Dissertation Research: Archaeological Analysis of Bone

在罗格斯大学人类学教授Robert Blumenschine博士的指导下，Marie Selvan gio女士将在坦桑尼亚北部的塞伦盖蒂地区进行现实主义研究。这样收集的数据将为她的博士论文提供依据。在一项已经完成的初步研究之后，她将收集有关食肉动物对骨骼进行改造的信息。这些结果将直接用于解释考古组合。塞尔瓦吉奥将从观察到的食肉动物遗弃的猎物中收集骨骼。她将对这些进行分析，以考虑到猎物和食肉动物的种类，以及骨骼改造的位置和性质。她将尝试收集一个大型系列，其中包括所有主要捕食者的行动。在此基础上，将有可能研究东非的重要考古组合，以确定它们在多大程度上是人类活动的结果，而不是食肉动物活动的结果。近年来，对于狩猎在人类社会发展中的作用，考古学家一直存在强烈的分歧。有人争辩说，用早期石器发现的动物群并不像以前认为的那样代表着狩猎，而是人类从食肉动物的猎物中觅食。事实证明，在这些备选方案和实际工作之间作出决定是极其困难的，例如塞尔瓦乔女士将开展的工作应有助于提供必要的解释性背景。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将有助于开发一种适用于世界不同地区许多地点的方法工具。它最终将增加我们对人类如何发展的理解，最终将有助于培养一位非常有前途的科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Robert Blumenschine, Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University, Ms. Marie Selvaggio will conduct actualistic studies in the Serengeti region of Northern Tanzania. The data thus collected will provide the basis for her doctoral dissertation. Following an already completed pilot study, she will collect information on carnivore modification of bone. The results will be of direct use in interpreting archaeological assemblages. Ms. Selvaggio will collect bones from observed carnivore kills after the predators have abandoned them. She will analyze these to take into account the species of both prey and carnivore, as well as the position and nature of bone modification. She will attempt to collect a large series which includes actions by all the major predators. On this basis, it will be possible to examine important archaeological assemblages from East Africa to determine the extent to which they have resulted from human, as opposed to carnivore, activity. In recent years, archaeologists have strongly disagreed about the role of hunting in the development of human society. It has been argued that faunal assemblages found with early stone tools represent not hunting - as formerly believed - but rather human scavenging from carnivore kills. It has proven extremely difficult to decide between these alternatives, and actualistic work, such as that which Ms. Selvaggio will undertake, should serve to provide a needed interpretive context. This research is important for several reasons. It will help to develop a methodological tool which will be applicable to many sites in different parts of the world. It will ultimately increase our understanding of how humans developed and, finally, will assist in the training of an extremely promising scientist.