Doctoral Dissertation Research: Early Complex Society Development in the Rio Tonosi Valley, Panama

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Under the supervision of Dr. Robert D. Drennan, Mr. C. Adam Berrey will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct a regional-scale survey of prehistoric human settlement in the Río Tonosí Valley of Central Pacific Panama. The central objective of this research is to understand the forces that led to the growth of large scale social formations within this region, and the activities and relationships around which they were organized. At the time of Spanish contact such 'supra-local' social formations in Central Panama were organized around highly unequal social relationships. However, archaeological research suggests there was considerable variability in how these social formations were organized across space and time. Social hierarchies were founded in different spheres of activity, and some social formations were organized along much less hierarchical lines. This variation can be seen clearly the world over, but for it to manifest at a smaller scale -- among the societies of a single small area -- provides a particularly intriguing opportunity to study the forces that produced it. To examine this question Mr. Berrey will conduct a survey of the Rio Tonosi Valley and record the presence and distribution of both structures, ceramics and other surface material. In contrast to the very hierarchical forms of organization that developed in most of Central Panama, supra-local social formations in the Río Tonosí valley seem to have been much less hierarchical. The research will determine whether in fact this was the case. If it was, the research will attempt to establish whether Río Tonosí social formations were in other ways "less developed" than those of nearby regions. If Río Tonosí social organization turns out to be more hierarchical than it now appears, then the proposed research will provide information about ways in which the nature of that hierarchy may have differed from those of other regions. The project will provide opportunities for field training for students from several universities, and foster international scholarly collaboration. Public understanding of science and appreciation of the archaeological record will be emphasized through outreach at local schools, and preliminary results will be presented to the local public in Tonosí, as well as other venues in Panama.