Dissertationn Research: Fish Exploitation of the Indus Valley Civilization

论文研究：印度河流域文明的鱼类开发

• 批准号: 9306645
• 负责人: Jonathan Kenoyer
• 金额: $ 0.5万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-08-01 至 1994-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9306645&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertationn; Research; Fish; Exploitation; Indus

Under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Kenoyer, Mr. William Belcher will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will both conduct an ethnographic study in Pakistan and apply the results to the analysis and interpretation of fish remains recovered from Indus Valley archaeological sites. The Harappan civilization developed and flourished in the Indus Valley from ca 2,600 to 1,900 B.C. It represents one of the great achievements of the late prehistoric world. Developments there rank the region with ancient Egypt and the Near East as well as New World states such as the Inca and Aztec empires. However much less is known about the Harappans than their counterparts. Archaeological data shows that this civilization had a strong riverine component and that fish constituted a major part of the diet. However such faunal remains are difficult to interpret and Mr. Belcher hopes to develop approaches which will aid in this goal. To this end, he will study modern fishing practices in the same region. He will interview fisherman and watch them at work to determine when in the yearly cycle, how, and in what environments particular species are caught. He will also observe how they are butchered, preserved, transported and consumed. After they are discarded such faunal remains may undergo a number of destructive practices such as damage by domestic animals and Mr. Belcher will examine these as well. Finally he will apply the interpretative techniques he develops to a series of Harappan archaeological remains. Mr. Belcher's primary interest lies not in fish per se, but rather in the social and economic organization of the Harappan state. By examining this one class of data, he hopes to reconstruct the economic system through which they moved. Trade routes will be reconstructed and the degree of economic centralization determined. It may also be possible to examine such issues as status difference between and within sites. This research is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of how one of the great early civilizations of the Old World emerged. It will help to develop techniques of faunal analysis which will be useful in many archaeological contexts. Finally it will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.

在 Jonathan Kenoyer 博士的指导下，William Belcher 先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将在巴基斯坦进行一项人种学研究，并将研究结果应用于对从印度河谷考古遗址发现的鱼类遗骸的分析和解释。哈拉帕文明于公元前约 2,600 年至 1,900 年在印度河谷发展和繁荣。它代表了史前世界晚期的伟大成就之一。该地区的发展与古埃及和近东以及印加帝国和阿兹特克帝国等新世界国家并列。然而，人们对哈拉帕人的了解远少于他们的同行。考古数据表明，这个文明具有很强的河流成分，鱼类是饮食的主要部分。然而，此类动物遗骸很难解释，贝尔彻先生希望开发出有助于实现这一目标的方法。为此，他将研究同一地区的现代捕鱼方法。他将采访渔民并观察他们的工作情况，以确定每年的捕捞周期、捕捞方式以及捕捞特定物种的环境。 他还将观察它们是如何被屠宰、保存、运输和消费的。此类动物遗骸被丢弃后可能会遭受许多破坏性行为，例如家畜的损坏，贝尔彻先生也将对其进行检查。 最后，他将把他开发的解释技术应用于一系列哈拉帕考古遗迹。 贝尔彻先生的主要兴趣不在于鱼类本身，而在于哈拉帕国家的社会和经济组织。通过检查这一类数据，他希望重建他们所经历的经济体系。贸易路线将被重建，经济集中程度将被确定。 还可以检查站点之间和站点内的状态差异等问题。 这项研究很重要，原因有几个。它将加深我们对旧世界伟大的早期文明之一是如何出现的理解。它将有助于开发动物区系分析技术，这在许多考古学背景下都是有用的。 最后，它将有助于培养有前途的年轻科学家。