Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Woodstock: Understanding Subsistence, Settlement, and Socio-Political Change in the Late Woodland Southeast

美国东南部土著居民在伍德兰晚期末期和公元1000年左右密西西比时期开始时经历的戏剧性文化变化，代表着该地区文化复杂性发展的重要一步。当时，以分散的政治制度和以个人成就为基础的社会地位等级为特征的晚期伍德兰部落，转变为以中央集权政治制度(控制多个社区的中央权威)和精英地位从出生起就继承的等级社会组织为代表的酋长制度。这些变化发生的原因和过程多年来一直受到考古学家的争论，很可能适用于世界其他地区类似类型的文化变化。这个项目将考虑以土丘为中心的行政中心周围的聚居地的地理集群，这是密西西比时期的特征，也是政治集中化的标志。在David J.Hally博士的监督下，Julie Markin将在州考古数据库中搜索佐治亚州北部伍德兰晚期和过渡伍德斯托克时期(公元800-1000年)遗址聚集的证据，该数据库包含40,000个遗址。对伍德兰晚期和/或伍德斯托克时期遗址聚集性的测定可能表明，促成密西西比州酋长制度兴起的重大变化是现有部落内中央集权政治机构的发展，消除了酋长制度是通过胁迫或征服邻近部落而产生的论点。由于生存的变化不仅影响饮食适应，而且影响社会和政治复杂性，识别食物生产策略的变化对于理解密西西比文化的兴起也很重要。为此，马金还将分析佐治亚州北部伍德斯托克阶段遗址的植物学收藏品和陶器形状，以确定集约玉米农业是在当时还是在密西西比时期后期发展起来的。这个项目的重要性是双重的。首先，它将为理解政治变化提供基础，这些变化导致了密西西比州酋长领地的总体发展，以及世界各地酋长领地类型社会政治复杂性的上升。其次，除了它将在学术界产生的影响外，这项研究也很重要，因为它将通过公共宣传项目为业余爱好者和本科生提供了解考古学的机会。到目前为止，马金已经指导了两所本科野外学校和1300个小时的志愿者在伍德斯托克阶段遗址进行挖掘和调查。志愿者和本科生将继续被包括在这个项目中。最后，这项研究将通过公开演讲(专业会议、学校项目、非营利性考古志愿者协会)和数据的发布向学术界和非学术界开放，以进一步开发数据库，考古学家可以从数据库中了解在这一过渡时期发生的许多变化。

The dramatic cultural changes experienced by the native inhabitants of the Southeastern United States at the end of the Late Woodland period and the beginning of the Mississippian period around A.D. 1000 represent a major step in the development of cultural complexity in the region. At that time, Late Woodland tribes, characterized by decentralized political systems and a social status hierarchy based on personal achievement, changed to chiefdoms typified by centralized political systems (a central authority controlling multiple communities) and a hierarchical social organization in which elite status was inherited at birth. The causes and processes by which these changes took place have been debated by archaeologists for years and are probably applicable to similar types of culture change in other parts of the world.This project will consider the geographical clustering of settlements around administrative centers with earthen mounds, a pattern that is characteristic of the Mississippian period and indicative of political centralization. Under the supervision of Dr. David J. Hally, Julie Markin will search for evidence of site clustering in northern Georgia during the Late Woodland period and transitional Woodstock phase (A.D. 800-1000) in the State's archaeological database of 40,000 sites. Determination of site clustering during the Late Woodland period and/or Woodstock phase may indicate that the significant change enabling the rise of Mississippian chiefdoms was the development of centralized political institutions within existing tribes, eliminating the argument that chiefdoms arose through the coercion or conquest of neighboring tribes.As changes in subsistence affect not only dietary adaptations, but also social and political complexity, identification of changes in food production strategies is also important for understanding the rise of Mississippian culture. To this end, Markin will also analyze botanical collections and pottery vessel forms from Woodstock phase sites across northern Georgia to determine whether intensive maize agriculture developed at that time or later in the Mississippian period.The importance of this project is twofold. First, it will provide a foundation for understanding the political changes that led to the development of Mississippian chiefdoms in general and the rise of political complexity in chiefdom type societies around the world. Second, in addition to the impacts it will have in the academic community, this research is important for the opportunities it will provide for amateurs and undergraduates to learn about archaeology through public outreach projects. To this point, Markin has directed two undergraduate field schools and 1300 volunteer hours of excavation and survey at Woodstock phase sites. Volunteers and undergraduates will continue to be included in this project.Finally, this research will be accessible to academic and non-academic communities through public presentations (professional conferences, school programs, non-profit archaeological volunteer societies) and publication of the data to further develop the database from which archaeologists can understand the many changes that occurred during this period of transition.