Dissertation Improvement Grant Early Human Occupation of Northeastern Mexico: A Regional Study in the Modern Desert Environment

在Thomas Dillehay博士的指导下，James White先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他将在墨西哥蒙特雷北部一个50平方公里的现代沙漠地区进行考古研究。这个地区位于东方马德雷山脉西部边缘的格兰德河以南，几乎没有受到任何专业考古学的关注。这项研究的目标是找到早期人类在新世界居住的地点——大约在1万年前或稍早于1万年前——并在此基础上重建生存和定居适应。选定区域的优势在于其丰富的紧密并列的微区，这些微区提供了广泛的空间离散资源。与大多数美国同行不同的是，这些遗址没有受到地面采集和干燥的沙漠条件的影响，可能可以追溯到过去的7000年，有利于保存脆弱的动物和植物遗骸。这项研究将分三个阶段进行。将徒步调查整个50公里的区域，并记录和绘制所有地表材料。在此基础上，将选择一个样本进行有限的挖掘，并分析所获得的材料。有了这些数据，将在最有希望的地点进行更广泛的挖掘。地质学家将把这些材料放在相关的地貌环境中，放射性碳测年将提供绝对年龄，一系列专家分析将提供动物、花卉和花粉鉴定。考古证据表明，到一万年前，人类已经遍布美洲，他们的存在在两个大陆都有很好的记录。根据精心制作的石制矛尖与巨型水牛、猛犸象和乳齿象遗骸之间的联系，很明显人类利用了这些食物资源。然而，关于这些古印第安人是否主要是专门的大型猎物猎人，他们是否追求更普遍的生存策略，并将大型猎物作为更广泛的饮食的一个元素，或者是否一些群体采用一种方法而另一些群体采用另一种方法，人们几乎没有一致意见。怀特先生正确地指出，这个问题只能通过深入的针对特定区域的研究来有效解决，在这种研究中，对同一时期的多个地点进行比较，可以重建住区和生存模式。他为这类研究选择了一个极好的领域。这个项目之所以重要，有几个原因。它将揭示美洲一个鲜为人知的地区，并为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据。它将提供对早期美洲原住民适应能力的深入了解，也有助于培养一名有前途的年轻考古学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Thomas Dillehay, Mr. James White will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological research in a 50 km. square region in the modern desert North of Monterey Mexico. Located just South of the Rio Grande river on the western edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental this region has received almost no professional archaeological attention. The goal of the research is to locate sites which date to the early human occupation of the New World - around and slightly before 10,000 years ago - and on this basis reconstruct subsistence and settlement adaptations. The advantage of the selected region lies in its wealth of closely juxtaposed micro-zones which provide a wide range of spatially discrete resources. Sites, unlike most US counterparts have not been subjected to surface collecting and dry desertic conditions, likely dating to the last 7,000 years, are conducive to the preservation of fragile faunal and floral remains. The research will proceed in three stages. The entire 50 km area will be surveyed on foot and all surface materials noted and mapped. On this basis a sample will be selected for limited excavation and the material obtained will be analyzed. With these data in hand, more extensive excavation will be undertaken at the most promising sites. A geologist will place the material into relevant geomorphological context, radiocarbon dates will provide absolute ages and a series of specialist analyses will provide faunal, floral and pollen identifications.Archaeological evidence demonstrates that by 10,000 years ago humans had spread across the Americas and their presence is well documented in both continents. Based on the association between carefully worked stone lance points and the remains of giant buffalo, mammoth and mastodon it is clear that humans utilized these food resources. However there is little agreement on whether these Paleo-Indian peoples were primarily specialized large game hunters, whether they pursued a more generalized subsistence strategy and incorporated large game as only one element of a broader diet or whether some groups adopted one approach and other groups another. Mr. White correctly argues that this question can only be addressed effectively through intensive region-specific studies in which comparison of multiple sites from the same time period permits the reconstruction of settlement and subsistence patterns. He has selected an excellent area for such research.This project is important for several reasons. It will shed light on a little known region of the Americas and provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will provide insight into the adaptations of early Native Americans and also assist in training a promising young archaeologist.