Dissertation Research: An Investigation of Land, Water Use, and Social Organization at Guijarral, NW Belize

在E. Willis Andrews博士的指导下，Paul Hughbanks先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。休班克斯先生已经在位于伯利兹西北部的玛雅遗址吉贾拉尔进行了两个季节的实地考古研究。迄今为止的挖掘表明，它在古典玛雅时期就有人居住。场地本身位于一个小流域的顶部，包含许多与水管理明显相关的景观特征。这些梯田包括等高线梯田和小规模的跨水道梯田。土/石脊平行和横跨斜坡轮廓，似乎是为了引导水流而建造的，而且还发现了一个明显的水库。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，休班克斯先生将进行额外的实地考察，以完成这项测绘工作，并挖掘一系列居住结构。他希望确定治水发生的社会背景，通过挖掘和分析收集到的文物，他既可以确定家庭居民的相对地位，也可以确定地位与治水之间的关系。想要了解复杂社会是如何发展的考古学家经常把注意力集中在社会组织和对稀缺资源的控制之间的关系上。据推测，在近东地区，早期文明的兴起与灌溉系统的发展密切相关，而地位较高的祭司阶层的核心职能是控制水的分配。在中美洲的许多地方，水是一种稀缺资源，与水有关的特征，如在吉贾拉尔观察到的特征都存在。休班克斯先生希望通过对该地点的空间分析来确定家庭地位和水管理之间的关联程度。由于该地点相对较小，占地约45公顷，它为这类研究提供了一个很好的背景。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。它将为人类与环境的相互作用提供新的视角，并有助于培养一名有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. E. Willis Andrews, Mr. Paul Hughbanks will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. Mr. Hughbanks has conducted two field seasons of archaeological research at Guijarral, a Mayan site located in Northwestern Belize. Excavations to date indicate that it was occupied during the Classic Mayan period. The site itself is located in the head of a small watershed and contains numerous landscape features apparently related to water management. These include both contour terracing and small scale cross-channel terraces. Earth/stone ridges which run both parallel and across slope contours appear constructed to channel water flow and an apparent reservoir has also been located. With support from the National Science Foundation Mr. Hughbanks will conduct an additional field season to complete this mapping work and to excavate a series of habitation structures. He wishes to determine the social context within which water control occurred and through excavation and analysis of artifacts collected, he can both determine the relative status of household inhabitants and the relationship between status and water control. Archaeologists who wish to understand how complex societies developed have often focused on the relationship between social organization and the control of scarce resources. It has been postulated that in the Near East the rise of early civilizations is intimately associated with the development of irrigation systems and that the central function of the high status priestly class was to control water distribution. In many parts of Middle America water is a scarce resource and water related features such as those observed at Guijarral are present. Mr. Hughbanks wants to determine through spatial analysis of the site the extent to which household status and water management are related. Because the site is relatively small, covering ca. 45 hectares, it provides an excellent context for this kind of study. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will shed new light on human-environment interactions and assist in training a promising young scientist.