The Evolution of Complex Societies in Bunyoro-Kitara, Uganda

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Peter Robertshaw博士和他的同事们将在乌干达的Bunyoro-Kitara地区进行考古研究。先前的工作已经揭示了大型土方工程的存在，这表明过去存在大规模高度组织的社会。罗伯特肖博士最近的工作也发现了许多与这种结构无关的考古遗址。在三个野外季节的过程中，该团队计划挖掘一系列这样的遗址。在第一个季节，将评估挖掘已知土方工程的潜力，进一步的考古调查将进行，并将启动一个热释光测定陶器年代的项目。在第二季，工作将集中在几个地点的密集挖掘。预计这将导致精英和平民地区的定位，并恢复大量的人工制品样本，以及植物和动物遗骸，这将为重建社会组织和经济提供基础。在最后一个季节，将挖掘另一个地点，继续进行调查，并分析回收的材料。考古学家希望了解像国家这样复杂的社会单位是如何产生的。有证据表明，这一过程在世界上许多地方独立发生，通过对个别案例的比较，应该有可能查明造成这种情况的根本原因。虽然在这方面所做的工作相对较少，但非洲可以作出很大贡献。当欧洲探险家进入这一地区时，他们发现了发达的国家，许多国家都被人种学描述过。由于该地区的群体有广泛的口头传统，这一数据来源提供了宝贵的额外见解。然而，考古工作做得很少，对这些观察到的实体的史前史知之甚少。罗伯特肖博士的研究应该有助于纠正这种情况。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据。它应该增加我们对国家形成过程的理解，并将鼓励美国和非洲科学家之间的国际合作。＊＊＊

9320392 Robertshaw With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Peter Robertshaw and his colleagues will conduct archaeological research in the region of Bunyoro-Kitara which is located in Uganda. Prior work has revealed the presence of large earthworks which bespeak to the past presence of large scale highly organized societies. More recent work by Dr. Robertshaw has also located numerous archaeological sites which are not associated with such structures. Over the course of three field seasons the team plans to excavate a series of these sites. During the first season the potential for excavation of known earthworks will be assessed, further archaeological surveys will be conducted and a program of thermoluminescence dating of pottery will be initiated. During the second season, work will focus on the intensive excavation of several sites. It is anticipated that this will result in the location of both elite and commoner areas and the recovery of substantial samples of artifacts, and vegetal and faunal remains which will provide a basis for the reconstruction of social organization and economy. In the final season, an additional site will be excavated, survey will continue and recovered materials will be analyzed. Archaeologists wish to understand how complex social units such as states arise. Evidence indicates that this process took place independently in many parts of the world and through comparison of individual cases it should be possible to discern the underlying causes responsible. Although relatively little work has been done in this area, Africa has much to contribute. European explorers, when they entered this region, found well developed states and many have been ethnographically described. Because groups in the region have extensive oral traditions, this source of data provides valuable additional insight. However very little archaeological work has been done and the prehistory of these observed entities is poorly understood. Dr. Robertshaw's research should help to correct this situation. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It should increase our understanding of how state formation takes place and will encourage international collaboration between U.S. and African scientists. ***