Implications of Volcanic Ash in the Maya lowlands: Glass Shards in the Pottery Sherds

玛雅低地火山灰的影响：陶器碎片中的玻璃碎片

• 批准号: 0510727
• 负责人: Anabel Ford
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Barbara
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2009-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0510727&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Implications; Volcanic; Ash; Maya; lowlands

This award provides support for collaborativeproject led by archaeologist Dr. Anabel Ford and volcanologist Dr. Frank Spera. By uniting disciplines to address an archaeological problem, they will identifythe source(s) of volcanic ash (glass) used as ceramic temper in everyday potteryof the ancient Maya in the Late Classic Period. The presence of fresh volcanicash more than 350 km from any volcano that is consistently discovered inpottery fragments (sherds) from the limestone Maya lowlands is unexpected. Yet,since the 1930s, when Anna O. Sheppard identified volcanic ash in Maya pottery,archaeologists have been aware of the anomaly. The correct identification of thevolcanic ash source(s) will enable these scholars to recover critical evidenceof the cultural, ecological, and environmental influences that contributed tothe rise and fall of the Maya civilization. How did relatively large volumes ofvolcanic ash become available for manufacturing ceramic production when alltransport was with human effort? This question has never been answered and theimplications are significant.This project will use geochemical and volcanological tools to studythe transport, dispersal, and identification of the volcanic glass shards in theancient Maya pottery sherds. Examination will include 1) monitoring the effects of firing on the composition of the glass shards inthe pottery sherds; 2) assessment of the elements (major, minor, and trace) and isotopic ratios(strontium and lead) of glass shards in pottery fragments for fingerprintingvolcanoes; 3) matching the elemental composition of glass shards and associated minerals inpottery sherds to candidate volcanoes in the Central American Highlands andMexican Volcanic Belt; 4) simulating patterns of ashfall dispersal to the limestone lowlands forcandidate volcanoes; and 5) exploring the consequences of volcanic ashfall into the Maya lowland soil,plant, and animal life. These data will permit the team to address the implications of volcanic ash onthe cultural development of the Maya and on refining lowland Maya chronology.While it has been generally accepted that volcanic ash was of non-local origin,the anomaly of the presence of pristine, fresh volcanic ash has never beenexplained. Since the best answer is volcanic ashfall from distant volcanoes, thesolution to the problem requires knowledge of both archaeology and volcanology. The intellectual merit of this collaboration is that it brings knowledgegenerated from NSF funding in distinct fields to a joint solution. Thearchaeological implications of the volcanological solution has consequences forunderstanding the economy of ceramic production as well as the ecology of theMaya forest where volcanoes are at a distance.The broad impacts of the research results promote an innovative approach toproblem-oriented science requiring the full involvement of distinct fields.Volcanoes are universally recognized as hazards, but at a distance they canprovide benefits such as temper for pottery and amendments for soil. Thus, theresolution of this archaeological issue will expand our understanding ofsociety's interaction with their changing environment.

该奖项为考古学家安娜贝尔·福特博士和火山学家弗兰克·斯佩拉博士领导的合作项目提供支持。通过联合学科来解决考古问题，他们将确定古典时期晚期古玛雅日常陶器中用作陶瓷钢化物的火山灰（玻璃）的来源。在距玛雅石灰岩低地的陶器碎片（碎片）中不断发现的距离任何火山超过 350 公里处的新鲜火山灰的存在是出乎意料的。 然而，自 20 世纪 30 年代安娜·O·谢泼德 (Anna O. Sheppard) 在玛雅陶器中发现火山灰以来，考古学家就意识到了这种异常现象。对火山灰来源的正确识别将使这些学者能够恢复导致玛雅文明兴衰的文化、生态和环境影响的关键证据。当所有运输均由人力完成时，相对大量的火山灰如何用于陶瓷生产？ 这个问题从未得到解答，意义重大。该项目将利用地球化学和火山学工具来研究古代玛雅陶片中火山玻璃碎片的运输、扩散和识别。 检查将包括 1) 监测烧制对陶片中玻璃碎片成分的影响； 2) 评估陶器碎片中玻璃碎片的元素（主量、微量和微量）和同位素比（锶和铅），以进行火山指纹识别； 3) 将陶片中的玻璃碎片和伴生矿物的元素成分与中美洲高地和墨西哥火山带的候选火山进行匹配； 4) 模拟火山灰向石灰岩低地扩散的模式； 5）探索火山灰落入玛雅低地土壤、植物和动物生命的后果。 这些数据将使研究小组能够解决火山灰对玛雅文化发展和完善低地玛雅年代学的影响。虽然人们普遍认为火山灰不是本地起源的，但原始、新鲜火山灰存在的异常现象从未得到解释。由于最好的答案是来自遥远火山的火山灰，因此解决该问题需要考古学和火山学知识。此次合作的智力优势在于，它将 NSF 资助在不同领域产生的知识融入到联合解决方案中。火山学解决方案的考古学意义对于理解陶瓷生产的经济以及远处火山所在的玛雅森林的生态具有重要意义。研究结果的广泛影响促进了一种以问题为导向的科学创新方法，需要不同领域的充分参与。火山被普遍认为是一种危险，但在远处，它们可以提供诸如陶器回火和土壤改良等好处。因此，这一考古问题的解决将扩大我们对社会与其不断变化的环境相互作用的理解。