Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Early Human Settlement of the High-Altitude Pucuncho Basin, Southern Peruvian Andes

博士论文改进补助金：秘鲁南部安第斯山脉高海拔普昆乔盆地的早期人类聚居

• 批准号: 1208748
• 负责人: Daniel Sandweiss
• 金额: $ 1.88万
• 依托单位: University of Maine
• 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: 2012-06-01 至 2013-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1208748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Early

Under the direction of Dr. Daniel Sandweiss, Mr. Kurt Rademaker will collect data for his doctoral dissertation research. His project focuses on determining the timing of early human occupation in the Andes Mountains. Human settlement of Earth's high-altitude mountains and plateaus is among the most recent of our species' bio-geographic expansions. Current anthropological models emphasize the physiographic and biological challenges inherent to these extreme environments to explain a lack of pre-11,000 year-old archaeological evidence above 3500 m elevation in the Andes and on the high Tibetan Plateau. However few archaeological studies targeting hunter-gatherer sites have been conducted in these areas.This interdisciplinary project's primary objectives are to better understand the timing, environmental setting, and adaptations involved in human settlement of the high Andes of southern Peru. Rademaker's investigations so far have led to the discovery of early archaeological sites in the Pucuncho Basin, a wetland oasis ringed by glaciated volcanoes and situated at ~4500 m (~14,760 ft) elevation. One of these sites, Cuncaicha rockshelter, has yielded preliminary radiocarbon dates that indicate an initial settlement of this high-altitude area between 12,400 and 11,800 years ago. These dates establish Cuncaicha as one of the oldest known directly-dated archaeological sites in the Andes Mountains and the highest ice-age site yet discovered anywhere in the world.The final laboratory phase of this dissertation project, to be funded by NSF, will significantly strengthen the preliminary chronological data from Cuncaicha shelter and provide information on the development of local habitats important to Andean animals and people for successful colonization of high-altitude zones. Rademaker will obtain additional radiocarbon dates for the Cuncaicha rockshelter site and the nearby Rio Blanco geologic section. These archaeological and paleoecologic data will be directly comparable with local glacial geologic records, and these comparisons will shed light on links between late ice-age climatic change, the formation of Andean habitats, and early human settlement of extreme high-altitude environments. This project will have several broad impacts. By conducting pretreatment of samples at the University of Arizona accelerator mass spectrometry lab, Rademaker will receive valuable training in archaeological scientific methodology. Completion of this dissertation project will yield numerous peer-reviewed journal publications and ultimately lead to publication of an edited volume for a more general audience. The project team has given, and will continue to give, guest lectures at Peruvian and North American universities, in addition to presenting scientific results at professional meetings at home and abroad. Since 2005 this project has provided limited temporary economic benefits to some local inhabitants of the Pucuncho Basin who have assisted in surveys and excavation and provided related support for the project team. The team has brought medicine, vitamins, and educational materials for the school children in Pucuncho's three villages and worked to instill a conservation ethic about archaeological remains in the region. Continued scientific work in the Pucuncho area, which will build upon this Ph.D. dissertation project, will undoubtedly reinforce this ethic and yield additional valuable information on climatic change, ecology, and human prehistory.

在 Daniel Sandweiss 博士的指导下，Kurt Rademaker 先生将为他的博士论文研究收集数据。他的项目重点是确定早期人类占领安第斯山脉的时间。人类在地球高海拔山脉和高原上的定居是我们物种最近的生物地理扩张之一。当前的人类学模型强调这些极端环境所固有的自然地理和生物学挑战，以解释安第斯山脉和青藏高原海拔 3500 米以上缺乏 11,000 年前的考古证据。然而，在这些地区开展的针对狩猎采集遗址的考古研究很少。这个跨学科项目的主要目标是更好地了解秘鲁南部安第斯山脉高地人类定居的时间、环境背景和适应。迄今为止，Rademaker 的调查已在 Pucuncho 盆地发现了早期考古遗址，这是一片被冰川火山环绕的湿地绿洲，海拔约 4500 米（约 14,760 英尺）。其中一个遗址 Cuncaicha 岩石庇护所已获得初步放射性碳测年结果，表明这一高海拔地区在 12,400 至 11,800 年前就有了最初的定居点。这些日期使坎凯查成为安第斯山脉已知最古老的可直接确定年代的考古遗址之一，也是世界上迄今为止发现的最高的冰河时代遗址。本论文项目的最后实验室阶段由美国国家科学基金会资助，将大大加强坎凯查避难所的初步年代数据，并提供有关当地栖息地发展的信息，这些栖息地对于安第斯动物和人类在高海拔地区的成功殖民至关重要。 Rademaker 将为 Cuncaicha 避难所遗址和附近的 Rio Blanco 地质部分获取更多放射性碳年代数据。这些考古和古生态数据将与当地冰川地质记录直接进行比较，这些比较将揭示冰期晚期气候变化、安第斯栖息地的形成以及早期人类在极端高海拔环境中定居之间的联系。该项目将产生几个广泛的影响。通过在亚利桑那大学加速器质谱实验室对样品进行预处理，拉德梅克将接受考古科学方法方面的宝贵培训。本论文项目的完成将产生大量经过同行评审的期刊出版物，并最终为更广泛的读者出版编辑卷。除了在国内外专业会议上展示科学成果外，项目团队已经并将继续在秘鲁和北美大学进行客座讲座。自2005年以来，该项目为Pucuncho盆地的一些当地居民提供了有限的临时经济效益，他们协助调查和发掘，并为项目组提供了相关支持。该团队为普昆乔三个村庄的学童带来了药品、维生素和教材，并努力向该地区的考古遗迹灌输保护道德观念。在 Pucuncho 地区继续开展科学研究工作，这将建立在该博士学位的基础上。论文项目无疑将强化这种道德观，并产生有关气候变化、生态学和人类史前史的更多有价值的信息。