Interdisciplinary Analysis of Materials from Akrotiri- Aetokremnos, An Early Archaeological Site in Cyprus

对塞浦路斯早期考古遗址 Akrotiri-Aetokremnos 材料的跨学科分析

• 批准号: 9012998
• 负责人: Alan Simmons
• 金额: $ 2.99万
• 依托单位: Nevada System of Higher Education, Desert Research Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1990
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1990-07-01 至 1992-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9012998&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Interdisciplinary; Analysis; Materials; Akrotiri; Aetokremnos

Excavations by Dr. Alan Simmons and his colleagues at the site of Akrotiri-Aetokremnos, located on the Akrotiri Peninsula of southern Cyprus, have greatly surprised both archaeologists and biologists, because they seem to indicate the co-occurrence of humans and pygmy forms of both hippopotamus and elephant. Dated to the ninth millennium BC, this stratified cave site contains both stone tools as well as the broken bones of both species. These data also indicate that human settlement of the eastern Mediterranean islands occurred ca. 2,000 years earlier than previously expected. Evidence seems to indicate that a true association exists between the bones and stone tools. This implies human hunting of these species and a probable human role in their extinction. In this project, Dr. Simmons and his colleagues will analyze the materials recovered during multiple seasons of field research. Objectives include analysis of faunal and material culture assemblages, of site geomorphology, stratigraphy and paleoenvironment, as well as refinement of the chronological sequence. In many parts of the world the disappearance of many species of animals appears to be associated with human factors. Archaeologists and biologists have, for many years, argued about the human role in the extinction of such large species as mammoths and mastodons in North America. What makes the issue complicated is that these faunal changes occurred at the end of the last "Ice Age," and it is difficult to separate out the potential climatic factor. Therefore, researchers have turned their attention to other areas of the world. It is in this context that the Cyprus case is of primary interest. Through study of the cave sediments insight will be gained into climatic change - or stability. Analysis of bone breakage patterns will indicate how humans utilized and possibly killed these animals. Given the serious problem of species loss today, this research is important because it will set the issue into a broader chronological context. It will also increase our understanding of early Mediterranean prehistory and help to document expanding human capabilities there.

Alan Simmons博士和他的同事在 阿克罗蒂里-Aetokremnos，位于阿克罗蒂里半岛， 塞浦路斯南部，令考古学家和 生物学家，因为他们似乎表明， 人类和侏儒形式的河马和大象。 日 到公元前九千年，这个分层的洞穴遗址包含了 石器和两个物种的碎骨 这些数据还表明， 地中海岛屿发生。早于2,000年前 之前预计的。 证据似乎表明，一个真正的 骨头和石器之间存在联系。 这 意味着人类对这些物种的狩猎以及人类可能扮演的角色 在他们的灭绝。 在这个项目中，西蒙斯博士和他的 同事们将分析在多个不同时期回收的材料， 田野调查的季节 目标包括分析动物群 和物质文化组合，场地地貌， 地层和古环境，以及细化的 时间顺序 在世界许多地方，许多物种的消失 动物似乎与人类因素有关。 多年来，考古学家和生物学家一直在争论 人类在大型物种灭绝中的作用， 猛犸象和乳齿象。 是什么让这个问题 复杂的是这些动物群的变化发生在 最后一个“冰河时代”，很难分离出来， 潜在的气候因素 因此，研究人员将 把注意力转移到世界其他地区。 正是本着这种 塞浦路斯的情况是主要利益的背景。 通过 通过对洞穴沉积物的研究， 变化-或稳定。 骨折模式分析将 说明人类是如何利用和杀害这些动物的 鉴于当今物种丧失的严重问题，这项研究是 重要的是，它将把这个问题置于一个更广泛的 时间背景 也会增加我们对 早期地中海史前史的记录， 人的能力在那里。