Processes of Aztec State Formation in the Northeastern Basin of Mexico: Materials Analysis

墨西哥东北盆地阿兹特克州形成过程：材料分析

• 批准号: 9707462
• 负责人: Deborah Nichols
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Dartmouth College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-07-01 至 2001-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9707462&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Processes; Aztec; State; Formation; Northeastern

In this collaborative project Drs. Deborah Nichols and Thomas Charlton will analyze archaeological materials collected at the Aztec site of Otumba which is located in the Basin of Mexico. The Aztec empire, known both through archaeology and historic description, had become by 1519 AD the largest state in the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the Basin of Mexico, the state's geographic core, was one of the most urbanized areas in the world. In addition to the imperial capital at Tenochititian the empire was administered and controlled through a number of regional centers such as Otumba and how these smaller cities functioned and were integrated with both rural hinterlands on the one hand and the capital on the other, is not well understood. In past NSF supported research the investigators have conducted extensive survey and excavation at Otumba and have mapped the distribution of numerous cultural materials across the site. They have also produced a general chronology for the city. The results show that manufacturing activities are not randomly or evenly distributed across space and this suggests a form of centralized control. In the present project, the team will conduct a careful analysis of material remains to determine the sources of raw materials and to trace their flow across space. They believe, as do many anthropologists that in empires such as the Aztecs production and distribution were centrally administered and that this control helped to solidify elite power and solidify the state. To examine this proposition, the team will: 1. obtain accurate dates for the development of craft specialization and Otumba's growth as a center through radiocarbon analysis; 2. clarify manufacturing and distribution patterns of various commodities, including items locally produced and some probably imported, through neutron activation analysis of trace elements to match artifacts with their raw material sources or source areas. Neutron activation analysis will be applied to obsidians (volcanic glass used to make tools), basalt, and the clays employed to make pots as well as figurines, censers and spindle whorls. The Aztec empire covered a significant part of Mexico and integrated large numbers of people into a single political system. With a simple technology and lack of horses or other domestic animals for transportation it is difficult to understand how such an entity could be formed and maintained for hundreds of years. This project will shed light on the economic organization of the empire and the role which control over production and distribution played in the emergence and sustenance of this early state.

在这个合作项目中，Deborah Nichols博士和托马斯查尔顿将分析在位于墨西哥盆地的奥通巴的阿兹特克遗址收集的考古材料。通过考古学和历史描述而闻名的阿兹特克帝国，到公元1519年已经成为前哥伦布时期中美洲历史上最大的国家，墨西哥盆地是国家的地理核心，是世界上城市化程度最高的地区之一。除了在特诺基蒂安的帝国首都之外，帝国还通过一些区域中心（如奥通巴）进行管理和控制，这些较小的城市如何运作，以及如何一方面与农村土地和另一方面与首都融合，目前还不清楚。在过去的NSF支持的研究中，调查人员在Otumba进行了广泛的调查和挖掘，并绘制了整个遗址众多文化材料的分布图。他们还为这座城市制作了一份总的年表。结果表明，制造活动不是随机或均匀地分布在空间上，这表明了一种集中控制的形式。在本项目中，该小组将对遗留物质进行仔细分析，以确定原材料的来源，并追踪其在空间中的流动。他们和许多人类学家一样认为，在阿兹特克这样的帝国中，生产和分配是集中管理的，这种控制有助于巩固精英权力和巩固国家。 为了验证这个命题，团队将：1。通过放射性碳分析，获得工艺专业化发展和奥通巴作为中心发展的准确日期; 2.通过对微量元素进行中子活化分析，将文物与其原材料来源或来源地相匹配，澄清各种商品的制造和销售模式，包括当地生产的物品和一些可能进口的物品。中子活化分析将应用于黑曜石（用于制作工具的火山玻璃）、玄武岩和用于制作陶罐以及小雕像、香炉和纺锤轮的粘土。 阿兹特克帝国覆盖了墨西哥的很大一部分，并将大量的人纳入一个单一的政治体系。在一个简单的技术和缺乏马匹或其他家畜运输的情况下，很难理解这样一个实体是如何形成和维持数百年的。这个项目将阐明帝国的经济组织以及对生产和分配的控制在这个早期国家的出现和维持中所起的作用。