An Analysis of Emergent Complexity in the Prehistoric Channel Islands, California

阿诺德博士和他的同事们将在圣克鲁斯岛进行考古研究，圣克鲁斯岛是海峡群岛的第二大岛屿，位于加利福尼亚海岸附近。在早期的历史时期，这些岛屿被丘马什印第安人占领，他们在接触的时候已经发展了一个主要是分层的社会。考古数据表明，该岛最初的殖民化发生在5000多年前，并表明大约在900年前，当相对平等的制度被更分层的制度所取代时，社会组织发生了相对突然的变化。阿诺德博士研究的目标是理解这种转变。由于在海峡岛地区钻取了深海岩心，古环境资料很好。这表明，大约在这种社会重组发生的时候，海洋变暖，丰富的海带床被破坏。可能的结果是海峡岛上居民可用食物的减少，阿诺德博士认为这为变化提供了催化剂。为了验证这一点，她将在圣克鲁斯进行一系列的调查和挖掘。对动物遗骸的分析将使她能够确定饮食是否发生了变化，而对人类骨骼遗骸的检查将使她能够评估营养状况的变化。阿诺德博士认为，社会分层和工艺专业化都伴随着这种变化，对遗址规模变化和声望物品分布差异的分析应该提供相关数据。这项研究很重要，因为它将揭示美洲原住民文化的史前。它还将增加我们对复杂社会如何发展以及它们如何应对环境压力的理解。

Dr. Arnold and colleagues will conduct archaeological research on Santa Cruz, the second largest of the Channel Islands, located off the California coast. In early historic times these islands were occupied by Chumash Indians who by the time of contact had developed a stratified chiefly society. Archaeological data indicates original colonization of the island took place over 5,000 years ago and suggests that a relatively abrupt change in social organization occurred about 900 years ago when a relatively egalitarian system was replaced by a more stratified one. The goal of Dr. Arnold's research is to understand this transformation. Because deep sea cores have been drilled in the Channel Island region, paleoenvironmental data is excellent. These suggest a warming of the ocean and the destruction of rich kelp beds at approximately the time when this social reorganization occurred. The probable result was a decrease in available food for Channel Island inhabitants, and Dr. Arnold postulates that this provided the calatyst for change. To test this, she will conduct survey and excavate a series of sites on Santa Cruz. Analysis of faunal remains will allow her to determine if a change in diet actually occurred, while examination of human skeletal remains will permit changing nutritional status to be assessed. Dr. Arnold postulates that social stratification and craft specialization both accompanied this change, and analysis of changing site sizes and differential distribution of prestige items should provide relevant data. This research is important because it will shed light on the prehistory of Native American cultures. It will also increase our understanding of how complex societies develop and how they respond to environmental stress.