Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Maya Projectile Technology

博士论文改进补助金：玛雅弹丸技术

• 批准号: 1146372
• 负责人: Prudence Rice
• 金额: $ 1.99万
• 依托单位: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-01-15 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1146372&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Maya

Under the direction of Dr. Prudence Rice, Mr. Nathan Meissner will analyze small chipped-stone projectile points manufactured by Postclassic Mayan peoples to gain insight into their economic and trade practices. This regional study will examine similarities and differences in the manufacturing technology of projectile (arrow) points from multiple sites throughout the Maya lowlands, including Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. The selection of sites will also allow comparisons among various cultural sub-groupings of Mayan-speaking peoples. Data generated from this seven-month study will be used to address two general anthropological questions that are yet to be fully answered in Mesoamerica: (1) How does large-scale trading and heightened social interaction impact technological systems at traditional levels of social organization? (2) To what degree might cultural boundaries impact aspects of tool production during periods of intensified social interaction? Point technologies in the form of arrow tips provide an excellent source of data to address these questions, as raw material procurement strategies, the design process, and the use life of artifacts encode important information about past behaviors.This study will generate new data on small points produced by Maya through a combination of macroscopic technological analysis, X-Ray Florescence (XRF), site-based spatial analysis, and protein residue analysis using cross-over immuno-electrophoresis (CIEP). Macroscopic analysis will be the basis for creating a taxonomic classification of technological styles. XRF will be used to chemically source the origins of obsidian traded into the Maya lowlands from volcanic regions in highland Guatemala and Mexico, and reconstruct trade patterns. Spatial analysis and protein residue identification will provide important clues concerning contexts of bow-and-arrow use that relate to hunting, warfare, and ritual activities. A technological systems framework will be used to interpret variability of these data at a local level and a regional level, and will contribute to an anthropological understanding of past economies and the political geography of the Postclassic lowland Maya.The project will provide graduate student training. It will also help to create partnerships between academic and governmental institutions in Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. This study will also create the first taxonomic classification of its kind, providing future researchers a system for more refined site-to-site comparisons of small point technology. The results of this study will be disseminated in various forms including a dissertation, papers presented at academic conferences, and peer-reviewed journal articles in both English and Spanish. All data resulting from the project will be shared online in the form of an interactive website, and will also be uploaded to the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) for electronic sharing.

在Prudence Rice博士的指导下，Nathan Meissner先生将分析后古典玛雅人制造的小型碎石弹点，以深入了解他们的经济和贸易实践。这项区域研究将研究在整个玛雅低地，包括危地马拉，伯利兹和墨西哥的多个地点的弹丸（箭头）点的制造技术的相似性和差异。遗址的选择还将使人们能够对讲玛雅语的民族的各个文化亚群体进行比较。这项为期七个月的研究产生的数据将用于解决中美洲尚未完全回答的两个一般人类学问题：（1）大规模贸易和加强社会互动如何影响传统社会组织水平的技术系统？(2)在社会互动加强的时期，文化边界可能在多大程度上影响工具生产？ 箭头形式的点技术为解决这些问题提供了一个很好的数据来源，因为原材料采购策略，设计过程和文物的使用寿命编码了有关过去行为的重要信息。本研究将通过宏观技术分析，X射线荧光（XRF），基于站点的空间分析，和使用交叉免疫电泳（CIEP）的蛋白质残基分析。 宏观分析将是创建技术风格分类的基础。XRF将用于化学来源的黑曜石贸易到玛雅低地从高原危地马拉和墨西哥的火山地区的起源，并重建贸易模式。空间分析和蛋白质残基鉴定将提供重要的线索，弓箭使用的背景下，涉及狩猎，战争和仪式活动。 将使用一个技术系统框架来解释这些数据在地方一级和区域一级的变异性，并将有助于从人类学角度了解过去的经济和后古典时期低地玛雅的政治地理。它还将帮助在危地马拉、伯利兹和墨西哥的学术和政府机构之间建立伙伴关系。这项研究还将创建同类的第一个分类学分类，为未来的研究人员提供一个系统，以便对小点技术进行更精确的站点间比较。 这项研究的结果将以各种形式传播，包括论文，在学术会议上提交的论文，以及英文和西班牙文的同行评审期刊文章。 项目产生的所有数据将以互动网站的形式在线共享，并将上传到数字考古记录（tDAR）进行电子共享。