使用考古背景下的骨骼的生物考古和生物地质化学分析来研究生活史和仪式。这项研究将为研究仪式在古代社会中的作用以及整合骨学和化学技术来重建人类行为提供新的方法和视角。该项目及其成果的传播将通过让公众参与该项目的挖掘、技术研讨会和公开讲座，增加传统上代表性不足的群体在科学领域的参与，并鼓励未来的合作。作为杜兰大学K-12 STEM教育中心的研讨会负责人，调查人员将把该项目的成果整合到K-12学生课程资源和研讨会中，以展示创新研究并扩大对STEM领域传统上代表性较低的群体的教育。人类骨骼创伤代表着冲突的直接证据，使生物考古学--从考古背景中研究人类骨骼遗骸--能够很好地解决考古记录中仪式暴力的变异性和重要性。青少年在这种仪式环境中的作用一直被研究得相对较少。最近发现的骨骼组合表明，这种仪式在过去的一些社会中发挥了重要作用，但其动机尚不清楚。调查人员假设，作为维持对边远地区控制的战略的一部分，来自社会政治系统中边远地区的个人被征召参加仪式活动。对骨骼和牙齿的持续挖掘和生物地球化学分析将被用来检验这一假说，并更好地理解过去的社会如何证明青少年参与这些事件的合理性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This doctoral dissertation project will examine life histories and ritual using bioarchaeological and biogeochemical analyses of skeletons from archaeological contexts. The research will contribute novel methods and perspectives concerning the role of rituals in ancient societies as well as the integration of osteological and chemical techniques to reconstruct human behavior. This project and the dissemination of its results will increase participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences and encourage future collaborations by involving the public in this project’s excavations, technical workshops, and public lectures. As workshop leaders for the Center for K-12 STEM Education at Tulane University, the investigators will integrate the project’s results into K-12 student curricular resources and workshops to showcase innovative research and broaden the education of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.Human skeletal trauma represents direct evidence of conflict, making bioarchaeology, the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts, well positioned to address the variability and significance of ritual violence in the archaeological record. The role of juveniles in such ritual contexts has been relatively understudied. Recently discovered skeletal assemblages suggest that such rituals played an important role in some past societies, yet the motivations for this remain unclear. The investigators hypothesize that individuals from outlying locations in a sociopolitical system were conscripted for ritual events as part of a strategy to maintain control over outlying regions. Continued excavations and biogeochemical analyses of bones and teeth from skeletal assemblagews will be used to test this hypothesis and better understand the ways in which past societies justified incorporation of juveniles in these events.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.