Doctoral Dissertation Research: El Ombligo Archaeology

在Paul Fish博士的指导下，John Carpenter先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将分析多年前在墨西哥北方锡纳洛的瓜萨韦附近挖掘出的太平间遗骸。这座土丘最初被认为是一个居住地，事实上是一个埋葬土丘，里面有近200具人类骨骼和相关的墓葬物品。这些材料被收藏在美国自然历史博物馆，从未被完全分析过。卡彭特先生将进行详细的审查，特别是将重点放在个人之间的差异。在此基础上，就有可能确定社会本身的社会分层程度和社会复杂程度。这些材料的年代测定非常差，将进行放射性碳测定以确定确切的年代位置。 广泛的考古研究提供了关于美国西南部复杂史前文化实体兴起的详细信息，新墨西哥州的查科峡谷等大型遗址证明了社会组织的水平。同样，我们对墨西哥中部的文明也有很多了解。然而，从考古学的角度来看，这两个中心之间的区域知之甚少，考古学家希望了解这一地区是否充当了南北之间的桥梁，是否是一个腹地，或者是否遵循了独立的文化轨迹。卡彭特先生的研究将为这个问题提供深入的见解。 这项工作之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为新世界文明的发展提供新的启示。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据，并协助培训一名有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Paul Fish, Mr. John Carpenter will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will analyze mortuary remains which were excavated many years ago near Guasave, Sinalo in Northern Mexico. The mound, which was originally believed to be an habitation, proved in fact to be a burial mound which contained almost 200 human skeletons and associated grave goods. These materials, which are housed in the American Museum of Natural History, have never been fully analyzed. Mr. Carpenter will conduct a detailed examination and in particular will focus on the variation among individuals. On this basis it will be possible to determine the extent to which the society itself was socially stratified and the degree of social complexity it achieved. These materials are very poorly dated and radiocarbon determinations will be made to determine exact chronological placement. Extensive archaeological research has provided detailed information on the rise of complex prehistoric cultural entities in the U.S. Southwest and massive ruins such a Chaco Canyon in New Mexico attest to the level of social organization attained. Likewise much is known about the civilizations of Central Mexico. However the area between these two centers are poorly known from an archaeological perspective and archaeologists wish to understand whether this region served as a bridge between the North and South, whether it was a hinterland or whether it followed an independent cultural trajectory. The research by Mr. Carpenter will provide insight into this question. This work is important for several reasons. It will shed new light into the development of New World civilization. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and assist in the training of a promising young scientist.