Isotopic Studies of Human Movement in the Prehistoric American Southwest

美国国家科学基金会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徙，原因多种多样，包括殖民、冲突和气候变化。然而，关于这一地区流动性的许多问题仍然很难回答，部分原因是考古方法侧重于将文物和建筑作为人类的代理人。东西和想法可以借来、偷来或交易。然而，考古学中的一种新方法，包括分析人类牙釉质中的同位素，提供了一种直接测量运动的方法。T·道格拉斯·普莱斯教授和他的同事们将利用牙釉质中锶、氧和碳的同位素直接研究人类的运动，这是在亚利桑那州蝗虫普韦布洛早期一项成功研究的基础上进行的。这种方法的原理是直截了当的，而且有很好的文档。牙釉质形成于儿童早期，并包含出生地的同位素比例。釉质是惰性的，耐污染和分解，因此提供了出生地的同位素特征。这一签名在死后保留，通常在埋葬后保留。由于骨骼中的同位素信号在生命过程中不断更新，它反映了最近的居住地。如果死亡地点的同位素信号与牙釉质不同，这个人肯定是在他/她的一生中搬到了不同的地质位置。碳同位素反映了饮食。一项对三个不同地区三个地点的32颗牙齿进行的初步研究记录了显著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研究古代饮食，并测量古代DNA以研究同一个体的遗传关系。样本将在研究小组之间共享，以减少对收集的影响。本项目的三个研究领域，以及一些重要的研究问题，是1.农业在四角地区的引入，以及东西方制篮者文化的关系。2.查科峡谷和新墨西哥州西北部的人类活动和相互作用，那里的木材、玉米和鹿的同位素研究记录了长途运输。有趣的问题涉及到这一现象的起源、性质和原因。查科大宅和它们的卫星社区之间的关系仍然是美国考古学中比较耐人寻味的谜团之一。研究将集中在Pueblo Bonito和其他大宅Pueblo的人类，在那里，来自埋葬做法的证据表明社会不平等。来自离群点社区的样本将被纳入进行比较。3.对新墨西哥州西南部的Mimbres文化的研究将重点放在Mimbres与古代西南部的Hohokam和Mogollon群体的关系上。还有迹象表明，它与墨西哥北部向南约200公里处的大型区域中心大卡萨斯有联系。一个更普遍的问题涉及乌托-阿兹特克人群体从墨西哥中部迁移到西南部，以及他们与土著居民的关系。对这三个地区的人牙釉质进行同位素分析，应该可以为其中许多问题提供实质性的见解。这项研究将有助于我们了解过去2000年左右美国西南部史前时期人类活动的性质和范围。

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.