Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Pastoralist Economy And Social Organization

从狩猎采集到农业生产的转变给人类社会带来了前所未有的变革。在非洲，与世界上大多数地区不同的是，人们在开始种植农作物之前就开始饲养牛。基于动物放牧的生活方式在非洲仍然很重要，然而，这些策略如何以及为什么如此成功地传播仍然知之甚少。居住在肯尼亚南部的古代牧民的明显多样性为研究家庭一级交流在这一进程中的社会和经济作用提供了特别好的背景。该项目将通过研究如何在芒特山的采石场提取和准备交换，来审查黑铁矿(火山玻璃)采购网络的形成。埃布鲁。尽管这项研究的重点是过去的事件，但所获得的见解与当今的问题有关，因为牧民社会今天继续在东非许多地区相互作用，往往损害和平和人类福祉。这项研究将由研究生史蒂文·戈尔茨坦在菲奥娜·马歇尔博士的指导下进行。这一结果将成为他博士论文的基础。大约2000年前，从北部进入肯尼亚的牧民开始使用来自山上的独特的绿色火山玻璃。位于中央裂谷的Eburru，负责他们所有的工具生产。对这种黑铁矿的偏爱可能导致了一个区域交换网络的出现，当他们在整个地区传播时，将开拓性的牧民家庭联系起来。研究人们如何使用Eburru采石场提供了一个独特的机会，可以了解这些网络是如何发展起来的，并将有助于揭示它们在扩大非洲粮食生产方面的重要作用。戈尔茨坦将使用新兴的3D扫描技术来分析采石场的石器材料，重建这个重要地点的活动是如何组织的。通过将采石场的模式与肯尼亚南部的古代牧民聚居地进行比较，将全面了解交易所是如何运作的，以及这是如何影响畜牧业的传播的。这个项目将产生更广泛的影响，而不仅仅是直接的学术贡献。这项研究将涉及美国和肯尼亚学者之间的合作，并将包括培训美国和肯尼亚的研究生。它还将加强圣路易斯华盛顿大学的教学收藏和教学基础设施。产生的数据将用于培训本科生分析3D数据的研究助理，这是一项在许多科学和工程分支中日益重要的技能。此外，学生参与这项研究将有助于培养科学研究所需的技能。这项研究还将通过在华盛顿大学和密苏里州历史博物馆的公开讲座，以及通过圣路易斯科学中心和当地学区正在进行的让所有年龄段的学生接触到科学的各个方面的计划，来帮助公众宣传。这些努力将增进科学家与公众之间的对话，特别是增进对人类学和考古学的理解。

The transition from hunting-and-gathering to agricultural production brought about unprecedented transformations in human societies. In Africa, unlike most parts of the world, people began keeping cattle before they started planting crops. Lifestyles based on animal herding continue to be important in Africa, however how, and why, these strategies spread so successfully remain poorly understood. The apparent diversity among ancient pastoralists living in southern Kenya provides a particularly good context for studying the social and economic roles of family level exchange in this process. This project will examine the formation of obsidian (volcanic glass) procurement networks by studying how it was extracted and prepared for exchange at the quarry site on Mt. Eburru. Although this research is focused on past events, the insights gained are relevant to present day issues as pastoralist societies continue to interact today in many parts of East Africa, often to the detriment of peace and human wellbeing. This research will be conducted by graduate student, Steven Goldstein under the direction of Dr. Fiona Marshall. The results will form the basis for his doctoral dissertation.Around 2,000 years ago, herders entering Kenya from the north began using a distinct green volcanic glass from Mt. Eburru, in the Central Rift Valley, for all of their tool production. The preference for this obsidian may have led to the emergence of a regional exchange network, connecting pioneering herding families as they spread across the region. Studying how people used the Eburru quarry provides a unique opportunity to understand how such networks developed, and will help to unravel their important role in the expansion of African food production. Mr. Goldstein will use emerging techniques in 3D scanning to analyze stone tool material at the quarry, reconstructing how activities at this vital site were organized. Comparing patterns at the quarry with ancient herder settlements across southern Kenya, will provide a comprehensive understanding of how exchange operated, and how this influenced the spread of cattle herding. This project will have broader impacts beyond the direct academic contributions. The study will involve collaborations between American and Kenyan scholars, and will include training American and Kenyan graduate students. It will also bolster teaching collections and teaching infrastructure at Washington University in St. Louis. The data produced will be used to train undergraduate research assistants in analyzing 3D data, a skillset that is increasingly important in many branches of science and engineering. Furthermore, student participation in this research will help build skills needed for scientific research. This research will also aid in public outreach, through public lectures at Washington University, the Missouri History Museum, and in ongoing programs through the St. Louis Science Center and local school districts that expose students of all ages to various aspects of science. These efforts will improve the dialogue between scientists and the public, particularly improving the understanding of anthropology and archaeology.