Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Mayan Exchange Mechanisms, Consumption and Household Provisioning Strategies

在Christopher A.Pool博士的监督下，Christopher M.Gunn将对古代玛雅遗址Kiuic的陶器收藏品进行分析。这是一个中型社区，位于尤卡坦半岛西北部的普伊克丘陵地区。从公元600年左右开始，Kiuic社区经历了一个紧张而快速的发展时期，在这个时期，新的家庭成立，现有的家庭扩大，新的公共建筑开始。然而，到了大约公元1000年，基乌伊克政体已经被放弃，留下了几个最大的建筑项目没有完成。这项研究的重点是基乌伊克社区的扩展和衰落所涉及的社会进程如何影响家庭经济。家庭经济为政治进程提供了一个重要的窗口，主要原因有两个。首先，所有社会的家庭--无论是现在的还是过去的--都依赖外部交流来生存。家庭之间的经济互动提供家庭所需的商品，并促进社区融合。其次，家庭在其社区中的社会经济地位直接影响其成员使用的交换关系的类型。最小的地位差异鼓励经济交流，这对参与的家庭来说是互惠互利的。当社会经济地位的差异较大时，较富裕的家庭往往会操纵经济体系，为自己谋取利益。他们可以通过奖励支持他们制造或从其他地方进口的高价值物品的家庭来做到这一点，或者他们可以利用自己的权力向地位较低的家庭索要贡品或税收。这三种交易所都可能与当地精英家庭控制的市场并存。每一种交换都促进了经济一体化，但对精英和非精英之间的互动产生了不同的后果。虽然这项研究项目专门关注古代玛雅经济，但它提出了与经历经济增长和衰退周期的现代家庭相关的社区经济一体化问题。这个研究项目构成了冈恩博士论文研究的基础，他使用从Kiuic的几个家庭挖掘出来的更实用、更精致的陶器来测试排名相同的家庭之间、排名不平等的家庭之间以及通过市场进行交易的证据。研究结果将通过在肯塔基大学在线发表论文、发表在同行评议期刊上的文章以及在专业会议上提交的论文与学术界分享。冈恩的研究也是非营利组织Kaxil Kiuic A.C.更广泛的研究和教育目标的一部分。冈恩将与墨西哥陶瓷分析师合作，从而促进国际科学合作。这一合作的一部分将导致建立一个Kiuic的陶瓷参考收藏。这些藏品将存放在墨西哥的奥克斯库茨卡市，供在该地区工作的学生和研究人员使用。此外，冈恩还将准备一份关于陶器在古代玛雅家庭中的作用的电子演示文稿。这次演讲的重点是陶器在古代玛雅家庭中的作用，面向讲西班牙语和英语的普通观众。希望这次演讲将促进对尤卡坦半岛北部丰富的考古遗迹的更多欣赏，并鼓励人们反思研究古代社会以增进对现代社会的了解的价值。

Under the supervision of Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Christopher M. Gunn will conduct analyses of pottery collections from the ancient Maya site of Kiuic. This site was a mid-sized community located in the Puuc Hills region of the northwestern Yucatan Peninsula. Beginning around 600 AD, the Kiuic community underwent an intense and rapid period of growth in which new households were founded, established households were expanded, and new public architecture was begun. However, by approximately 1000 AD, the Kiuic polity had been abandoned, leaving several of the largest building projects unfinished. This research project focuses on how the social processes involved in the expansion and decline of the Kiuic community affected household economies.Household economies provide an important window on political processes for two primary reasons. First, households in all societies - present as well as past - rely on external exchanges to survive over time. Economic interaction among households provides the goods that households need, and fosters community integration. Second, a household's socioeconomic status in its community directly influences the kinds of exchange relationships its members use. Minimal differences in status encourage economic exchanges that are mutually beneficial for participating households. When differences in socioeconomic status are greater, wealthier households often manipulate economic systems to their advantage. They may do so by rewarding supporting households with high value items that they manufacture or import from other places, or they may use their power to demand tribute or taxes from lower ranking households. All three of these kinds of exchanges may exist alongside markets controlled by local elite households. Each of the kinds of exchange fosters economic integration, but has different consequences for interaction among elites and non-elites. Although this research project is specifically focused on ancient Maya economies, it raises issues of community economic integration that are relevant to modern households experiencing cycles of economic growth and decline. This research project forms the basis of Mr. Gunn's doctoral dissertation research, which uses utilitarian and more elaborate kinds of pottery excavated from several of Kiuic's households to test for evidence of exchanges among equally ranked households, among unequally ranked households, and through markets. Results of the research will be shared with the academic community through online publication of the dissertation at the University of Kentucky, through articles published in peer review journals, and in papers presented at professional meetings. Mr. Gunn's research also forms part of the broader research and educational objectives of the Kaxil Kiuic A.C. non-profit organization. Mr. Gunn will collaborate with Mexican ceramic analysts, thereby fostering international scientific collaboration. Part of this collaboration will result in the construction of a reference collection of Kiuic's ceramics. This collection will be housed in Oxkutzcab, Mexico, and will be available for students and researchers working in the region. In addition Mr. Gunn will prepare an electronic presentation on the role of pottery in ancient Maya households. This presentation will focus on the role of ceramics in ancient Maya households, and will be geared towards general Spanish and English speaking audiences. It is hoped that this presentation will foster greater appreciation of the abundant archaeological remains of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, and encourage reflection about the value of studying ancient societies to increase understanding of modern ones.