Under the direction of Dr. Stephen Plog, MS Tracy Perkins will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will analyze changes in food preparation techniques among Anasazi peoples in the US Southwest during the period between ca. 800-1000 AD. While the use of domestic crops such a maize significantly preceeds 800 AD in this region, it was with the emergence of the Anasazi peoples that the foodstuff became the central dietary staple. A number of important social changes appear to be concomitant and villages changed from agglomerations of individual below ground pit structures to larger mulit-room above ground pueblos, examples of which can be found in the region today. Population size also increased and groups adopted a more settled way of life. Men's religious societies characterized by kivas also appear at this time. MS Perkins wishes to understand how the organization of labor and thus basic social organization was altered as part of this overall process and she will focus on one specific activity - maize grinding. This was a crucial subsistence activity since grinding maize before cooking significantly enhances its nutritional properties and abundant grinding implements attest to the importance of this task. Archaeological data indicates that at many Anasazi sites special grinding rooms were present and are marked not only by a concentration of grindstone but specialized bins built into walls and floors. MS Perkins will visit research centers in the Southwest and record and synthesize information collected in the course of past archaeological excavations. She will include this in a single consistent data base and with this information determine how production changed over time and how it varied by environmental and geographic region. Preliminary analysis indicates that the pattern is not straightforward. The results will be integrated with other classes of data to provide insight into the broader process of social change. This research is important for several reasons. It will synthesize a widely recorded but little analyzed class of data and the results are likely to be used by many archaeologists. The work will shed new light on how complex societies arise and contribute to training a promising young archaeologist.
