Routes to the Rise of Social Hierarchy

一个学者团队将研究城市和州发展的动态。理解国家的崛起需要我们描述它们的变化，而不仅仅是研究那些符合僵化的刻板印象的那些。许多学者认为，首都的发展是因为一个大的定居点支配着其他定居点，而其他定居点又控制着较小的定居点。然而，在资本支配国家社会层面的程度上，等级制度各不相同。在某些情况下，首都占主导地位；在另一些情况下，首都占主导地位；在另一些情况下，首都的规模可能与“从属”定居点相同或更小。至高无上的地位可能会变得如此极端，以至于首都会变得比“从属”中心大得多。这种情况被称为“至高无上”。等级结构的变化反映并有助于在发展中国家的发展轨迹上造成分歧。对城市的多样性、成功和失败的了解有助于现代城市化和政策制定的讨论。拟议的工作将增加对合作如何帮助创建更可行和更有弹性的社会制度和增强社会流动性的理解的一些历史深度。该项目将培训来自皇后学院和其他大学的学生。该项目将探索发明一个目前已知的美洲最早的具有正交格网的城市。对该地区的初步调查表明，该地区存在中前古典主义时期的聚落等级。不同寻常的是，该遗址没有纪念碑，这表明了一种不同寻常的合作形式的社会组织。这项研究将通过机载激光雷达测量进行，然后在主要和附属遗址进行密集的考古发掘。项目信息将被上传到一个正在进行的网站上。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A team of scholars will investigate dynamics in the development of cities and states. Understanding the rise of states requires that we characterize their variations, not just study those that fit rigid stereotypes. Many scholars assume that capitals develop as one large settlement dominates other settlements, which in turn control smaller settlements. Yet, hierarchies vary in the degree to which a capital dominates social dimensions of the state. In some cases, the capital dominates; in others, it over-dominates (primacy); and in still others, the capital may be the same size or smaller than “subordinate” settlements. Primacy can become so extreme that capitals grow to be massively larger than “subordinate” centers. Such situations are known as “hyperprimacy.” Variations in the construction of hierarchies reflect and help create divergence in the trajectory of developing states. The knowledge of the diversity, successes, and failures of cities can contribute to modern discussions of urbanization and policymaking. The proposed work will add some historical depth to the understanding of how cooperation can help create more viable and resilient social systems and enhance social mobility. This project will train students from Queens College as well as other universities.The project will explore the invention of what is currently the earliest known city with an orthogonal grid in the Americas. A preliminary survey of the area suggested the presence of a Middle Preclassic period settlement hierarchy. Unusually the site has no monuments which suggests an unusual cooperative form of social organization. The research will proceed through an airborne LiDAR survey followed by intense archaeological excavations at both the main and subordinate sites. Project information will be uploaded to an ongoing website.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.