Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards
U.S. National Science Foundation
Relevancy score
10/10
Due date
Dec 1, 2025
Award amount
$6,000,000
Description: The Archaeology Program supports anthropologically relevant archaeological research to increase understanding of past behaviors. This means that the value of the proposed research can be justified within an anthropological context. It is the responsibility of the investigator to explain convincingly why the focus of their research is significant and has the potential to contribute to anthropological knowledge. The program sets no priorities by either geographic region or time period. It also has no priorities in regard to theoretical orientation or question. While the program, in order to encourage…
Relevance: The grant summary strongly aligns with the NSF Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards, which supports research increasing anthropological understanding through archaeological approaches without limitations on geography or theoretical orientation. The proposed project’s focus on settlement systems, cultural complexity, technological innovation, and interregional interaction in pre-Columbian Amazonia is both anthropologically relevant and methodologically sophisticated, aligning perfectly with the NSF call for research that justifies its anthropological…
Modification required: To strengthen the application, clearly justify how the project’s findings contribute to broader anthropological questions relevant to global or comparative perspectives; explicitly state how the research will fill gaps in anthropological theory or methodological innovation for reviewers less familiar with South American contexts.
Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards
U.S. National Science Foundation
Relevancy score
10/10
Due date
Dec 1, 2025
Award amount
$6,000,000
Description: The Archaeology Program supports anthropologically relevant archaeological research to increase understanding of past behaviors. This means that the value of the proposed research can be justified within an anthropological context. It is the responsibility of the investigator to explain convincingly why the focus of their research is significant and has the potential to contribute to anthropological knowledge. The program sets no priorities by either geographic region or time period. It also has no priorities in regard to theoretical orientation or question. While the program, in order to encourage…
Relevance: The grant summary strongly aligns with the NSF Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards, which supports research increasing anthropological understanding through archaeological approaches without limitations on geography or theoretical orientation. The proposed project’s focus on settlement systems, cultural complexity, technological innovation, and interregional interaction in pre-Columbian Amazonia is both anthropologically relevant and methodologically sophisticated, aligning perfectly with the NSF call for research that justifies its anthropological…
Modification required: To strengthen the application, clearly justify how the project’s findings contribute to broader anthropological questions relevant to global or comparative perspectives; explicitly state how the research will fill gaps in anthropological theory or methodological innovation for reviewers less familiar with South American contexts.
Archäologie-Programm – Forschungsstipendien für fortgeschrittene Studierende (Arch-SR)
Richtlinien ansehen
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- Finanzierung bei der NSF
- Finanzierungssuche
- Archäologie-Programm – Forschungsstipendien für fortgeschrittene Studierende (Arch-SR)
Die Umsetzung des überarbeiteten 2 CFR durch die NSF
Für die am oder nach dem 1. Oktober 2024 gewährten Finanzhilfen der NSF (Zuschüsse und Kooperationsvereinbarungen) gelten die jeweils gültigen Förderbedingungen vom 1. Oktober 2024, die auf der NSF-Website abrufbar sind . Diese Bedingungen entsprechen den überarbeiteten Richtlinien des OMB für Bundesfinanzhilfen, die am 22. April 2024 im Federal Register veröffentlicht wurden.Gesamten Warntext umschalten
Wichtige Informationen für Antragsteller
Alle Anträge müssen gemäß den in dieser Förderbekanntmachung und im NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) festgelegten Anforderungen eingereicht werden , der für den jeweiligen Einreichungstermin gilt. Es liegt in der Verantwortung des Antragstellers, sicherzustellen, dass der Antrag diesen Anforderungen entspricht. Die Einreichung eines Antrags vor dem festgelegten Termin befreit nicht von dieser Verpflichtung.Gesamten Warntext umschalten
Aktualisierungen der NSF-Richtlinien zur Forschungssicherheit
Am 10. Juli 2025 veröffentlichte die NSF eine wichtige Mitteilung mit Aktualisierungen der Forschungssicherheitsrichtlinien der Agentur, darunter eine Schulungspflicht im Bereich Forschungssicherheit, eine jährliche Zertifizierungspflicht für das Programm zur Anwerbung bösartiger ausländischer Talente, ein Verbot von Konfuzius-Instituten und ein aktualisierter Zeitplan für die Meldung und Einreichung von FFDR-Berichten.
Unterstützt archäologische Labor- und Feldforschung mit dem Ziel, die Prozesse zu verstehen, die das Verhalten von Menschen und ihren fossilen Verwandten in der Vergangenheit geprägt haben.
Zusammenfassung
Das Archäologieprogramm fördert anthropologisch relevante archäologische Forschung, um das Verständnis vergangener Verhaltensweisen zu erweitern. Dies setzt voraus, dass der Wert des Forschungsvorhabens im anthropologischen Kontext begründet werden kann. Es obliegt den Forschenden, überzeugend darzulegen, warum ihr Forschungsschwerpunkt relevant ist und zum anthropologischen Erkenntnisgewinn beitragen kann. Das Programm legt weder Prioritäten nach geografischer Region noch nach Epoche fest. Auch hinsichtlich theoretischer Ausrichtung oder Fragestellung gibt es keine Prioritäten. Um innovative Forschung zu fördern, beschränkt oder definiert das Programm keine spezifischen Forschungskategorien. Die meisten Anträge beinhalten jedoch entweder die Finanzierung von Feldforschung oder die Analyse archäologischen Materials mit verschiedenen Methoden.
Programmkontakte
| Name | Telefon | Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John E. YellenProgrammdirektor | jyellen@nsf.gov | (703) 292-8759 | SBE/BCS |
| Don RimonAnalyst für Geschäftsabläufe | drimon@nsf.gov | (703) 292-2960 | SBE/BCS |
Zusätzliche Programmressourcen
Auszeichnungen, die im Rahmen dieses Programms vergeben werden
Durchsuchen Sie die von diesem Programm geförderten Projekte.Übersicht der jüngsten Auszeichnungen im Rahmen dieses Programms
Project Summary
Overview
This project investigates the anthropogenic landscape modifications and aquatic land management strategies of the pre-Hispanic cultures in the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazon, with a focus on the Rosary Ridgebed Roundabout system. Building on decades of archaeological, geoarchaeological, and paleoenvironmental research, the study will combine stratigraphic excavation, geoarchaeological analysis, and the collection of botanical and faunal remains from selected mounds in the region around Trinidad. The research will utilize a multi-scalar approach, including detailed stratigraphic sampling, radiocarbon dating, and landscape survey, to build a robust, chronologically resolved picture of pre-Hispanic land and water management techniques.
The fieldwork design involves targeted excavations at key earthwork and ridgebed complexes. Sampling will include at least 4-6 major sites, representative of both settlement mounds and agricultural infrastructures (including aquafarming features), with estimated sample sizes of hundreds of stratigraphic units and corresponding botanical/zoological datasets. Data collection will involve systematic botanical and faunal recovery, micromorphology, soil chemistry, and high-resolution mapping. Analytical techniques will range from radiometric dating to isotopic analysis and artefact typology, ensuring cross-comparison of environmental and cultural variables.
This research is situated in an area benefiting from improved infrastructure and existing stakeholder interest, making year-round field campaigns and collaborative investigation feasible. Project partners include local Bolivian institutions and landholders who provide access to over 100 registered site locations as part of a systematically expanded research catalog.
Intellectual Merit
The proposed research aims to address significant gaps in our understanding of how complex societies emerged and persisted in one of the world’s largest seasonally inundated savanna systems. By explicitly analyzing the organization, scale, and chronology of anthropogenic ridgebed and aquafarming structures, the project will produce foundational data for reconstructing pre-Hispanic environmental adaptations and food production strategies.
Through the integration of archaeological, botanical, and zoological evidence, the project seeks to advance anthropological theory on landscape domestication, social organization, and human-environment interaction. The selected case study of the Rosary Ridgebed Roundabout is pivotal for global comparative analysis, challenging long-held assumptions of cultural adaptation and complexity in “marginal” tropical lowlands. This research will clarify the drivers of innovation in large-scale water and land management, contributing new models for understanding the rise, transformation, and decline of complex societies in Amazonia and beyond.
Furthermore, this work addresses anthropological significance by explicitly connecting environmental engineering and socio-political development in the region to longstanding questions in global archaeology concerning resilience, sustainability, and resource management under environmental stress. Methodologically, the project pioneers robust protocols for integrating microstratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and cultural datasets—an innovation relevant to comparative studies in similar landscapes worldwide.
Broader Impacts
The outcomes of this research extend beyond academic advances, directly informing broader societal interests and foreign policy engagement in environmental stewardship and indigenous cultural heritage in the Amazon. By elucidating the traditional practices of land and water management, the findings offer valuable insights for contemporary debates on sustainable agriculture, flood mitigation, and biodiversity conservation under climate change scenarios. Such relevance is recognized by the project’s inclusion in international environmental fund initiatives.
The project places specific emphasis on capacity building by training Bolivian students and collaborating with local stakeholders, ensuring the co-production of knowledge and strengthening local archaeological infrastructure. Results will be disseminated via bilingual reports, educational outreach, and public engagement activities, broadening participation and fostering intercultural dialogue around heritage and conservation.
By filling critical gaps in anthropological knowledge concerning the emergence of complex societies outside well-studied centers, the project demonstrates how regional research contributes to global and comparative anthropological questions, and how methodological advances can be translated to other world regions facing similar environmental and social challenges.
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