Dissertation Research: Lithic Technology of Paleoindian Materials in Alaska

在David Meltzer博士的指导下，Michael Bever先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他的研究目标是描述阿拉斯加最早的考古组合，并将它们与东亚和美国大陆的相关材料进行比较。虽然考古学家知道，新大陆最初是在上一个冰河时代末期由穿越白令大陆桥的亚洲移民居住的，但这一过程的确切路线和时间尚不清楚。由于阿拉斯加地理上靠近亚洲，它应该包含相关的考古信息，而且似乎存在这样的遗址。在此期间，通过挖掘回收的主要材料是石器和与其制造有关的石质废物项目。通过风格和技术的比较，考古学家试图描述组合的特征，然后比较它们之间的异同。阿拉斯加早期的情况很复杂，因为许多组合在地层上是混合的，包含来自不同时期的岩屑，这些岩屑混杂在一起。然而，即使是完好无损的遗址，这种模式也显得异常，因为发现的相关物质不会同时出现在亚洲或更南边的地方。例如，阿拉斯加的一些遗址含有巨大的兰状矛尖，这是美国大陆最早的考古发现的特征。然而，这些阿拉斯加网站也有非常特殊的小工具，这是独一无二的。在他的研究中，贝弗将分析一系列保存完好的阿拉斯加早期地层组合。他不会像大多数研究人员那样，专注于成品石器的形式，而是研究工具生产中涉及的工艺过程。这将提供具有重大文化内涵的独特信息。他将首先确定阿拉斯加遗址是否有足够的相似性被视为一个单一的文化单位，然后将这些材料与来自西部和南部的遗骸进行比较。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的证据。它有望为北美人民带来新的曙光，并有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. David Meltzer, Mr. Michael Bever will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. The goal of his research is to characterize the earliest archaeological assemblages in Alaska and compare them to relevant materials both from Eastern Asia and the continental United States. While archaeologists know the New World was originally populated near the end of the last ice age by Asian migrants who crossed the Bering Land Bridge the exact route and timing of this process in unknown. Because of its geographical proximity to Asia, Alaska should contain relevant archaeological information and it appears that such sites are present. For this time period the primary materials recovered through excavation are stone tools and the lithic waste projects associated with their manufacture. Through stylistic and technological comparison archaeologists attempt to characterize assemblages and then compare similarities and differences among them. The picture for early Alaska is complicated by the fact that many assemblages are stratigraphically mixed and contain lithics from different time periods which are jumbled together. Even for intact sites however the patterns appear anomalous because materials found associated do not occur together in either Asia or further South. Some Alaskan sites for example contain large lancolate spear points which are characteristic of the earliest archaeological occurrences in the continental US. However these same Alaskan sites also have very specific types of small tools which are unique. In his research Mr. Bever will analyze a series of stratigraphically intact early Alaskan assemblages. Rather than concentrate, as most researchers do, on the form of the finished stone tools, he will examine the technological processes involved in tool production. This will provide a unique body of information with significant cultural content. He will first determine whether the Alaskan sites share enough similarities to be considered as a single cultural unit and then compare these materials to remains from both the West and South. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide a body of evidence of interest to many archaeologists. It will, hopefully, shed new light on the peopling of North America and assist in training a promising young scientist.