ABSTRACT

Plazas are ubiquitous elements of community layout, defined as open space surrounded by or adjacent to structures. Functionally, plazas serve as public space for gatherings and ceremonial activities. At Cahokia Mounds, the largest pre-contact site in North America, the North Plaza puzzled archaeologists because of its unique location in a wetland. The construction of a mound and plaza group in an area inundated with water is unprecedented in the Eastern-Woodlands archaeological record and contradicts traditional conceptions of plaza space. Previous scholars dealt with this conundrum by hypothesizing that the North Plaza was drier during its construction and occupation than in modern times. However, evidence from sedimentological analysis and stable carbon isotopes of buried soils suggests the North Plaza was an inundated feature on the landscape throughout Cahokia’s occupation. The North Plaza is an anomaly in the Eastern-Woodlands that now requires archaeologists to re-envision what plazas are and how they are used.

摘要

广场是社区布局中无处不在的元素，被定义为被建筑物包围或毗邻的开放空间。在功能上，广场作为聚会和仪式活动的公共空间。在北美最大的接触前遗址Cahokia Mounds，北广场因其独特的湿地位置而令考古学家感到困惑。在东部林地考古记录中，在被水淹没的地区建造土墩和广场群是前所未有的，并且与传统的广场空间概念相矛盾。以前的学者通过假设北广场在建造和占领期间比现代更干燥来解决这个难题。然而，来自沉积学分析和掩埋土壤的稳定碳同位素的证据表明，北广场是卡霍基亚占领期间景观中的一个被淹没的特征。北广场是东部林地的一个异常现象，现在需要考古学家重新设想广场是什么以及它们是如何使用的。