Isotopic Studies of Human Movement in the Prehistoric American Southwest

史前美国西南部人类运动的同位素研究

• 批准号: 0957054
• 负责人: T. Douglas Price
• 金额: $ 26.96万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-03-15 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0957054&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Isotopic; Studies; Human; Movement; Prehistoric

NSF funding will be used for the study of human mobility in the prehistoric Southwestern United States. This area witnessed millennia of migration and movement for various reasons, including colonization, conflict, and climate change. Many questions regarding mobility in this area remain difficult to answer, however, in part because archaeological methods have focused on artifacts and architecture as proxies for people. Things and ideas can be borrowed, stolen, or traded. A new method in archaeology involving the analysis of isotopes in human tooth enamel, however, provides a direct measure of movement. Prof. T. Douglas Price and colleagues will use isotopes of strontium, oxygen, and carbon in tooth enamel to directly investigate human movement, building on a successful earlier study at Grasshopper Pueblo, Arizona. The principle of the method is straightforward and well documented. Enamel forms in early childhood and incorporates the isotopic ratio of the place of birth. Enamel is inert and resistant to contamination and decomposition, thus providing an isotopic signature of place of birth. This signature is retained after death and often after burial. Because the isotopic signal in bone is continually updated during life it reflects recent residence. If the isotopic signal of the place of death is different from the enamel, the individual must have moved to a different geological location during his/her lifetime. Carbon isotopes reflect diet. A pilot study of 32 teeth from 3 sites in three different areas documents significant variability and the presence of non-locals. Related projects will measure carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone for paleodiet and ancient DNA for genetic relationships in the same individuals. Samples will be shared among the research groups to reduce the impact on collections.The three study areas for this project, and some of the important research questions, are 1. The introduction of agriculture into Four Corners region, and relationships between Eastern and Western Basketmaker cultures. 2. Human movement and interaction in Chaco Canyon and northwestern New Mexico where isotope studies of timber, maize, and deer have documented long-distance transport. Fascinating questions concern the origin, nature, and causes for this phenomenon. The relationship between the Chaco Great Houses and their satellite communities remain one of the more intriguing mysteries in American archaeology. Research will focus on the humans at Pueblo Bonito and other Great House pueblos where evidence from burial practices suggests social inequality. Samples from outlier communities will be included for comparison. 3. Investigation of the Mimbres culture of southwestern New Mexico will focus on the relationship between Mimbres and Hohokam and Mogollon groups in the ancient Southwest. There are also indications of ties with the large, regional center of Casas Grandes, some 200 km to the south in northern Mexico. A more general question concerns the movement of Uto-Aztecan groups from Central Mexico into the Southwest and their relationship with indigenous populations. Isotopic analysis of human tooth enamel from these three areas should provide substantial insight into many of these questions. This research will help us understand the nature and extent of human movement during the last 2000 years or so of prehistory in the American Southwest.

NSF的资金将用于研究史前美国西南部的人类流动性。这一地区见证了数千年的移民和迁移，原因多种多样，包括殖民化、冲突和气候变化。然而，关于这一地区的流动性的许多问题仍然难以回答，部分原因是考古方法集中在人工制品和建筑上，作为人的代表。事物和思想可以被借用、窃取或交易。然而，考古学中的一种新方法，包括分析人类牙齿釉质中的同位素，提供了一种直接的运动测量方法。T.道格拉斯普莱斯和他的同事们将利用牙釉质中的锶、氧和碳的同位素来直接研究人类的运动，这是在亚利桑那州蚱蜢普韦布洛的一项成功的早期研究的基础上进行的。该方法的原理简单明了，并且有据可查。牙釉质在幼儿期形成，并结合了出生地的同位素比例。牙釉质是惰性的，不易污染和分解，因此提供了出生地的同位素标记。 这种签名在死后保留，通常在埋葬后保留。因为骨骼中的同位素信号在生命过程中不断更新，所以它反映了最近的居住。 如果死亡地点的同位素信号与牙釉质不同，则该个体在其一生中必须迁移到不同的地理位置。碳同位素反映饮食。对来自三个不同地区的3个地点的32颗牙齿进行的一项试点研究记录了显着的变异性和非本地人的存在。相关项目将测量骨骼中的碳和氮同位素，以确定古饮食，并测量同一个体中的古DNA，以确定遗传关系。为了减少对馆藏的影响，样本将在各研究小组之间共享。四角地区的农业引进，以及东西方篮匠文化之间的关系。2.查科峡谷和新墨西哥州西北部的人类活动和相互作用，在那里对木材、玉米和鹿的同位素研究记录了长途运输。关于这一现象的起源、性质和原因的问题很热门。查科大家族和他们的卫星社区之间的关系仍然是美国考古学中最有趣的谜团之一。研究将集中在普韦布洛博尼托和其他大房子普韦布洛的人类，那里的埋葬习俗证据表明社会不平等。将纳入离群群体的样本进行比较。3.对新墨西哥州西南部明布雷斯文化的调查将集中在明布雷斯与古代西南部的霍霍坎和莫戈隆群体之间的关系上。也有迹象表明，它与墨西哥北方南部约200公里处的大卡萨斯格兰德地区中心有联系。一个更普遍的问题涉及乌托-阿兹特克群体从墨西哥中部向西南部的迁移及其与土著居民的关系。对这三个区域的人类牙釉质的同位素分析应该为这些问题提供实质性的见解。这项研究将帮助我们了解人类运动的性质和程度在过去2000年左右的史前在美国西南部。