Collaborative Research: Integration Of Urban And Rural Population

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

A question of current practical concern is how in developing countries integration is achieved between urban and rural sectors of society. For a state to function effectively, mechanisms for efficient social, economic and political linkage must exist. The central goal of this project is to examine how such an urban-rural system emerged. Archaeology is particularly relevant for such a study because it permits processes to be traced over extended periods of time. The fundamental goal of this research is to better understand the phenomenon of low-density urbanism. With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Lauren Ristvet (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Hilary Gopnik (Emory University), Dr. Emily Hammer (University of Chicago), and their colleagues will investigate a large, dispersed settlement (ca. 490 ha) dating to the Middle Iron Age (MIA, ca. 800-600 BC) that surrounded the fortress site of Oðlanqala. Researching the relationships between local communities and fortress-based polities in Naxçývan, Azerbaijan can provide an alternative to models of urbanism that focus on high-density cities. Given current concerns about low density urbanism ("sprawl") an investigation of this phenomenon is critical to addressing long term questions of urban form and sustainability. This project has the potential to transform current debates on low-density urbanism, the role of pastoralists in political complexity, and fortress-based polities. The rare opportunity to compare data collected from the careful excavation of a fortress with evidence from excavation and survey of an associated settlement will move the discussion of urbanism from considerations of size and density to an evaluation of how specific economic and social strategies shaped unique political forms. The broad range of evidence considered will contribute to our understanding of the myriad ways that local communities position themselves in relation to dominant powers Previous work at Oðlanqala has recast scholarly understanding of the MIA, by revealing a fortress with a hybrid Urartian-local cultural assemblage that led to a reevaluation of the nature of imperial power in the region. Three years of further research will clarify the nature of urbanism in the Iron Age South Caucasus through survey and excavation of the settlement surrounding this fortress. Researchers will evaluate four models of settlement dynamics that consider the intersection of social variables including population density, spatial segmentation, planning, investment in fortifications, economic integration, and mobility. A pedestrian survey and magnetometry will analyze settlement layout, density, and land-use patterns to determine how the settlement interacted with its hinterland. Horizontal excavation will study the patterning of activities to evaluate the relationship between households, subsistence pursuits, and political authority. Three emerging scholars will collaborate on stable isotope analysis of the archaeobotanical, faunal, and human remains recovered from excavation, providing insights into agropastoral practices, human and animal mobility, seasonality of occupation, and food provisioning. Finally, stylistic, petrographic, and chemical analyses of ceramics will shed light on production and exchange between the fortress and the settlement. All datasets will be integrated into a 3D GIS recording system being developed specifically for this project, which can be used for future research in a range of disciplines.