Trace Elemental Source Characterization of La Mixtequilla Obsidian Artifacts, Veracruz, Mexico

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，芭芭拉·斯塔克博士将对墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯地区考古环境中发现的约174件黑曜石文物进行来源分析。在之前由美国国家科学基金会资助的研究过程中，斯塔克博士研究了这个位于墨西哥墨西哥湾沿岸的小地区的史前历史。与中部高地地区相比，韦拉克鲁斯从未发展成为一个强大的国家，而是以较小的政体为特征。因此，斯塔克博士将韦拉克鲁斯州视为一个边缘地区，希望发现它是如何与这些更强大的州相互作用并受其影响的。由于黑曜石（火山玻璃）可以制作出锋利的优秀石器，因此在古代非常珍贵，并被广泛交易。考古学家也对它感兴趣，因为它在中美洲的分布是高度局部化的，来源的数量很少。单个来源在化学上是不同的，通过微量元素分析可以将黑曜石制品与其地质来源相匹配。在此基础上，有可能追踪黑曜石的运动，重建经济模式，进而深入了解不断变化的政治格局。在这个项目中，密苏里大学将对一系列韦拉克鲁斯遗址的黑曜石文物进行中子活化分析。通过这些，可以重建与墨西哥中部较大州的相互作用。这项研究很重要，因为它将增加我们对世界许多地区复杂社会特征如何发展和维持的理解。它还将允许从已经成功的项目中获得最大数量的信息。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Barbara Stark will conduct sourcing analysis of ca. 174 obsidian artifacts recovered from archaeological contexts in the Veracruz region of Mexico. In the course of previous NSF funded research, Dr. Stark has examined the prehistory of this small region located on the Gulf coast of Mexico. In contrast to the central highlands region, Veracruz never developed into a large and powerful state but rather was characterized by smaller polities. Dr. Stark, therefore, looked at Veracruz as a marginal area and wished to discover how it interacted with and was affected by these more powerful states. Because obsidian (volcanic glass) makes excellent stone tools which hold a sharp edge, it was highly prized in antiquity and was widely traded. It is also of interest to archaeologists because its distribution in Middle America is highly localized and the number of sources small. Individual sources are chemically distinct, and through trace element analysis it is possible to match obsidian artifact with its geological source. On this basis it is possible to trace the movement of obsidian, to reconstruct economic patterns, and in turn to gain insight into the changing political landscape. In this project, the University of Missouri will conduct neutron activation analysis on a series of obsidian artifacts from a number of Veracruz sites. Through these, interactions with larger central Mexican states can be reconstructed. This research is important because it will increase our understanding of how the complex societies characteristic of many portions of the world develop and are maintained. It will also allow the maximum amount of information to be obtained from an already successful project.