Archaeological Reconnaissance at Chau Hiix: Agricultural, Settlement and Political Economy

在国家科学基金会的支持下，安妮·派本博士将在伯利兹的玛雅遗址Chau Hiix进行为期三个季节的考古田野工作。该遗址于1990年被发现，之所以特别令人感兴趣，是因为它位于拉马奈和阿尔金哈两个有充分记载的遗址之间，两者之间的距离只有40公里。洲希尼克斯有大约25个位于其中央平台及其周围的大型建筑，其中最大的高达20米。边远聚居区包括连续分散的平台群和小土堆，至少有4个地方被平台上的较大建筑群隔开。皮伯恩博士和她的合作者将在三个季节绘制海伊克斯洲及其周围古代地貌的分布图，将聚居区的测绘和测试挖掘与中心辖区的挖掘结合起来。该方法旨在调查：1.周西岛的维持区和卫星人口；2.农业特征；3.晚期聚落和市中心。将通过测绘、测试和地面采集来收集沉降数据。将绘制该定居点的等高线地图。并将对聚落区域内10%至20%的结构进行挖掘。在整个项目中，挖掘机将回收花粉样本、人类和非人类的骨头、碳、土壤、浮选样本和岩屑。这些生态遗址将允许重建史前环境，并为玛雅人对其使用提供洞察。考古学家一直把重点放在玛雅人的史前，因为这些群体分布在热带中美洲的大片低地，创造了一种文明，在今天只有少数人居住的地区支持和融合了大量的个人。有证据表明，在古典主义时期达到顶峰后，人口密度和社会融合水平迅速下降，文字停止，没有建造新的纪念性建筑。Chau Hiix在玛雅人的高潮时期和衰落之后都被占领了，通过仔细的检查，皮伯恩博士将对这一过程的两个方面都有深入的了解。她假设玛雅农民被组织成小农户团体，这是有效的生产单位，国家对他们的干预为玛雅社会的解体提供了动力。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据。它将为热带低地地区人与环境的相互作用以及复杂社会的兴衰提供新的线索。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Anne Pyburn will conduct three seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the Mayan site of Chau Hiix located in Belize. The site was discovered in 1990 and is of special interest because it is located between the well documented sites of Lamanai and Altun Ha, themselves only 40 km apart. Chau Hiix contains about 25 large structures located on and around its central platform, the largest of which is 20 meters in height. The outlying settlement area contains a continuous scatter of platform groups and small mounds interrupted in at least 4 places by clusters of larger buildings on platforms. Dr. Pyburn and her collaborators will map the distribution of ancient features in and around Chau Hiix during three seasons combining mapping and test excavation of the settlement area with excavation in the central precinct. The methodology is designed to investigate: 1. Chau Hiix's sustaining area and satellite populations; 2. agricultural features; 3. late period settlement and civic center. Settlement data will be collected by mapping, testpitting, and surface collection. A contour map of the settlement will be constructed. and a sample of 10 to 20% of the structures in the settlement area will be excavated. Throughout the project excavators will recover pollen samples, human and non-human bone, carbon, soil, flotation samples and lithic debitage. The ecofacts will permit reconstruction of the prehistoric environment and provide insight into Mayan use of it. Archaeologists have focused on the prehistory of the Mayan peoples because these groups, spread over large portions of lowland tropical Middle America, created a civilization which supported and incorporated large numbers of individuals in regions which are today inhabited only by small numbers of people. Evidence indicates that following a high point during the Classic period, levels of population density and social integration declined rapidly and that writing ceased and no new monumental architecture was constructed. Chau Hiix was occupied during both the Mayan climax and following decline and through careful examination, Dr. Pyburn will gain insight into both aspects of this process. She hypothesizes that Mayan farmers were organized into smallholder groups which were effective productive units and that state interference with them provided the impetus for the disintegration of Mayan society. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed new light into human - environment interaction in tropical lowland regions and into the rise and decline of complex societies.