The Development of Complex Societies in Western Uganda

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Peter Robertshaw博士 将对Bunyoro-Kitara进行考古调查 乌干达西部地区。虽然该地区的史前史 不为人知的，有限的考古工作已经证明了 存在意想不到的复杂位点，包括 以巨大的土方工程为特征。声明指出， 一个“国家”的发展，其根源目前可以是 可以追溯到公元世纪。 这表明，这样一个规模庞大、中央集权程度很高的社会， 权威直到最近才出现。这个过程 热带非洲国家发达，但不了解。 罗伯特肖博士的探索性研究将为 一个长期的大型项目。他的目标是让少数 将已知的大型网站纳入更广泛的区域范围。及至自己 将调查该地区约30-40%的地区。随机抽样 方法将被用来分析陶瓷在每个地点位于 这样就可以按时间顺序排列了通过 检查时间和空间上的场地分布， 通过比较一系列有限点的场地大小， 时间应该可以追踪状态的过程 发展 这个项目之所以重要，有几个原因。考古学家 希望了解的过程，其背后的发展 社会的复杂性，并导致出现大的 复杂的群体虽然在非热带地区已经做了很多工作， 世界各地区，由于实际的限制， 交通不便，植被茂密， 了解热带地区的国家是如何发展的。博士 Robertshaws的探索性工作应该有助于弥补这一缺陷。它 也将为更大规模的工作奠定基础。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Peter Robertshaw will conduct an archaeological survey of the Bunyoro-Kitara region of Western Uganda. While the prehistory of the region is not well known, limited archaeological work has demonstrated the presence of unexpectedly complex sites which include such features as massive earthworks. Excavations indicate the development of a "state" the roots of which can presently be traced back to the 13th century A.D. Ethnohistoric accounts indicate that such a large scale society with strong centralized authority existed until recent times. The process by which this tropical African state developed however is not understood. Dr. Robertshaw's exploratory research will lay the groundwork for a longer term large scale project. His goal is to set the few known large sites into a broader regional context. To do this he will survey approximately 30-40% of the region. Random sampling methods will be employed to analyze ceramics at each site located so it can be placed in a chronological framework. Through the examination of site distributions in both time and space and through comparison of site sizes at a series of limited points in time it should be possible to trace the process of state development. This project is important for several reasons. Archaeologists wish to understand the processes which underly the development of social complexity and which lead to the emergence of large complex groups. While much work has been done in non-tropical regions of the world, because of practical constraints such as difficulty of access and dense vegetation relatively little is known about how states developed in tropical regions. Dr. Robertshaws' exploratory work should help remedy this defect. It will also set the groundwork for larger scale work.