Dissertation Research: The Domestic Use of Mound Sites: Implications for Inequality in Hopewell Households

在Jeffrey Hantman博士的指导下，Adrienne Lazazzera女士将为她的博士论文收集数据。在过去的一年里，Lazazzera女士在古堡遗址进行了考古挖掘，在NSF的支持下，她将获得放射性碳年代和分析植物遗骸的合同。她还将研究霍普韦尔其他网站的比较材料。古堡位于俄亥俄州小迈阿密河畔的悬崖上，始建于公元前200年至公元400年，是一座位于中林地山顶的土方工程。超过3英里的土墙包围了大约100英亩的土地。尽管古堡建造了几百年，但它被认为是不朽的建筑，因为它的建设需要将山顶本身广泛夷为平地，并扩大高原的一部分，以适应遗址的建筑计划。根据对霍普韦尔其他遗址的研究，大多数考古学家认为它们主要是用于仪式功能，因为经常有大的墓穴和精心制作的墓葬物品。虽然古堡的工作发现了一个大型的骨葬，以及覆盖着石头的坟墓和其他仪式活动的迹象，但研究人员也发现了家庭成员占据土方内部的确凿证据。这一发现是极其出乎意料的，因此使该遗址具有极大的考古价值。尽管遗址的挖掘有望在1996年夏天完成，许多材料已经分析完毕，但仍有必要获得遗址内不同特征的绝对日期，并分析植物遗骸。后者允许重建环境和饮食，并提供了对占领季节的洞察。霍普韦尔文化对考古学家来说是一个谜。它标志着北美复杂社会发展的早期阶段，即使在发掘了许多遗址的情况下，这个史前社会是如何构成的也不清楚。大量的土方工程，如古堡和与贵重贸易物品相关的精心埋葬，表明了一个由酋长或精英组成的分层社会的存在，他们可以指挥和控制劳动力。然而，对居住地的挖掘没有提供这种分层的证据，因为家庭单位有相同范围的材料。在最近的古堡研究之前，考古学家们一直认为，大型土方/土丘遗址并不是居住的重点，它们只起到特殊目的和仪式功能。古堡假想的居住地的发现现在极大地改变了这种情况。如果存在居住地，这表明分层社会模式是正确的。Lazazzera女士的工作帮助解决了这个问题。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，并为了解美国史前一个重要但鲜为人知的时期提供新的线索。它将增加对复杂社会如何发展的理解，并帮助培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Hantman, MS Adrienne Lazazzera will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. For the past year MS Lazazzera has conducted archaeological excavation at the site of Fort Ancient, and with NSF support she will obtain radiocarbon dates and contract for the analysis of botanical remains. She will also study comparative materials from other Hopewell sites. Fort Ancient is a Middle Woodland hilltop earthwork which dates from ca. 200 BC to 400 AD and is situated on the bluffs above the Little Miami River in Ohio. Over 3 miles of earthen walls enclose approximately 100 acres. Although it was built over several hundred years, Fort Ancient is properly considered monumental architecture since its construction necessitated extensive leveling of the hilltop itself and extending portions of the plateau to accommodate the site's architectural plan. Based on work at other Hopewell sites, most archaeologists believe that they served primarily ritual functions since large burial mounds and elaborate grave items are often present. While work at Fort Ancient has uncovered a large ossuary burial as well as stone covered graves and indications of other ritual activities, the researchers have also discovered solid evidence for occupation of the interior of the earthwork by domestic family groups. This finding is extremely unexpected and thus makes the site of great archaeological interest. Although the excavation of the site will, hopefully, be completed in the summer of 1996 and many of the materials have been analyzed, it is still necessary to obtain absolute dates for different features within the site and to analyze the botanical remains. These latter permit reconstruction of both environment and diet and provide insight into the seasons of occupation The Hopewell culture has proven an enigma to archaeologists. It marks an early stage in the development of complex society in North America and it is unclear, even with many sites excavated, how this prehistoric society was structured. Extensive earthworks such as Fort Ancient and associated elaborate burials with precious trade goods suggest the presence of a stratified society with chiefs or elites which could command and control labor. However excavation of habitation sites has not provided evidence of such stratification since domestic units have the same range of material present. Until the recent Fort Ancient research, archaeologists had believed that large earthwork/mound sites were not the focus for habitation and that they served special purpose and ritual functions only. The discovery of supposed habitation sites at Fort Ancient now substantially changes this picture. If habitations were present this suggests that a stratified society model is correct. MS Lazazzera's work with help to solve this question. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and shed new light on an important but poorly understood period of American prehistory. It will increase understanding of how complex societies develop and assist in training a promising young scientist.