Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Ethnoarchaeology of Northeastern Ethiopia

博士论文改进补助金：埃塞俄比亚东北部的民族考古学

• 批准号: 0939891
• 负责人: Fiona Marshall
• 金额: $ 1.21万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-11-15 至 2010-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0939891&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Ethnoarchaeology

Under the direction of Dr. Fiona Marshall, Helina Solomon-Woldekiros will conduct ethnoarchaeological research on the Afar salt caravan route in Northern Ethiopia. Long distance trade and exchange in salt, obsidian, iron, gold and exotic animal products have contributed to the development of distinctive political and socio-economic institutions of many ancient African societies. Ms Woldekiros will collect information on the route, costs of travel, and material traces of present day caravans to identify ancient use of the Afar trail. Archaeological survey and excavation will test the hypothesis that there was local or regional exchange in commodities from the Afar lowlands to the North Ethiopian plateau dating to as early as Aksumite (150 C.E-C.E 700) period. This research will map the Afar Salt Route and allow calculation of ancient transport costs and estimations of changing commodity values on prehistoric Aksumite kingdom trade routes. It will also provide the basis for future studies of local interactions between highland and lowland communities and the complexity of Aksumite regional economies.. The project will establish a comparative perspective for ethnoarchaeological studies of caravan trade in other regions of the world such as the Andes and Asia. Ms Solomon-Woldekiros will collect three data sets to address the main goals of the project: GIS (Geographic Information System) locational information, ethnoarchaeological data, and archaeological data from survey and excavations on three sample sections of the route. This project will have a broader impact by providing useful cross-cultural comparative material for archaeologists interested in the material remains of caravan organization in Africa and elsewhere. Documentation of the Afar salt trade will also contribute to recording of the rich cultural heritage of Northern Ethiopia. In many parts of the world, pack animal based caravans are being replaced by trucks and modern roads. This project may help to preserve this one aspect of Tigray and Afar cultural heritage. A workshop focused on the archaeological culture-history of the region and in cultural heritage management will also be coordinated with local Tigray and other ethnic groups who live in Adigrat, eastern Tigray region. Cooperation with the Departments of Anthropology in Mekelle and Addis Ababa, will focus on giving lectures and workshops for Archaeology undergraduate and master's students in ethnoarcheological and zooarchaeological analytical methods. Training students will likewise contribute to international exchange of information and the development of new research initiatives examining the histories of exchange systems in East Africa and the Horn.

在Fiona Marshall博士的指导下，Helina Solomon-Woldekiros将对埃塞俄比亚北部的Afar Salt Caravan路线进行民族考古学研究。盐，黑曜石，铁，黄金和异国动物产品的长距离贸易和交换为发展许多古代社会的独特政治和社会经济机构的发展做出了贡献。 Woldekiros女士将收集有关当今大篷车的路线，旅行成本和物质痕迹的信息，以确定对远处小径的古老使用。考古调查和发掘将检验以下假设：从远处低地到北埃塞俄比亚高原的商品进行了本地或区域交换，其历史可以追溯到阿克森特（150 c.e-c.e 700）时期。这项研究将绘制远处的盐路线，并允许计算古代运输成本以及史前阿克索特王国贸易路线上商品价值变化的估计。它还将为未来研究高地与低地社区之间的地方互动以及Aksumite区域经济的复杂性提供基础。该项目将对世界上其他地区（如安第斯山脉和亚洲）的大篷车贸易建立比较的观点。 Solomon-Woldekiros女士将收集三个数据集，以解决该项目的主要目标：GIS（地理信息系统）位置信息，民族考验数据以及调查的考古数据以及有关该路线的三个样本部分的发掘。 该项目将通过为对非洲大篷车组织的材料遗迹感兴趣的考古学家提供有用的跨文化比较材料，从而产生更大的影响。远处盐贸易的文件也将有助于记录北部埃塞俄比亚富裕的文化遗产。在世界许多地方，基于动物的大篷车被卡车和现代道路所取代。该项目可能有助于保留Tigray和远方文化遗产的这一方面。一个针对该地区考古文化历史和文化遗产管理的研讨会也将与居住在东部Tigray地区Adigrat的当地Tigray和其他种族协调。与梅克尔（Mekelle）和亚的斯亚贝巴（Addis Ababa）的人类学部门的合作，将着重于为考古本科生和硕士学生提供讲座和讲习班，并从事民族角度学和动物考古学分析方法。培训学生同样将为信息的国际交流和开发新的研究计划的发展做出贡献，以研究东非和号角的交换系统历史。