Doctoral Dissertation Research: Craft Specialization and Economic Organization

This doctoral dissertation project investigates the role of craft specialization in shaping social roles and economic relations within village societies. Although the organization and socioeconomic role of craft specialists can vary depending on a society's level of complexity, craft production is integrated into both socioeconomic systems and relationships. Craft specialization can be detected archaeologically through careful examination of household spatial organization, house inventories, and the accumulation of goods. Previous Neolithic research has mainly focused on identifying craft specialization and exchange networks at the site level, whereas, this study focuses on both, as well as the production of items intended for exchange. The project provide scientific training opportunities for students in field methods and artifact analysis. The research team conducts expansive excavations of Neolithic houses, analyze artifacts, and documents house inventories to determine whether one or more households were involved in tool production, trace their exchange with other villages in the area, and look at the accumulation of goods to look if there are any differences related to craft production, house size, and quantity of goods. The team also examines faunal and botanical remains and investigates any differences in economic modes of subsistence, land ownership, and status within the community. The data collected helps to develop a model for understanding household craft specialization and its implications for village societies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.