Shell Ornament Production in Ejutla

在NSF的支持下，Feinman博士在位于墨西哥中南部瓦哈卡谷以南的Ejutla山谷进行了考古调查。后者拥有史前首都蒙特阿尔班，见证了一个中央集权国家的崛起，这个国家可能控制着一大片腹地。经过多年的考古研究，瓦哈卡的史前史已相当为人所知。作为埃尤特拉调查的结果，费曼博士能够开始研究这一边缘地区与阿尔班山中心之间的相互作用。费曼博士在现代城镇埃尤特拉的边缘找到了一处大型分层遗址。大量贝壳碎片和现场材料的表面散布表明，该地区曾是一个工厂，从太平洋海岸线运来的炮弹被制成成品，然后可能被交易到蒙特阿尔班。挖掘将提供有关进行这项工作的时间间隔和社会背景的信息。对物体本身的分析将确定贝壳种类--并通过这一原产地--还将允许重建制造过程。这些数据将有助于深入了解阿尔班山核心区与埃尤特拉外围地区之间的相互作用。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。首先，它将提供对复杂社会如何产生和维持的洞察。其次，它将增加我们对核心和外围区域之间的相互作用以及这些区域如何随着时间的推移而发展和变化的理解。

With NSF support, Dr. Feinman has conducted archaeological survey in the Ejutla Valley which is located in South Central Mexico to the south of the Valley of Oaxaca. This latter, with its prehistoric capital of Monte Alban, saw the rise of a centralized state which likely controlled a large hinterland. After many years of archaeological research, the prehistory of Oaxaca is fairly well known. As a result of the Ejutla survey, Dr. Feinman was able to begin an examination of the interaction between this marginal area and the center at Monte Alban. Dr. Feinman has located a large stratified site on the edge of the modern town of Ejutla. Large surface scatters of shell fragments as well as in situ material indicate that this area served as a factory in which shells brought from the Pacific coastline were turned into finished objects and then presumably traded to Monte Alban. Excavation will provide information on the time interval covered and the social context in which this work took place. Analysis of the objects themselves will identify shell species - and through this areas of origin - and will also allow reconstruction of the manufacturing process. These data will provide insight into the interactions between the core area of Monte Alban and the Ejutla periphery. This research is important for several reasons. First, it will provide insight into how complex societies arise and are maintained. Secondly, it will increase our understanding of the interactions between core and peripheral areas and how these develop and change over time.