Connecting the middle Niger through borrowed words and shared objects: Archaeo-linguistic network analysis and modelling of cultural entanglements between the Malian Sahara and the Nigerian forests (AD 700-1500).

本研究项目从历史语言学和考古学的联合角度调查了1500年前尼日尔河中游地区的文化接触和互动。在我们的方法中，我们通过动态网络绘制纠缠图，并通过跨学科和多模式网络模型以及历史语言和文化接触的分层分析历史区域互动。在此过程中，我们借鉴了历史外来词和网络研究的最新进展，并通过认知的联系水平为历史语言学和考古学之间的合作开发了新的可能性。在尼日尔中部作为一个相互联系的文化领域的探索中，我们的方法为西非历史上最具活力和多样性的地区之一提供了一个新的视角。最初阶段致力于提高、系统化或重新审视数据，并实施基于陶瓷的概念验证研究。陶瓷是最广泛和广泛出版的考古材料，是该地区多样性和联系的大多数先前工作的基础。我们目前的工作表明，许多可用的民族考古、考古和语言数据可以从使用社会网络分析方法的进一步分析中获益，并且可以集成到复杂的数据模型中——如果适当地转换和操作的话。我们已经在尼日尔中部和尼日尔湾的几个概念验证案例中展示了该方法的适用性及其分析能力。我们的研究结果表明，分类和清单的系统比较为物质文化史提供了新的见解，并对文化接触及其历史提供了非常有价值的见解。他们进一步表明，采用网络方法可以对历史联系的结构产生新的见解，并对该地区的陶瓷记录产生新的解释。在第二阶段，我们将进一步完善我们的网络模型，并将研究领域扩展到尼日尔下游和上游。我们的重点将放在曼丁品种（班巴拉-曼宁卡）和曼丁和北曼德文化（如班巴拉-索宁克，索宁克-博佐）之间的接触问题上。我们将扩大调查范围，包括植物、动物和经常发现的小物品，如金属，从而创建反映经济专业化和长途贸易的网络组件。在这一扩展过程中，我们将能够在SPP中纳入其他项目的数据，这些数据将补充已经建立的文化接触的空间和综合网络模型，以及语言接触-分层分析。

This research project investigates cultural contact and interaction along the middle reaches of the Niger in the period prior to 1500 from a joint perspective of historical linguistics and archaeology. In our approach, we map entanglement via dynamic networks and analyze historical regional interaction in an interdisciplinary and multimodal network model as well as via the stratification of historical language and cultural contact. In doing so, we draw on recent developments in historical loanword and network research and develop new possibilities for cooperation between historical linguistics and archaeology via the connection level of cognition. In its exploration of the middle Niger as a connected cultural sphere, our approach provides a new perspective on one of the most dynamic and diverse areas of West African history.The initial phase was dedicated to raising, systematizing or revisiting data and implementing proof-of-concept studies based on ceramics. Ceramics are both the most widespread and widely published archaeological material and have been the basis for most previous work on diversity and connection in the area. Our current work shows that much available ethno-archaeological, archaeological, and linguistic data can be profit from further analysis using Social Network Analysis methods and can be integrated into complex data models – if properly transformed an operationalized. We have shown the applicability of the approach and its analytical power in several proof-of-concept cases on the Middle Niger and the Niger Bend. Our results show that systematic comparison of taxonomies and inventories give new insights into the history of material culture and highly valuable insight into culture contact and its history. They further show that employing a network approach leads to new insights on the structure of historical connections and leads to new interpretations of the area’s ceramic record. In the second phase we will further refine our network models and extend the area of research to the Lower and Upper Niger. Our focus will be on the question of contact between Manding varieties (Bambara- Maninka), and Manding and Northern Mande cultures (e.g. Bambara-Soninke, Soninke-Bozo). We will broaden the field of enquiry to encompass plants, animals, and frequent small finds such as metals, thus creating network components reflective of economic specialization and long distance trade. In the course of this extension, we will be able to include the data from other projects within the SPP. These data will supplement already established the spatial and integrated network models of cultural contact, and language contact-stratification analysis.