Dissertation Research: Investigationn of Basalt Exploitation and Craft Production at Tres Zapotes, Mexico During the Formative Period

在Robert Drennan博士的指导下，Mark Kruszczynski先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将在墨西哥的特雷斯·萨波特斯地区进行考古研究，该地区位于史前奥尔梅克文化的中心地带。奥尔梅克最出名的是生产由玄武岩巨石雕刻而成的巨大石头--几吨重。Kruszczynski和其他人在该地区的田野调查也证明了许多其他玄武岩物体的存在，如用于研磨食物的马诺斯和Metate。还找到了几个潜在的原材料来源地和车间。在他的研究中，Kruszczynski将重建玄武岩生产行业的组织。他将回答四个问题：1.在实用和其他玄武岩产品的生产中是否存在实质性的工艺专业化？2.生产是如何组织的？3这种生产是为了满足纯粹的本地需求、区域需求还是泛区域目的？4.如果存在这种工艺专业化和区域出口，精英们在这种生产和出口中扮演了什么角色？这项活动与特雷斯·萨波特斯的整体发展有何关系？为了实现这些目标，Kruszczynski和他的同事们将进行一次区域调查，以确定玄武岩露头和作坊区域的位置。在遗迹密集的地区，将收集地表和地下样本，并将广泛挖掘三个作坊区域。将对玄武岩物体以及其他文化遗迹进行类型学分析，并对玄武岩进行薄片检查，以将物体与物源露头联系起来。奥尔梅克文明是起源于史前美国中部的一系列文明中的第一个，因为它的早期代表着一种“原始”或独立的发展。因此，考古学家对此给予了相当大的关注。研究人员希望了解是什么导致了这个社会在相对不适宜居住的墨西哥海岸线地区的发展，一些人假设这与当地玄武岩资源的开采有关。Manos和Metates在中美洲形成了一种基本的生存项目，因为它们被用来研磨蔬菜食物。然而，奥尔梅克玄武岩生产的规模和组织仍然不清楚，Kruszczynski先生的研究应该能为我们提供这方面的见解。这项工作之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供关于新大陆最著名的文明之一的数据，这将引起科学家和普通公众的兴趣。它将有助于理解导致文化复杂性增长的过程，并有助于培养有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Robert Drennan, Mr. Mark Kruszczynski will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological research in the Tres Zapotes region of Mexico, an area which lies in the heartland of prehistoric Olmec culture. The Olmec are best known for the production of massive stone heads - several tons in weight -sculpted from basalt boulders. Fieldwork in the region by Mr. Kruszczynski and others has also demonstrated the presence of many other basalt objects such as manos and metates used to grind food. Several potential raw material source areas and workshops have also been located. In his research, Mr. Kruszczynski will reconstruct the organization of the basalt production industry. He will address four questions: 1. Was there substantial craft specialization in the production of both utilitarian and other basalt items? 2. How was the production organized? 3 Did this production serve to meet purely local needs, regional demand or pan-regional purposes? 4. If there was such craft specialization and regional export, what role did elites play in this production and export and how was this activity related to the overall development of Tres Zapotes? To accomplish these goals, Mr. Kruszczynski and colleagues will conduct a regional survey to locate both basalt outcrops and workshop areas. In areas with dense remains both surface and subsurface samples will be collected and three workshop areas will be extensively excavated. Typological analysis of basalt objects as well as other cultural remains will be conducted and basalts will be examined by thin section to relate objects to source outcrop. The Olmec civilization was the first of a series which arose in prehistoric Middle America and because of its early date represents a `pristine` or independent development. Therefore archaeologists have focused considerable attention on it. Researchers wish to learn what is responsible for the development of this society in a relatively inhospitable Mexican coastline region and several have hypothesized that it is related to the exploitation of local basalt resources. Manos and metates formed an essential subsistence item in Middle American since they were used to grind vegetable foods. However the scale and organization of Olmec basalt manufacture is still not understood and Mr. Kruszczynski's research should provide insight into this. This work is important for several reasons. It will provide data on one of the New World's best known civilizations and this will be of interest to both scientists and the lay public. It will contribute to understanding the processes which lead to the growth of cultural complexity and assist in the training of a promising young scientist.