Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Examining an Ancient Urban Residential District; Excavations at Sector B, El Purgatorio, Peru

在艾伦·科拉塔（Alan Kolata）博士的指导下，大卫·帕西菲科（David Pacifico）先生将通过对古代房屋和其他社区建筑的考古发掘，调查前哥伦布时代城市El炼狱（El Purgatorio）一个住宅区的社会多样性。El Purgatorio位于秘鲁中北部海岸，大约在公元700年至1400年间是卡斯马文化的首都。作为这一时期该地区最大的考古遗址，El炼狱以其不朽的土坯房和广阔的住宅区而闻名。对古代安第斯城市的考古研究通常集中在与精英坟墓、寺庙和宫殿相关的纪念性地区。然而，这只提供了古代城市及其人口的部分视图。通过分析平民的住所和财产，Pacifico先生将提供另一种视角，揭示政治、经济和仪式如何在现场普通人的日常生活中具体化。虽然许多史前安第斯山脉城市的居民区已经被掠夺、农耕或侵蚀所破坏，但炼天城保存完好的居民区为研究史前城市中平民的性质和角色提供了理想的机会。这项研究解决了几个关于前哥伦布时期城市化的重要问题。例如，古代城市是否以社会多样性为特征？如果是这样，这种多样性的本质是什么？古代城市的居民是如何相互联系和互动的？由于炼狱村和卡斯玛文化直到最近才成为密集考古调查的焦点，帕西菲科先生的项目将阐明炼狱村日常生活的许多重要因素，包括生产活动、饮食选择、资源开发和仪式实践。在之前的两次实地考察中，帕西菲科对研究区域的建筑进行了分类，从小型石屋到庞大的住宅小区。为了研究社会多样性，挖掘工作将对每种类型的建筑进行取样，并对每种建筑类型的陶瓷、有机和其他遗迹进行比较。为了了解多样性是如何映射到古代邻里景观上的，我们将分析邻里布局和人工制品分布。最后，研究区域的数据将与El Purgatorio其他地方收集的材料进行比较，以检查研究区域的居民与生活在城市其他地区的居民之间的关系。作为一个古代城市家庭生活的案例研究，这些分析的结果将对我们理解El炼狱和卡斯玛文化有重要的贡献。更广泛地说，它将丰富我们对纪念性建筑所代表的政治和经济权力如何在普通人的日常生活中被物化、修改或拒绝的理解。通过研究古代城市社区的多样性，该项目将对城市社区和住宅区的性质进行更广泛的对话。该项目旨在对学院内外产生影响。它促进了国际合作，并通过雇用美国学生、秘鲁劳工和来自两国的考古学家，为实际学习考古技术提供了机会。此外，Pacifico先生将与当地教育机构合作，定期向非考古学家介绍该地区的史前史、考古科学和保护文化遗产的重要性。

Under the direction of Dr. Alan Kolata, Mr. David Pacifico will investigate social diversity in a residential district in the pre-Columbian city of El Purgatorio through archaeological excavations in ancient houses and other neighborhood structures. El Purgatorio is located on the north-central coast of Peru and was the capital city of the Casma culture from approximately AD 700 to AD 1400. As the largest archaeological site in its region during this time, El Purgatorio is notable for its monumental adobe buildings and its expansive residential sector. Archaeological research on ancient Andean cities has typically focused on monumental districts associated with elite tombs, temples and palaces. However, this provides only a partial view of ancient cities and their populations. By analyzing the residences and possessions of commoners Mr. Pacifico will provide an alternative perspective, revealing the way politics, economics, and rituals were materialized in the everyday lives of ordinary people at the site. While the residential districts of many prehistoric Andean cities have been destroyed by looting, farming, or erosion, El Purgatorio's well-preserved residential sector provides an ideal opportunity for investigating the nature and role of commoners in prehistoric cities. This research addresses several important questions about pre-Columbian urbanism. For example, were ancient cities characterized by social diversity? If so, what was the nature of that diversity? How did residents of ancient cities relate to each other and interact with one another? Because El Purgatorio and the Casma culture have only recently become the focus of intensive archaeological investigations, Mr. Pacifico's project will illuminate many important elements of daily life at El Purgatorio, including production activities, dietary choices, resource exploitation, and ritual practices. During two previous field seasons Mr. Pacifico classified the architecture in the study area, which ranged from small stone houses to sprawling residential compounds. In order to examine social diversity, excavations will sample each type of architecture and the ceramic, organic, and other remains from each architectural type will be compared. Neighborhood layout and artifact distribution will be analyzed in order to understand how diversity was mapped onto the ancient neighborhood's landscape. Finally, data from the study area will be compared with materials collected elsewhere at El Purgatorio in order to examine the relationship between the study area's residents and those living in other parts of the city.As a case study of domestic life in an ancient city the results of these analyses will contribute significantly to our understanding of El Purgatorio and the Casma culture. More broadly, it will enrich our understanding of how the political and economic power represented by monumental architecture was materialized, modified, or rejected in the everyday lives of ordinary people. By studying diversity in an ancient urban neighborhood, this project will articulate with wider dialogues about the nature of urban neighborhoods and residential districts through time.This project is designed to have an impact within and beyond the academy. It promotes international collaboration and provides an opportunity for hands-on learning of archaeological techniques by employing American students, Peruvian laborers, and archaeologists from both countries. Additionally, in conjunction with local educational institutions, Mr. Pacifico will give periodic presentations to non-archaeologists about the area's prehistory, archaeological science, and the importance of conserving cultural patrimony.