Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Pilgrimage and the Rise of Cahokia

人类学关注的和当代相关的一个问题涉及将个人联系在一起形成有效运作的社会单位的因素。非常明显的是，在当今世界，宗教可能是一个重要因素。考古学有能力随着时间的推移追踪这种过程的发展，本提案侧重于一个具体的案例研究。朝圣是整个古代世界城市崛起的重要组成部分。然而，在卡霍基亚的崛起中，它从未被认真考虑过，卡霍基亚是墨西哥北部最大的丘陵中心，也是北美唯一的前哥伦布城市。然而，最近的证据表明，朝圣可能与它的崛起有关。首先，大约在公元1050年左右，卡霍基亚与一种新的宗教一起兴起，其中包括一系列新的神灵和神话祖先，新的埋葬方式，以及有意将整个风景与天体事件保持一致。其次，卡霍基亚的人口在这个时候达到顶峰，部分原因是来自整个中西部的非本地群体的涌入。最后，卡霍基亚以东20公里处的几个土丘中心似乎由一系列古老的道路连接起来，并展示了特别排列的土丘和宗教结构。因此，确定翡翠遗址朝圣的考古证据，其中最大的遗址，特别是可以追溯到公元1050年左右的遗址，将表明朝圣确实是卡霍基亚崛起的关键部分。为此，B·雅各布·斯科森将对从翡翠遗址到卡霍基亚的一段可能的哥伦布前公路进行磁力测量和有针对性的挖掘。他还将在Emerald最大的土堆上进行有限的挖掘，并分析以前从该遗址挖掘的房屋和垃圾坑中的文物。这些活动的目的是确定朝圣的考古证据，并确定朝圣发生的时间。具体地说，磁力勘测和挖掘将核实道路的存在，并确定其材料特征和年代，因为修建宽阔、过度笔直的道路往往是为了方便朝圣。挖掘将揭示翡翠最大的土丘的建造技术和年表，因为朝圣中心经常展示分阶段建造的纪念性建筑，代表着朝圣者共同的、周期性的努力。最后，对以前出土的房屋、陶器和石器文物的分析将验证占领的时间、持续时间和强度，因为朝圣中心的特点是短暂和短期的占领。此外，这些分析将确定是否存在非本地陶器、石器和房屋建筑风格，这将表明是否有非本地群体居住在该遗址，这也是朝圣中心的特征。这项研究的影响将远远超出本项目的范围。首先，这些发现将试图阐明朝圣和宗教在古代北美乃至整个世界城市崛起中的作用。此外，从这些挖掘中找到的材料将在斯科森的监督下，用于向伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的本科生教授标准考古分析技术。也许最重要的是，这个项目的当地讲座和演讲将激发人们对伊利诺伊州前哥伦布时代遗产的更多兴趣和认识。这些演讲还寻求鼓励与当地个人和团体讨论如何更好地管理和保护古代遗址和道路，因为这些重要资源正被建设项目、现代农业做法和忽视积极根除。

A question of concern to anthropology and of contemporary relevance involves the factors which bind individuals together into effective functioning social units. It is abundantly evident that in the world today religion can be one important factor. Archaeology has the ability to trace the development of such processes over time and this proposal focuses on one specific case study. Pilgrimage was an essential component in the rise of cities throughout the ancient world. However, it has never been seriously considered in the rise of Cahokia, the largest mound center north of Mexico and the only pre-Columbian city in North America. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that pilgrimage may have been associated with its rise. First, Cahokia rose in tandem with a new religion circa AD 1050, which involved a new suite of deities and mythical ancestors, new burial practices, and the intentional alignment of entire landscapes to celestial events. Second, Cahokia's population peaked at this time, stimulated in part by an influx of non-local groups from throughout the Midwest. Finally, several mound centers 20 km east of Cahokia were seemingly connected by a series of ancient roadways and exhibited specially aligned mounds and religious structures. Thus, identifying archaeological evidence of pilgrimage at the Emerald site, the largest of these sites, particularly dating to around AD 1050, will show that pilgrimage was indeed a critical part of Cahokia's rise.To this end, B. Jacob Skousen will perform magnetic surveys and targeted excavations on sections of a possible pre-Columbian roadway that stretches from the Emerald site to Cahokia. He will also perform limited excavations on Emerald's largest mound and analyze the artifacts from previously excavated houses and trash pits from the site. The goal of these activities is to identify archaeological evidence of pilgrimages and determine when they occurred. Specifically, the magnetic survey and excavations will verify the existence of the roadway and determine its material characteristics and chronology, as wide, overly-straight roads are often built to facilitate pilgrimages. Excavations will reveal the construction techniques and chronology of Emerald's largest mound, as pilgrimage centers often exhibit monumental architecture built in stages, representing the joint, periodic efforts of pilgrims. Finally, analyses of the houses, pottery vessels, and stone tool artifacts from previous excavations will verify the chronology, duration, and intensity of occupation, as pilgrimage centers are marked by ephemeral and short-term occupation. Furthermore, these analyses will determine if non-local pottery, lithic tools, and house construction styles were present, which will suggest whether non-local groups inhabited the site, again a characteristic of pilgrimage centers.The impacts of this research will extend far beyond the scope of this project. First, the findings will seek to shed light on the role of pilgrimage and religion in the rise of cities not only in ancient North American but throughout the world. Furthermore, the materials recovered from these excavations will be used to teach undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign standard archaeological analysis techniques under the supervision of Skousen. Perhaps most importantly, local talks and presentations of this project will stimulate more interest in and awareness of Illinois's pre-Columbian heritage. These presentations also seek to stimulate discussions with local individuals and groups on ways to better manage and preserve ancient sites and roadways, as these vital resources are actively being eradicated by construction projects, modern agricultural practices, and neglect.