Doctoral Research: Patterns in Metal Selection and Processing in Middle Sican Copper Technology, AD 900-1100: Multi-Dimensional Analysis

博士研究：中硅铜技术中的金属选择和加工模式，AD 900-1100：多维分析

• 批准号: 9903215
• 负责人: Joseph Simmons
• 金额: $ 1.15万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-05-15 至 2001-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9903215&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Research; Patterns; Metal; Selection

Under the direction of Dr David Kingery, MS Aniko Bezur will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will sample and analyze a series of copper artifacts which were manufactured during the Middle Sican period (900-1100 AD) on the northern coast of Peru. For a number of years an archaeological research project under the direction of Dr. Izumi Shimada has traced the rise and subsequent decline of the Sican state and has excavated large numbers of copper objects such as needles, tweezers and metal bells. Sican peoples mastered and refined the art of copper working and the project has uncovered remains of smelters and byproducts associated with this process. Through experimentation much of the manufacturing procedure has been reconstructed and MS Bezur will augment this work through the compositional analysis of finished products. Samples will be mounted in epoxy, polished and then analyzed by electron microprobe to determine the average composition of the sample surface. Variation of arsenic content within the microstructure will also be determined through elemental mapping. This information, along with optical images will provide insight into how original solidification took place as well as the history of thermal treatments that the artifact underwent during production. Neutron Activation Analysis will also be conducted at the University of Missouri reactor.The project has several goals. It will help to determine the degrees of sophistication and control that Sican metallurgists possessed. Prior work has indicated that addition of small amounts of arsenic to copper can increase its performance capabilities and that percentage of arsenic varies among objects. However scientists do not know whether prehistoric artisans recognized the advantages which arsenic conferred and controlled the formula accordingly or whether arsenic is incorporated as an unintentional byproduct. It is possible that amount of arsenic varied by artifact type and MS Bezur will analyze a variety of kinds of tools for this reason. Archaeologists do not know how important a role metallurgy played in ancient Peru and the extent to which it contributed to the rise of early state level organizations in the region. Studies to date have focused on artifacts recovered in tombs and other ritual contexts only and its general usage is not understood. MS Bezur's research will set this technology in a broader cultural context.This project is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will increase understanding of the relationship between technological and social organization and assist in training a promising young scientist.

在David Kingery博士的指导下，Aniko Bezur女士将为她的博士论文收集数据。她将对秘鲁北部海岸西干中期(公元900-1100年)制造的一系列铜文物进行采样和分析。多年来，岛田出水博士指导的考古研究项目追踪了西干州的兴衰，出土了大量的铜器，如针、镊子和金属钟。西干人民掌握并提炼了铜加工的艺术，该项目发现了与这一过程相关的冶炼厂和副产品的遗迹。通过实验，大部分制造程序已经被改造，贝祖尔女士将通过对成品的成分分析来加强这项工作。样品将安装在环氧树脂中，抛光，然后用电子探针进行分析，以确定样品表面的平均成分。微结构中砷含量的变化也将通过元素映射来确定。这些信息以及光学图像将提供对原始凝固过程的洞察，以及文物在生产过程中经历的热处理历史。密苏里大学的反应堆也将进行中子活化分析。该项目有几个目标。这将有助于确定四川冶金学家拥有的复杂程度和控制能力。先前的工作表明，在铜中添加少量砷可以提高其性能，而且砷的百分比因对象而异。然而，科学家们不知道史前工匠是否认识到砷赋予并相应地控制配方的好处，或者砷是否被作为一种无意的副产品加入。砷的含量可能会因人工制品类型的不同而不同，因此贝祖尔女士将分析各种工具。考古学家不知道冶金在古代秘鲁扮演着多么重要的角色，也不知道它在多大程度上促进了该地区早期国家级组织的兴起。到目前为止，研究主要集中在墓穴和其他仪式环境中发现的文物上，对其一般用法尚不清楚。贝祖尔女士的研究将把这项技术置于更广泛的文化背景中。这个项目之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据。它将增加对技术和社会组织之间关系的理解，并有助于培养有前途的年轻科学家。