Dissertation: Social Complexity, Religious Organization, and Mortuary Ritual at the Prehispanic Site of Paquime', Chihuahua, Mexico

在Jane Buikstra博士的指导下，Gordon Rakita先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他的研究目标是研究宗教控制和相关仪式在史前复杂社会组织中的作用。考古学家已经认识到，随着群体从狩猎和采集转变为农业生存基地，更丰富的食物供应导致了群体规模和人口密度的增加。这种模式在世界范围内都有发生。在西南部，早期复杂社会的寿命相对较短。村庄只存在了几代人，随之而来的是人口的重新分配。只有当宗教活动的证据增加时，才会出现长期稳定。然而，尚不清楚这种宗教结构对个人的控制力，以及宗教实践在多大程度上影响了日常生活。Rakita先生根据人种学数据和理论工作认为，宗教专家促成了一种统一的信仰和习俗结构，这种结构有助于将个人纳入一个受控制的运作单位。他认为，其结果是一个等级结构的社会，各阶层之间有明确的分工，每个阶层内部都是统一的。为了验证这个想法，他将研究美国西南部和邻近的北方墨西哥的一大群人类墓葬。我的多位研究人员挖掘出了最大的一组来自于墨西哥奇瓦瓦州的帕奎姆的前西班牙遗址。这个复杂的大城市代表了西南复杂性的高度。Rakita先生将在此之前添加样本以及邻近区域的接触后材料，以监测随时间的变化。他将检查墨西哥和美国相关存放处的记录，并记录一系列变量，如尸体的位置和处理以及相关的坟墓祭品。通过研究变异，应该可以确定不同的地点群是否随着时间的推移而出现，以及每个地点群内的变异是否像他预测的那样减少。这将有助于理解宗教和仪式在史前社会组织中的作用，以及随着群体规模的增加，这种作用是如何变化的。它将提供对新世界考古学的深入了解，并在许多考古情况下产生潜在适用性的有用分析工具。它还将协助培养一名有前途的青年科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Jane Buikstra Mr. Gordon Rakita will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. The goal of his research is to examine the role of religious control and associated ritual in the organization of prehistoric complex societies. Archaeologists have recognized that as groups changed from a hunting and gathering to an agricultural subsistence base a more abundant food supply resulted in increase in group size and population density. This pattern occurs on a world wide basis. In the Southwest early complex societies had relatively short life spans. Villages lasted for only several generations and were followed by population redistribution. Only when evidence for religious activity increases does longer term stability appear. It is unclear however what control such religious structures held over individuals and to what degree religious practice affected daily life. Based on ethnographic data and theoretical work Mr. Rakita believes that religious specialists fostered a uniform structure of beliefs and practices which served to incorporate individuals into a controlled functioning unit. He believes that the result was a hierarchical structured society with defined divisions between levels and uniformity within each. To test this idea he will study a large group of human burials from the US Southwest and adjacent Northern Mexico. Excavated my multiple researchers the largest group derives from the prehispanic site of Paquime in Chihuahua Mexico. This large complex city represents the height of Southwest complexity. Mr. Rakita will add to this sample earlier as well as post contact materials from adjacent regions to monitor change over time. He will examine records in relevant depositories in both Mexico and the U.S. and record a range of variables such as position and treatment of the body as well as associated grave offerings. By examining variation it should be possible to determine whether distinct in site groupings emerge over time and whether variation within each decreases as he predicts.This research is important for several reasons. It will help to understand the role of religion and ritual in the organization of prehistoric societies and how this changes as group size increases. It will provide insight into the archaeology of the New World and yield a useful analytic tool of potential applicability in many archaeological situations. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.