High Risk Exploratory Research: Late Mousterian Caves at Almonda, Portugal

在国家科学基金会的支持下，安东尼·马克斯博士和他的同事将在葡萄牙阿尔蒙达坍塌的洞穴口进行考古发掘试验。这些形成了一个广泛的案例系统，已被映射和探索的许多入口中的几个。根据从洞穴本身的表面环境中恢复的考古材料，这些系统的入口可能包含旧石器时代中期的埋藏文化沉积物。史前的人们通常居住在光线充足、通风良好的洞穴入口处，而不是洞穴内部。勘探工作已经发现了几个入口的地面位置。在一个短暂的野外季节，马克斯博士和他的同事们将从外部悬崖面进行挖掘，以清除大块的石灰岩屋顶坠落物以及冲入开口的沉积物，以暴露原位存款。然后将进行测试挖掘，以确定它们是否包含旧石器时代中期的工业。这项探索性工作如果成功，将为一个更大、更长期的研究项目提供基础。 考古证据表明，大约4万年前居住在西欧的尼安德特人被解剖学上的现代人所取代。然而，它们发生的过程尚不清楚。在尼安德特人时期的相对晚期，物质文化的变化预示着适应性，这是后来的现代人类的特征。考古学家不知道这些是借用还是独立发展。这个问题很难解决，因为很可能是因为。40，000年前，这两个群体在欧洲大部分地区都有潜在的接触。葡萄牙之所以重要，是因为现代人进入这一地区相对较晚，因此尼安德特人在这里生存的时间比其他地方至少长1万年。由于这种与世隔绝的状态，葡萄牙提供了一个很好的竞技场来研究尼安德特人的适应问题，以及这可能反映了潜在的行为能力。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。如果成功的话，它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据，并为史前人类记录提供新的线索。它还将为更广泛的研究项目奠定基础。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Anthony Marks and his colleagues will conduct test archaeological excavations in the mouths of collapsed caves at Almonda, Portugal. These form several of many entrances to an extensive case system which has been mapped and explored. On the basis of archaeological materials recovered from surface contexts within the caves themselves it is likely that the entrances to these systems contained buried cultural deposits of Middle Paleolithic age. Prehistoric peoples most often lived in the well lighted and ventilated entrances of caves rather than their interiors. Exploration has revealed the surface position of several entrances. In a brief field season Dr. Marks and colleagues will excavate from an exterior cliff face to remove large blocks of limestone roof-fall as well as sediment which has washed into the openings to expose in situ deposit. Test excavations will then be conducted to determine whether they contain Middle Paleolithic industries. This exploratory work will, if successful, provide the basis for a larger, longer term research project. Archaeological evidence indicates that approximately 40,000 years ago Neanderthal peoples who inhabited Western Europe were replaced by anatomically modern humans. However the process by which they occurred is unclear. Relatively late in the Neanderthal period changes in material culture foreshadow adaptations which characterized the succeeding modern humans. Archaeologists do not know whether these represent borrowings or an independent development. The question is difficult to resolve because it is likely that ca. 40,000 years ago the two groups were in potential contact across much of Europe. Portugal is important because modern humans enter this region relatively late and thus Neanderthal peoples survived for at least 10,000 years longer here than elsewhere. Because of this isolation Portugal provides an excellent arena to examine the issue of Neanderthal adaptation, and what this may reflect about underlying behavioral abilities. This research is important for several reasons. It will, if successful, provide data of interest to many archaeologists and shed new light on the prehistoric human record. It will also set the stage for a more extensive research project.