Dissertation Research: Intra- and Extra-Regional Relationships of the Late Mississippian Caborn-Welborn Phase of the Lower Ohio River Valley

在Tom Dillehay博士的指导下，David Pollack先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将重点关注位于俄亥俄河下游河谷的一系列遗址，这些遗址大约可以追溯到公元1400-1700年。坚实的考古证据表明，在此之前，该地区的居民被组织成一个“酋长”。政治上的集中化不仅体现在人口密度上，也体现在大型和令人印象深刻的土方工程的建设上。公元1400年标志着这个政体的衰落。然而，这个考古案例的有趣之处在于，人口似乎并没有下降。相反，它保持在一个高水平。其次，与周边地区的贸易实际上增加了，例如进口外来商品。随着中央集权政体的瓦解，通常情况正好相反。波拉克先生将研究公元1400-1700年间贸易的性质和范围。他将扩大他已经建立的数据库，并从已知考古遗址的表面收集材料。他还将检查博物馆的藏品。由于不同的陶瓷风格的起源是相对众所周知的，它们提供了深入了解贸易的强度和方向。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。根据标准的考古学标准，它考察了一个被视为文化“权力下放”的例子。它将提供一个机会来评估这些标准本身，也提供了洞察文化如何随时间变化的机会。这些资料会引起许多考古学家的兴趣。该项目还将帮助培训一位有前途的年轻科学家。

9413028 Dillehay Under the direction of Dr. Tom Dillehay, Mr. David Pollack will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will focus on a series of sites which are located in the Lower Ohio River valley and which date from approximately 1400-1700 AD. Solid archaeological evidence indicates that immediately prior to this time, inhabitants or the region were organized into a "chiefdom." Political centralization is demonstrated not only by population density, but also by the construction of large and impressive earthworks. 1400 AD marks the decline of this polity. What makes this particular archaeological case interesting however is that population appears not to decline. Rather it is maintained at a high level. Secondly, trade with surrounding areas, as demonstrated by the importation of exotic goods, actually increases. As centralized polities disintegrate, the opposite is normally the case. Mr. Pollack will examine the nature and extent of trade over the 1400-1700 AD period. He will expand the data base he has already emceed and collect material from the surface of known archaeological sites. He will also examine museum collections. Because origins of distinct ceramic styles are relatively well known, they provide insight into the intensity and direction of trade. This research is important for several reasons. It examines an instance of what, based on standard archaeological criteria, is viewed as cultural "devolution." It will provide an opportunity to evaluate these criteria themselves and also afford insight into how cultures change over time. The data will be of interest to many archaeologists. The project will also assist in the training of a promising young scientist.