Archaic Origins of the Lowland Maya
Archaic Origins of the Lowland Maya
复制标题
低地玛雅人的远古起源
作者：
J. Lohse
最早的低地玛雅人通常是通过永久建筑和陶器的出现而被公认的。然而，当考虑到其他证据时，可以看到晚期古生物种群的强烈连续性。调和这些观点不只是简单地收集更多数据。还有必要考虑几十年来将前列玛雅人定义为“文明”的学术影响，而不是考虑重要转变的历史背景，例如最终以封建制度、采用新技术和参与远程交流而告终的转变。从古代到前古典主义的过渡是相对短暂的，在很大程度上被建立永久住所的做法所掩盖。尽管如此，这一时期肯定是非常动态的，并以显著的文化变化为标志，这对对中美洲早期感兴趣的研究人员来说非常重要。本文利用三条证据--生存、经济和技术，以及地层控制的放射性碳数据--论证了低地玛雅人至少在远古晚期就有了他们的文化起源，而公元前1000年前的陶器的情况仍然不确定。未来的研究需要准确地确定前古典和古典玛雅社会的某些文化习俗可以被记录下来多长时间。
The earliest Lowland Maya are commonly recognized by permanent architecture and the appearance of pottery. However, when other lines of evidence are considered, strong continuities with late Archaic populations can be seen. Reconciling these views relies on more than simply gathering more data. It is also necessary to consider the effect of decades of scholarship that defines the precolumbian Maya as “civilization” rather than considering the historical contexts of important transitions, such as the one that culminated with sedentism, the adoption of new technologies, and participation in long-distance exchange. The Archaic-to-Preclassic transition was relatively brief and largely obscured by the practices of establishing permanent dwellings. Nevertheless, this period must have been extremely dynamic and marked by significant cultural change, making it important to researchers interested in early Mesoamerica. Using three lines of evidence—subsistence, economy and technology, and stratigraphically controlled radiocarbon data—this article argues that the Lowland Maya had their cultural origins at least in the late Archaic and that the case for pottery before ca. 1000 B.C. remains uncertain. Future research is needed to determine precisely how far back in time certain cultural practices that characterize Preclassic and Classic Maya society can be documented.