Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Development Of Hierarchical Status Systems

博士论文改进补助金：等级地位系统的发展

• 批准号: 1446148
• 负责人: Robert Drennan
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2016-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1446148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Development

Researchers seek understanding of the processes that led to the very complex, large-scale societies in which most of the world's population now lives, and of the factors that bound their members together and fostered continued development. Archaeology is uniquely able to study the origins of complex societies because their beginnings occurred far back in time, well beyond the reach of written history. The pathways followed in the development of the earliest complex societies were diverse, and they led to forms of complex social organization with highly varied characteristics. In many instances there is conspicuous archaeological evidence of the emergence of permanent institutions of leadership, forged by ambitious individuals pursuing their own aims and objectives. As these aspiring leaders marshaled resources to further their interests, they increasingly comprised an elite group set off from the majority of the population in one or more ways, including the accumulation of wealth, higher standards of living, prestige, power, military authority, ritual roles, and other social characteristics. The economic foundations of these elite groups could be constructed with resources obtained in a variety of ways. Agricultural production could be intensified by constructing systems to regulate water supplies and protect crops from drought or flooding. Control of the importation of materials not available locally could reinforce a privileged elite position. Fostering local craft production and exchange could also provide elites with a source of income with which to pursue their political ambitions. If conflict with neighboring societies were prevalent, elites could solidify their positions of leadership by organizing either offensive or defensive military activities.This research project aims to document the strategies pursued by emerging elites in the Casanare region of the Orinoco drainage in the Llanos zone at the foot of the Andes of Colombia. The overall environmental setting, as well as initial archaeological information, suggest that intensive agriculture in raised field systems was a major source of resources for these elites, as it was elsewhere in the Llanos. The presence of nearby highly developed Muisca chiefdoms, however, provided Casanare elites with particular opportunities for focusing on specialized production and medium-distance exchange--opportunities that were not available to emerging elites in other parts of the Llanos. Warfare appears, initially, to have been less prevalent in Casanare than it was elsewhere. The researchers will verify or correct these initial impressions and determine what impact these different opportunities for emerging elites had on the nature and timing of the development of initial complex social organization in the Casanare region. Local cultural and educational groups will be important collaborators, facilitating access to essential environmental information; the project will in turn contribute data on the archaeological remains of early societies in the region to aid in heritage preservation efforts. Local students will also participate in the field and laboratory work, gaining first-hand experience of scientific research. It will also further the academic and intellectual development of Mr. Juan Carlos Vargas Ruiz the co-Principal Investigator who will conduct the project as part of his doctoral dissertation work.

研究人员寻求了解导致非常复杂，大规模社会的过程，其中世界大多数人口现在都居住，以及将其成员束缚在一起并促进持续发展的因素。考古学具有独特的能力来研究复杂社会的起源，因为它们的起步发生在很远的时代，远远超出了书面历史的范围。最早的复杂社会发展的途径是多种多样的，它们导致了具有高度多样性的复杂社会组织的形式。在许多情况下，有明显的考古证据表明，雄心勃勃的人追求自己的目标和目标的雄心勃勃的人伪造了永久的领导机构。随着这些有抱负的领导人提高资源以促进他们的利益，他们越来越多地组成了一个以一种或多种方式从大多数人口中脱颖而出的精英团体，包括财富的积累，更高的生活，声望，权力，权力，军事权威，礼节，礼节角色和其他社会特征。这些精英群体的经济基础可以通过以多种方式获得的资源来构建。可以通过建造系统来调节水供应并保护农作物免受干旱或洪水泛滥的系统来加强农业生产。控制材料的进口本地可用的材料可能会加强特权精英职位。促进当地的手工艺生产和交流也可以为精英提供追求政治野心的收入来源。如果与邻近社会的冲突普遍存在，精英可以通过组织进攻或防御性军事活动来巩固其领导地位。该研究项目旨在记录洛拉诺斯地区Orinoco地区Casanare地区新兴精英所采取的策略，该策略是哥伦比亚和哥伦比亚和哥伦比亚脚下的策略。整体环境环境以及最初的考古信息表明，凸起的野外系统中的强化农业是这些精英的主要资源来源，就像Llanos其他地方一样。然而，附近高度发达的Muisca酋长国的存在为Casanare Elites提供了专注于专业生产和中距离交流的特殊机会 - 在Llanos其他地区不可用的精英无法使用的机会。最初，战争在卡萨纳雷（Casanare）中似乎比其他地方少。研究人员将验证或纠正这些最初的印象，并确定新兴精英对这些不同的机会对Casanare地区最初复杂社会组织发展的性质和时机的影响。当地的文化和教育团体将是重要的合作者，从而促进获得基本环境信息；该项目反过来将贡献有关该地区早期社会考古遗体的数据，以帮助遗产保护工作。当地学生还将参加现场和实验室工作，获得科学研究的第一手经验。这也将进一步进一步的联合主管调查员胡安·卡洛斯·瓦尔加斯（Juan Carlos Vargas Ruiz）先生的学术和知识发展，该研究人员将作为他的博士学位论文工作的一部分进行该项目。