Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Early and Middle Formative Floodplain Settlement, Subsistence, and Household Adaptations at San Lorenzo, Veracruz, Mexico

博士论文改进补助金：墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯州圣洛伦索的早期和中期形成洪泛区定居、生存和家庭适应

• 批准号: 0107750
• 负责人: David Grove
• 金额: $ 0.95万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-05-01 至 2003-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0107750&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Early

Under the direction of Dr. David Grove, Mr. Anthony Vega will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. Combining both archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analysis he will examine a series of small mound sites located near the major Olmec center of San Lorenzo in southeastern Veracruz, Mexico. The Olmec civilization is the earliest in Mesoamerica and although considerable attention has been focused on impressive centers such as San Lorenzo, relatively little is known either about the surrounding hinterland or the processes responsible for this development. In preliminary work, Mr. Vega located and conducted test excavations into a series of small mounds which dot the floodplain around San Lorenzo. The results suggest that these were housemounds, perhaps occupied by single family groups and, based on comparisons with people who inhabit the region today, it is quite likely that these early Olmec pursued a mixed subsistence strategy which incorporated significant amounts of fish, shrimp and other floodplain items into an agricultural diet. While many researchers focus on the relationship between agriculture and the emergence of complex society Mr. Vega, among others, believes that the situation in fact may be more complex and that control over a wider variety of resources played an important role in this process. Mr. Vega will conduct stratigraphic excavation to develop a detailed chronological sequence. He will also completely expose living surfaces within several mounds to gain insight into subsistence practices and social organization. Comparison across mounds will permit him to determine whether social stratification - a hallmark of complex societies - existed. More limited testing between mounds may, hopefully, provide information on agricultural practices. By placing Olmec development in a chronological context it will also be possible to address the contested issue of whether Olmec culture developed from a local base or traces its roots to other regions within Middle America.This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on alternative routes which may lead to the emergence of civilization and provide insight into one of the earliest Middle American complex societies. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and contribute to training a promising young scientist.

在大卫·格罗夫博士的指导下，安东尼·维加先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。结合考古田野工作和实验室分析，他将检查位于墨西哥东南部韦拉克鲁斯圣洛伦佐的奥尔梅克主要中心附近的一系列小土丘遗址。奥尔梅克文明是中美洲最早的文明，尽管相当多的注意力集中在圣洛伦佐等令人印象深刻的中心，但对周围腹地或导致这种发展的过程知之甚少。在前期工作中，维加找到了一系列散布在圣洛伦佐周围泛滥平原上的小土丘，并进行了试掘。结果表明，这些地方可能是由单一家庭群体居住的，根据与今天居住在该地区的人的比较，这些早期奥尔梅克人很可能采取混合生存策略，将大量的鱼、虾和其他泛滥平原的食物纳入农业饮食。虽然许多研究人员把重点放在农业与复杂社会的出现之间的关系上，但维加先生等人认为，实际上情况可能更为复杂，对更广泛的各种资源的控制在这一过程中发挥了重要作用。维加将进行地层挖掘，以制定详细的年代顺序。他还将完全暴露几个土丘内的生物表面，以深入了解生存实践和社会组织。跨国界的比较将使他能够确定社会分层--复杂社会的一个标志--是否存在。更有限的土丘间试验有望提供有关农业实践的信息。通过将奥尔梅克的发展放在一个按时间顺序的背景下，也将有可能解决奥尔梅克文化是从当地基础发展起来的，还是追溯到中美洲其他地区的有争议的问题。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将阐明可能导致文明出现的替代路线，并提供对美国最早的中世纪复杂社会之一的洞察。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据，并有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。