Doctoral Dissertation Research: El Ombligo Archaeology

在保罗·菲什博士的指导下，约翰·卡彭特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部西纳洛瓜萨夫附近挖掘的停尸房遗骸。这个土堆最初被认为是一个居住地，但事实证明它是一个埋葬着近200具人类骨骼和相关墓葬物品的土堆。这些材料存放在美国自然历史博物馆，从未得到充分的分析。卡彭特先生将进行一次详细的检查，并将重点放在个人之间的差异上。在此基础上，将有可能确定社会本身的社会分层程度及其实现的社会复杂程度。这些材料的年代很差，将进行放射性碳测定以确定准确的年代位置。广泛的考古研究提供了关于复杂的史前文化实体在美国西南部崛起的详细信息，以及新墨西哥州查科峡谷等大规模遗址证明了社会组织的水平。同样，人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，这两个中心之间的地区鲜为人知，考古学家希望了解这一地区是否充当了南北之间的桥梁，它是否是一个腹地，或者它是否遵循了一个独立的文化轨迹。卡彭特先生的研究将为这个问题提供洞察力。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曙光。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据，并帮助培训一位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.