Geographies of Early Urbanism

早期城市化的地理

• 批准号: 2240579
• 负责人: Katheryn Twiss
• 金额: $ 18.52万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2240579&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Geographies; Early; Urbanism

Researchers seek to understand which strategies enable cities to persist in the face of economic, ecological, and demographic stressors. Archaeology, able to trace urban adaptations over the course of centuries and even millennia, is uniquely well placed to provide relevant insights. This project assesses whether human and animal mobility and migration are necessary elements of durable urbanism, particularly in fragile and ecologically dynamic settings. Focusing on a region where large cities persisted for millennia in environments characterized by dramatic shifts in water availability and soils highly vulnerable to salinization, the research team tests whether early cities relied on immigration to sustain their populations and on long-distance pastoralism to support their economies. Throughout the research, student training and engagement with diverse publics in multiple countries advances public scientific literacy and global STEM education, maximizing the practical as well as ethical value of archaeological research.In order to determine whether mobility and migration are required elements of urban success, an international team examines the geographical origins and mobility of human and animal populations associated with durable urban settlement on a premodern floodplain. Isotopic analyses of skeletal remains enable scientists to trace ancient organisms’ mobility and migration in regions where baseline maps of isotope values are available. The research team creates the first strontium, neodymium, and lead isotope map of the region generating an open-access tool that establishes a foundation for ongoing and future isotope research in the region. The team uses this map to determine whether isotope values in remains recovered from one ancient city are consistent with urban reliance on immigration and specialized mobile pastoralism. The project thus (a) supports regional multidisciplinary isotope research, (b) determines whether premodern urban adaptations inherently encompass significant levels of mobility and migration, and (c) creates scientific training opportunities while enhancing global STEM engagement.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.

研究人员试图了解哪些策略能够使城市在面对经济、生态和人口压力时坚持下去。考古学能够追溯几个世纪甚至几千年的城市适应过程，是提供相关见解的独特优势。本项目评估人类和动物的流动和迁移是否是持久城市化的必要因素，特别是在脆弱和生态动态环境中。研究小组将重点放在一个地区，在这个地区，大城市在水供应急剧变化和土壤极易盐碱化的环境中持续存在了数千年，他们测试了早期城市是否依赖移民来维持人口，是否依赖长途畜牧业来支持经济。在整个研究过程中，学生的培训和与多个国家不同公众的接触促进了公众的科学素养和全球STEM教育，最大限度地提高了考古研究的实践和伦理价值。为了确定流动性和迁移是否是城市成功的必要因素，一个国际小组研究了人类和动物种群的地理起源和流动性，这些种群与前现代洪泛平原上持久的城市定居点有关。骨骼遗骸的同位素分析使科学家能够在同位素值基线图可用的地区追踪古代生物的流动性和迁移。研究小组创建了该地区的第一张锶、钕和铅同位素地图，生成了一个开放获取的工具，为该地区正在进行和未来的同位素研究奠定了基础。该团队利用这张地图来确定从一座古城中恢复的遗骸中的同位素值是否与城市对移民和专门流动畜牧业的依赖一致。因此，该项目(a)支持区域多学科同位素研究，(b)确定前现代城市适应是否固有地包含大量流动和迁移，以及(c)在加强全球STEM参与的同时创造科学培训机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。