Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Dating of Prehistoric Domestication from the Americas

在国家科学基金会的支持下，劳伦斯·卡普兰博士将 在早期获得33个加速器放射性碳年代 从考古学中获得的驯化的豆类（菜豆属） 网站.虽然有间接日期（基于木炭和 其他与豆类有关的有机物质）很少直接 已经做出了决定，这些决定与 间接日期暗示的年龄。结果是， 关于这一重大事件的发生时间和起源地， 新大陆驯化。结合其他化学分析， 这个项目将允许考古学家和生物学家 了解这种食物的驯化和传播过程 作物。 Paseolus属包括五种豆类， 在前哥伦布时期的新大陆被驯化并广泛使用。 与玉米和南瓜一起，它们构成了大部分 史前饮食在北美，中美洲和南美洲， 因为它们含有必需氨基酸 这些都是我们所缺乏的。考虑到野生祖先的存在 很明显，驯化确实发生在新大陆， 除此之外，考古学的理解是有限的。问题是 不仅生物学家感兴趣， 想知道复杂的酋长制度是如何发展的直到最近 据认为，维持这种生活所必需的生活基础， 一种组织形式需要一个主要的驯化者。无论最近 研究表明，这种社会复杂性早于 玉米的驯化，可能还有豆类。很可能 不太为人所知且产量较低的作物发挥了重要作用 作用卡普兰博士的研究将有助于回答这个问题。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供 生物学家和人类学家都感兴趣的数据。它将 也揭示了植物驯化的起源， 复杂社会的发展。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Lawrence Kaplan will obtain thirty-three accelerator radiocarbon dates on early domesticated beans (genus Phaseolus) obtained from archaeological sites. Although indirect dates are available (based on charcoal and other organic materials associated with beans) very few direct determinations have been made and these vary significantly from the ages suggested by the indirect dates. The result is that very little is known about the timing and places of origin on this major New World domesticate. In conjunction with other chemical analyses, this project will permit archaeologists and biologists to understand the process of the domestication and spread of this food crop. The genus Paseolus includes five species of beans which were domesticated and widely used in the pre-Columbian New World. Together with corn and squash they formed the basis for much of the prehistoric diet over North, Middle and South America and were crucial for survival because they contain essential amino acids which are otherwise lacking. Given the presence of wild progenitors it is clear that domestication did take place in the New World but beyond that archaeological understanding is limited. The problem is of interest not only to biologists but also to archaeologists who wish to understand how complex chiefdoms developed. Until recently it was believed that the subsistence base necessary to support such a form of organization required a major domesticate. However recent work has suggested that such social complexity predates the domestication of corn and possibly beans as well. It seems likely that less well known and less productive crops played an important role. Dr. Kaplan's research will help to answer this question. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to both biologists and anthropologists. It will also shed light on the origins of plant domestication and the development of complex societies.