Dissertation: Mississippian Household Organizational Dynamics in the Era of Moundville's Consolidation

在Vincas Steponaitis博士的指导下，Gregory Wilson先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。1939年和1940年，在位于阿拉巴马州黑战士谷的蒙德维尔遗址进行了大规模的考古发掘，威尔逊先生和他的同事将对这些数据进行分析，以回答有关他的部落是如何组织起来的一些具体问题。虽然史前北美文化没有达到国家级别的组织，但在许多情况下，出现了将成千上万的个人整合成功能性社会和政治单位的酋长领地。顾名思义，蒙德维尔遗址包括一系列视觉上令人印象深刻的大型土丘，这些土丘证明了在一段持续的时间内招募和组织大量劳动力的能力。考古学家希望了解这种复杂的社会是如何发展和维持的。对这些土丘本身进行了大量的研究，数据表明，它们既是埋葬土丘，也是建造建筑物的平台。当地买不到的外来物品反映了一个发达的长途贸易体系，这些符号很可能加强了社会组织的等级制度。然而，对于蒙德维尔的大多数居民是如何生活的，他们之间的差异程度，以及他们是如何融入更大的社会体系的，人们了解得相对较少。威尔逊先生的研究将解决这些问题。1939年和1940年进行的大规模发掘发现了许多非土丘结构的遗迹和相关的文物，如陶瓷、石器和动物骨头。威尔逊和他的合作者将利用地理信息系统绘制出它们的空间分布，确定单个的家庭单位，并重建它们的活动。例如，他希望确定食物储存设施是否与每一个相关，因为这将提供对重要资源的集中控制与家族控制的见解。他还将检查单位之间的分化程度，看看在这一层次上是否存在地位差异。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将深入了解美洲原住民的史前历史以及复杂社会发展的基础过程。它将为考古学家和公众提供感兴趣的数据，并帮助培养一名有前途的科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Vincas Steponaitis, Mr Gregory Wilson will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. In 1939 and 1940 large scale archaeological excavations were conducted at the site of Moundville, located in the Black Warrior Valley of Alabama and Mr Wilson and colleagues will analyze this data to answer a number of specific questions about how his chiefdom was organized. Although no prehistoric North American culture reached a state level of organization, in many cases chiefdoms arose which integrated multiple thousands of individuals into functioning social and political units. As the name implies, the site of Moundville includes a series of large visually impressive mounds which testify to the ability to enlist and organize a large amount of labor over a sustained period of time. Archaeologists wish to understand how such complex societies developed and were maintained. Considerable research has been conducted on the mounds themselves and data indicate that they served both as burial mounds and as platforms on which structures were erected. Exotic items not locally available reflect a well developed system of long distance trade and these symbols likely reinforced a hierarchical system of social organization. Relatively little however is understood about how the majority of Moundville inhabitants lived, the degree of differentiation among them or how they were integrated into the larger social system. Mr. Wilson's research will address these issues. The large scale excavations conducted in the 1939 and 1940 uncovered remains of many non-mound structures and associated artifacts such as ceramics, stone tools and animal bones. Mr. Wilson and his collaborators will plot their spatial distribution using a geographic information system, identify individual domestic units and reconstruct activities conducted. For example he wishes to determine whether food storage facilities are associated with each since this will provide insight into centralized vs. familial control of an essential resource. He will also examine the degree of differentiation among units to see if status differences are present at this level.This research is important for several reasons. It will provide insight into Native American prehistory and the processes which underlie the development of complex societies. It will provide data of interest to both archaeologists and the general public and assist in training a promising scientist.