Dissertation: The Role of Long-Distance, Interregional Exchange in Archaic State Formation, Peru

在Charles Stanish博士的指导下，Aimee Plourde女士将获得放射性碳定年法，以确定在秘鲁万坎-普蒂纳山谷野外工作期间发现的材料的年龄。在六个星期的时间里，Plourde女士在Cachichupa遗址进行了挖掘，根据其战略位置，大规模的梯田和大型企业建筑是公元前1100年至公元400年形成时期的主要地点。通过将卡丘帕的陶瓷与邻近地区的陶瓷进行比较，有可能在一定程度上确定该遗址在这1500年的时间跨度内的位置，但更准确的位置需要放射性碳年代测定。Plourde女士和她的顾问的工作目标是了解导致安第斯地区复杂的国家级社会兴起的因素。虽然许多人都熟悉印加帝国，但事实上，印加帝国是一系列这样的实体中的最后一个，第一个在高地的的喀喀湖盆地发展起来。虽然任何单一的原因都不可能被孤立，但许多考古学家认为，贸易和对基本资源流动的控制导致了权力的集中和等级组织社会的发展。Plourde和Stanish注意到的的喀喀卡盆地内的一个特殊地点Pukara的早期扩张，其位置毗邻向东通往亚马逊低地的一条重要路线。他们假设这个地点控制着重要低地货物的贸易，为了验证这一观点，他们沿着假设的路线进行了调查，试图找到与普卡拉有关的地点。他们认为Cachichupa就是其中之一。然而，如果没有对其年龄的精确了解，就不可能将其安全地纳入更广泛的发育序列。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供对新世界国家一级社会兴起的洞察，并阐明这一过程背后的因素。它还将帮助培训一名有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Charles Stanish, MS Aimee Plourde will obtain radiocarbon dates to determine the ages of material recovered during the course of fieldwork in the Huancane-Putina Valley in Peru. Over the course of six weeks, MS Plourde excavated at the site of Cachichupa which, based on its strategic location, massive terracing and large scale corporate architecture was the dominant location during the Formative period from ca. 1100 BC - AD 400. Based on comparison of Cachichupa's ceramics with those of adjacent regions it is possible with some confidence, to situate the site within this broad 1500 year time span, but the necessary more accurate placement requires radiocarbon dates.The goal of the work by MS Plourde and her advisor is to understand the factors which led to the rise to complex state level societies in the Andean region. While many are familiar with the Inca Empire, this in fact was the last in a series of such entities, the first of which developed in the highland Lake Titicaca Basin. While it is unlikely that any single cause can be isolated, many archaeologists believe that trade and control over the movement of essential resources led to the concentration of power and the development of hierarchically organized societies. Plourde and Stanish noted the early expansion of one particular site, Pukara, within the Titicaca Basin and its location adjacent to an important route which leads East towards the lowland Amazon. They postulated that the site controlled trade in important lowland goods and to test this idea they surveyed along the hypothesized route in an attempt to locate Pukara related sites. Cachichupa, they believe constitutes one such occurrence. However without precise knowledge of its age, it is not possible to fit it securely into a broader developmental sequence.This research is important for several reasons. It will provide insight into the rise of state level society in the New World and shed light on the factors which underlie this process. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.