Under the direction of Dr. James Richardson, Mr. David Anderson will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological fieldwork at the site of El-Mahasna, located in the Abydos region of Upper Egypt. Situated in the Nile Valley El-Mahasna documents the rise of complex society in Egypt and has the potential to shed light not only on the origins of the Egyptian state but also on the processes which led to the emergence of complex society. Preliminary research conducted by Mr. Anderson demonstrates that significant areas of the site are intact and contain deposits undamaged by the intensive plow agriculture which characterizes much of the Valley. On the basis of surface materials and the presence of discolored areas it is possible to locate the positions of individual houses. Because the amount of overburden is relatively slight, large areas can be easily excavated. Thus El-Mahasna provides the opportunity to examine the spatial distribution of social groups and specific activities within a single settlement over an extended period of time. Mr. Anderson will combine test pits with large scale horizontal excavation to achieve this goal.
Archaeologists have proposed several models to explain the rise of complex hierarchical societies. According to one set, elites or chiefs emerge to provide managerial services and it has been hypothesized that in the Nile Valley these included the storage and distribution of grain and other food sources to compensate for the large and unpredictable interannual variations in agricultural productivity. Other theories emphasize competition among groups to accumulate resources and status for personal ends. According to this scenario power is accumulated through threat and favor for the benefit of a limited number of individuals and is not willingly ceded, as the managerial theory predicts to further the common good. Mr. Anderson has developed a series of archaeologically visible correlates which logically follow from these two contrasting processes and will use the El-Mahasna data to determine which applies to the Nile Valley. This research is significant for several other reasons as well. It will provide historical data of interest to many archaeologists. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.
