Adopting Food Production in Mid-Holocene Arabia: ExploratoryResearch into Choosing Domesticates in Changing Environments

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，乔伊·麦考里斯顿博士和她的同事将在也门沙漠的瓦迪-舒米利亚地区进行一季的考古实地研究。麦考里斯顿博士对这片崎岖且难以进入的地区进行了短暂的访问，发现了一个遗址，WPT 144，根据相关的陶瓷遗迹，它至少可以追溯到公元前三千年。除了石器，该遗址还有石板——坟墓和相关住宅的遗迹。沉积物的性质使得动物和植物的遗迹都极有可能被保存下来。麦考里斯顿博士将通过几个深沟进行探索性挖掘，以确定地层关系。更广泛的水平暴露将使她能够重建建筑平面图，并确定通常富含动植物遗骸的垃圾沉积物的位置。放射性碳定年的材料也将被收集。该小组还将进行一项区域调查，以确定更多的地点，并恢复岩石磁力和其他地质数据，这些数据将允许古气候和环境重建。也门的史前史鲜为人知，在Wadi as-Shumylya地区所做的工作也很少。根据来自阿拉伯半岛的文化材料，很明显新石器时代的占领发生了，因此该地区记录了从狩猎和采集到定居的村庄农业生活方式的转变。然而，不确定这是什么时候发生的，也不确定种植了什么植物。该地区位于三个传统的交界处，具有潜在的考古意义。在西北部，地中海的一系列驯化品种包括小麦和大麦。史前与非洲的互动也很强烈，邻国埃塞俄比亚是小米、高粱和其他作物驯化的中心。在东方，人们种植水稻和豆类。因此，也门提供了一个机会来研究人类选择在早期农业战略中的作用。由于其地理位置，它在潜在的驯化范围内是独一无二的，McCorriston博士希望首先确定种植作物的范围，然后最终解释这一结果的原因。她的工作将在环境背景下进行。这项研究很重要，因为它将为一个基本上不为人知的考古区域提供基本数据。它有可能为人类对沙漠环境的适应提供新的线索，并可能为一个更大的研究项目奠定基础。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Joy McCorriston and her colleagues will conduct one season of archaeological field research in the desertic Wadi as-Shumylya region of Yemen. Based on a brief visit to this rugged and inaccessible area Dr. McCorriston discovered a site, WPT 144, which on the basis of associated ceramic remains dates at least as early as the third millennium BC. In addition to lithics, the site contains stone slabs - remains of both a tomb and associated dwellings. The nature of the sediments makes it highly likely that both faunal and botanical remains are preserved. Dr. McCorriston will conduct exploratory excavation to determine stratigraphic relationships through several deep trenches. Broader horizontal exposures will permit her to reconstruct the architectural plan and locate refuse deposits which are typically rich in animal and plant remains. Material for radiocarbon dating will also be collected. The team will also conduct a regional survey to locate additional sites and recover rock magnetic and other geological data which will permit paleoclimatic and environmental reconstruction. The prehistory of Yemen is poorly known and very little work has been done in the Wadi as-Shumylya region. Based on cultural materials from the Arabian peninsula it is clear that a Neolithic occupation occurred and thus the region documents the transition from hunting and gathering to a settled village agricultural way of life. However it is not certain when this took place or what plants were cultivated. The region is of great potential archaeological significance because it lies at the boundary of three traditions. To the Northwest, a Mediterranean series of domesticates includes wheat and barley. Prehistoric interaction with Africa was also strong and neighboring Ethiopia was the center for the domestication of millet, sorghum and other crops. To the East peoples raised rice and pulses. Yemen thus offers an opportunity to examine the role of human choice in early agricultural strategy. Because of its geographical position it is unique in the range of domesticates potentially available and Dr. McCorriston wishes first to determine the range of crops cultivated and then ultimately explain the reason for this outcome. Her work will proceed within an environmental context. The research is important because it will provide basic data on an essentially unknown archaeological region. It has the potential to shed new light on human adaptation to desertic environments and may set the stage for a larger research project.