Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Development Of Hierarchy In Emergent Complex Societies

这项研究的中心目标是了解在传统社会中，社会结构是如何受到战争的影响的。当一个社会处于这样的压力下时，是强调了阶级和经济界限，增加了社会结构差异，还是存在差异的拉平？考古学提供了一种方法，通过在很长一段时间内跟踪这一过程来获得洞察力。在温迪·阿什莫尔博士的监督下，科比·法拉将在墨西哥埃斯塔多州萨尔托坎的一处精英住宅进行考古挖掘和分析。萨尔托坎湖位于墨西哥北部盆地的一个人工岛上，以前是一个浅水湖(萨尔托坎湖)。人种史记录表明，夏尔托坎由奥托米人在11世纪建立，一直是奥托米城邦的首都，直到14世纪末被库赫蒂特兰和阿斯卡特波扎尔科的特帕内克人联盟征服。法拉赫女士的研究将集中于在萨尔托坎征服(约公元1100-1400年)之前的几个世纪里，萨尔托坎精英阶层的身份形成和国内空间实践。在此期间，萨尔托坎处于权力的顶峰，不断卷入地区冲突。使用为进行家庭考古而开发的方法和理论，这项研究将确定阶级如何影响夏尔托坎的日常生活实践。历史记录中大量提到了统治萨尔托坎数世纪的强大的尺子，然而到目前为止，还没有在精英空间进行密集的考古研究。这项研究将为了解萨尔托坎精英在国内的做法提供亟需的洞察，并将有助于确定这些做法如何随着时间的推移而变化，以应对不断升级的地区战争。除更传统的宏观人工分析外，隔离活动区域的方法，包括土壤化学和微人工分析，将使人们能够对空间做法有细微差别的理解。此外，放射性碳和相关测年技术(使用Xaltocan极其精细的陶瓷年代学)有助于我们了解精英做法是如何随着时间的推移而变化的。从这项研究中收集的数据将与现有的关于萨尔托坎平民家庭的数据和墨西哥盆地其他后古典精英住宅的数据相比较。通过这些比较，这个项目寻求新的方法来研究精英如何管理他们作为地方领导人和地区精英的双重角色。这项研究具有重要意义，因为它将为研究阶级关系和身份形成提供一个与世界各地的考古项目相关的比较模型。该项目的结果将产生超出上述主题的更广泛的影响。这项研究是Farah女士研究生培训的一个组成部分，还将纳入Escuela Nacional de Antropología e历史系的墨西哥学生。该项目将为这些学生提供实地培训(墨西哥的学位要求)，并促进国际合作。该项目的结果将在美国国内同行评议的出版物中传播，墨西哥学者将以年度和最终项目报告的形式向INAH提供。该项目还将通过提供实地参观和讲座、策划博物馆展品、每周在当地博物馆张贴项目最新情况以及以西班牙语分发研究成果，积极吸引当地社区的参与。这些努力将使目前的考古发现更容易获得，从而使萨尔托坎的居民能够了解他们的当地遗产。这一模式以当地社区的利益为中心，广泛适用于世界各地的考古项目，以及任何对当地社区有影响的研究工作。

The central goal of this research is to understand how, in traditional societies, social structure is affected by warfare. When a society is under such stress are class and economic boundaries emphasized and societal structural differences increased or is there a leveling of difference? Archaeology provides a means to gain insight by following the process across an extended period of time. Under the supervision of Dr. Wendy Ashmore, Kirby Farah will perform archaeological excavations and analyses at an elite residence in Xaltocan, Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Xaltocan is located in the northern Basin of Mexico on a human-made island in what was formerly a shallow, brackish lake (Lake Xaltocan). The ethnohistorical record indicates that Xaltocan was founded in the 11th century by Otomí speakers and served as the capital of the Otomí city-state until the end of the 14th century when it was conquered by an alliance between Cuauhtitlan and the Tepanecs of Azcatpotzalco. Ms. Farah's research will focus on identity formation and domestic spatial practices of the elite at Xaltocan in the centuries leading up to Xaltocan's conquest (ca. AD 1100-1400). During this period Xaltocan was at the height of its power and constantly entangled in regional conflict. Using methods and theory developed for doing household archaeology, this research will determine how class impacted everyday life practices at Xaltocan. The historical record contains numerous references to the powerful rulers that controlled Xaltocan for centuries, however to date there has been no intensive archaeological research performed at elite spaces. This research will provide much needed insight into the domestic practices of Xaltocan's elite and will help determine how these practices changed over time in response to escalating regional warfare. Methodologies for isolating activity areas including soil chemical and microartifact analyses, in addition to more conventional macroartifact analyses will enable a nuanced understanding of spatial practices. In addition, radiocarbon and relative dating techniques (using the extremely refined ceramic chronology from Xaltocan) contribute to our knowledge of how elite practices changed over time. Data gleaned from this research will be comparable to extant data on commoner households at Xaltocan and to other Postclassic elite residences in the Basin of Mexico. Through these comparisons, this project pursues new ways to examine how elites managed their dual roles as local leaders and regional elites. This research is significant because it will provide a comparative model for studying class relations and identity formation that is pertinent for archaeological projects worldwide.The results of this project will have broader impacts beyond the topics outlined above. This research is an integral component of Ms. Farah's graduate student training and will also incorporate Mexican students from the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia. The project will provide these students with in-field training (a degree requirement in Mexico) and fosters international cooperation. Results of this project will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications within the US and will be accessible to Mexican scholars in the form of annual and final project reports to INAH. This project will also actively involve the local community by providing site tours and lectures, curating museum exhibits, posting weekly project updates at the local museum, and by distributing research results in Spanish. Such efforts will empower residents of Xaltocan to learn about their local heritage by making current archaeological findings more accessible. This model, wherein the interest of local communities is a central priority, is broadly applicable for archaeological projects worldwide, and for any research endeavors that have implications for local communities.