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部锡纳洛的瓜萨夫附近出土的尸体残骸。这个土堆最初被认为是一个居住地，事实证明它实际上是一个埋葬土堆，里面有近200具人类骨骼和相关的坟墓物品。这些材料保存在美国自然历史博物馆，从未被充分分析过。卡彭特先生将进行详细的检查，并将特别关注个体之间的差异。在此基础上，就有可能确定社会本身的社会分层程度及其所达到的社会复杂程度。这些材料的年代很差，放射性碳测定将确定确切的年代位置。广泛的考古研究为美国西南部复杂的史前文化实体的兴起提供了详细的信息，新墨西哥州的查科峡谷等大规模遗址证明了社会组织的水平。同样，人们对中墨西哥的文明也知道得很多。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个地区是否充当了南北之间的桥梁，它是否是一个腹地，还是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.