Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Historical Ecology of Long-term Agricultural Practice

乡村景观本身作为文化遗产的形式越来越受到重视，其丰富的历史与城市空间的历史不相上下。然而，旨在保护这些景观的政策必须经常与当地社区对这些地方的持续使用相抗衡，当地社区的需求可能与保护的需求背道而驰。与此同时，全世界日益严重的水和粮食危机促使人们重新开展研究，以了解古代农业系统的功能，以及对这些系统进行调整以在当今得到可持续和有效利用的可能性。这些农村景观的保护和可持续适应的目标的关键是了解古代农业系统发挥作用的社会背景，其最初建设的动机，以及长期成功或失败的原因。由于考古研究的时间深度，考古方法和途径非常适合解决这些问题，从而可以调查农村随着时间的推移而发生的变化以及社区在面对社会和环境挑战时的反应。这项研究将评估古代农业技术的可持续性，并探讨当地社区在确保其维护和持续功能方面的持续作用。本项目将调查梯田的建设、使用、维护和废弃的长期历史。它调查了一个城市，已经看到了快速的城市扩张和人口逐渐下降，从而作为一个理想的背景下，调查的社会和环境条件下，农业系统保持使用，改造，放弃，并振兴。与传统的只关注城市背景的叙述相反，相关的土地长期以来一直被不同程度地占用。有越来越多的证据表明，在这段时间里，荒地继续被耕种和改造。假设大部分农村基础设施（即，梯田、水坝、蓄水池和运河）一定是在城市的鼎盛时期建造的，因此值得质疑。该项目将应用广泛的测年方法来确定梯田建设和使用的年代，揭示某些农业系统在使用中持续了多久以及在哪里。通过详细的绘图和调查，还将记录梯田类型和功能的多样性，显示当地社区改变和利用这些景观的多种方式。总而言之，通过更好地了解梯田在历史上为什么、在哪里以及如何建造、使用和废弃，这项研究将通过其对乡村景观形成的长期视角，为当代遗产管理和乡村振兴政策制定提供信息。该奖项反映了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。

Rural landscapes have become increasingly appreciated as forms of cultural heritage in their own right, with rich histories on par with those of urban spaces. Policies aimed at the preservation of these landscapes must frequently contend, however, with the ongoing use of these places by local communities, whose needs may run counter to those of conservation. At the same time, growing water and food crises worldwide have led to renewed research aimed at understanding the functions of ancient agricultural systems and the possibility of their adaptation for sustainable and effective use in the present. Critical to the objectives of both conservation and sustainable adaptation of these rural landscapes is an understanding of the social contexts in which ancient agricultural systems functioned, the motivations for their initial construction, and the reasons for their successes or failures over the long term. Archaeological methods and approaches are well-suited for addressing these issues due to the time-depth of archaeological study, allowing for the investigation of rural changes through time and the responses of communities in the face of social and environmental challenges. This study will evaluate the sustainability of ancient agricultural technologies as well as probe the ongoing role of local communities in ensuring their maintenance and continuing functionality. This project will investigate the long-term history of construction, use, maintenance, and abandonment of agricultural terraces. It investigates a city that has seen rapid urban expansions and gradual demographic declines, thereby serving as an ideal context in which to investigate the social and environmental conditions under which agricultural systems stay in use, are transformed, abandoned, and revitalized. Contrary to conventional narratives that focus exclusively on the city context, the associated hinterlands have been occupied at varying intensities for long periods. There is growing evidence that during this time the hinterlands have continued to be cultivated and modified. The assumption that much of the rural infrastructure (i.e., terraces, dams, cisterns, and canals) must have been built during the heyday of the city, is thus worth questioning. This project will apply a wide range of dating approaches to determine the chronology of terrace construction and use, shedding light both on how long certain agricultural systems remained in use, as well as where. Through detailed mapping and survey, the diversity of terrace types and functions will also be recorded, showing the many ways in which local communities have modified and utilized these landscapes. Altogether, by better understanding why, where, and how terraces were historically built, used, and abandoned, this research will inform contemporary policy making on heritage management and rural revitalization through its long-term perspective on the formation of rural landscapes.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.