Exploratory Investigations into the Origins and Evolution of Food Production in Southwestern Ethiopia

史蒂文·勃兰特博士将进行考古调查， 西南部Gamu-Gofa高地地区的挖掘 埃塞俄比亚. 他的目标是了解恩塞特（恩塞特 ventricosum）或“假香蕉”被驯化并纳入 埃塞俄比亚的生存实践。 他将进行两个月的 这一地区的考古学上未知 在目前使用恩塞特的地区的中心。 他将 根据当地访谈和 分析区域照片和卫星图像。 在 特别是，他将重点放在洞穴和岩石庇护所，因为 在那里寻找层状矿床的潜力最大。 将进行有限的测试挖掘， 序列建立。 有了这些数据， 计划长期实地研究。 虽然埃塞俄比亚高地的考古学鲜为人知， 现代植物学数据表明，这一地区曾是 原产于许多广泛使用的非洲驯化。 恩塞特是一个 一种大的、纤维状的、树状的单子叶植物，非常类似于 香蕉. 然而，与香蕉不同的是，这种水果是不可食用的， 食物的主要来源是根，假茎和左， 茎 虽然野生种类的恩塞特分布在 在非洲中部、东部和南部的大部分地区， 显然，只有在埃塞俄比亚， 栽培的Ensete要么被烘烤，要么被做成粥， 埃塞俄比亚估计有1000万人口， 人植物的各个部分也被用作饲料、燃料 和包装材料。 几乎没有人知道 发展的ensente使用和勃兰特博士的研究应该 提供所需的基本数据。 这个项目之所以重要，有几个原因。 它将提供 深入了解导致原始 动植物的驯化。 埃塞俄比亚容易发生 干旱和人类饥饿，希望更多的了解 当地的农业技术经受住了 时间）可以提供解决这个问题的新方法。 这短短的- 一个长期的探索性项目应该为以后更多的工作打下基础 深入研究。

Dr. Steven Brandt will conduct archaeological survey and excavation in the Gamu-Gofa Highlands region of Southwestern Ethiopia. His goal is to understand how ensete (Ensete ventricosum) or "false banana" was domesticated and incorporated into Ethiopian subsistence practices. He will conduct two months of fieldwork in this area which is both archaeologically unknown and in the heart of the present region of ensete use. He will locate promising areas on the basis of both local interview and analysis of areal photographs and satellite imagery. In particular, he will focus on caves and rock shelters because the potential for locating stratified deposits is greatest there. Limited test excavations will be conducted and a basic cultural sequence established. With this data it will then be possible to plan longer term field research. While the archaeology of the Ethiopian highlands is poorly known, modern botanic data suggest that this region served as point of origin for many widely used African domesticates. Ensete is a large, fibrous, tree-like monocot which closely resembles a banana. Unlike the banana, however, the fruits are inedible and the main sources of food are the roots, pseudo-stems and left- stems. Although wild species of ensete are distributed throughout much of central, eastern and southern Africa, evidently it is only in Ethiopia that domesticated varieties are cultivated. Ensete is either baked or made into porridge and is eaten by about one fifth of Ethiopia's estimated 10,000,000 people. Various parts of the plant are also used for fodder, fuel and packing material. Almost nothing is known about the development of ensente use and Dr. Brandt's research should provide needed basic data. This project is important for several reasons. It will provide insight into the processes which led to the original domestication of plants and animals. Ethiopia is prone to drought and human starvation and hopefully greater understanding of indigenous farming techniques which have stood the test of time) may provide new ways to attack this problem. This short- term exploratory project should lay the groundwork to later more intensive research.