Prehistoric Human Ecology on the Golfo Dulce, Southern CostaRica

在1990年的初步实地考察中，约翰·胡普斯博士在哥斯达黎加的戈尔菲托湾及其周围发现了22个史前遗址。陶瓷和石器文物表明，这些文物的时间范围从公元前500年到公元600年，其中最重要的发现是两个大型贝壳堆遗址，有机材料保存完好。这在潮湿的热带地区是罕见的。这些遗址除了贝壳外，还含有大量保存完好的哺乳动物、鸟类、鱼类和人骨。还发现了大量的木炭和陶器。在国家科学基金会的支持下，胡普斯博士将在这两个贝壳丘进行挖掘。他将收集各种各样的有机和无机遗骸的样本。已经召集了一个专家小组来分析这些问题，它将特别强调那些能够重建史前环境和生存模式的方面。还将收集湖芯沉积物，以便将这些地点置于更广泛的古环境背景中。最后，将对当地的洞穴和岩石避难所进行初步调查，以寻找可以追溯到该地区最早被占领时期的遗址。虽然考古学的大量注意力集中在温带地区的农业发展上，但对于人类如何适应热带地区却知之甚少。然而，很明显，酋邦和复杂的社会是在中美洲的这些地区发展起来的，这项研究的目的是了解使这种情况发生的生存基础。人们还知道，美洲热带地区的史前人群既使用块根作物，也使用玉米，但不清楚玉米是何时被采用的，以及它在社会复杂性的发展中可能发挥的作用。阻碍研究的不是缺乏考古兴趣，而是保存不善。胡普博士的遗址之所以如此重要，是因为它出色地保存了动物和植物的遗迹。除了将出现的区域知识之外，这项研究很重要，因为它将增加我们对人类对潮湿热带地区的长期适应的理解。它还将深入了解如何可持续地利用热带森林。考虑到研究生的参与，这项研究将有助于培养年轻科学家。

During preliminary field reconnaissance in 1990, Dr. John Hoopes located 22 prehistoric sites on and around Golfito bay, Costa Rica. Ceramic and lithic artifacts indicate that these cover a time range from 500 B.C. to 600 A.D. Among the most important discoveries were two large shell midden sites with excellent preservation of organic materials. This is rare in wet tropical regions. Each of these sites contained high concentrations of well-preserved mammal, bird, fish and human bone in addition to shell. Large quantities of charcoal and pottery were also present. With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Hoopes will conduct excavation at both shell middens. He will collect samples of a wide variety of organic as well as inorganic remains. A team of specialists has been assembled to analyze these and it will place specific emphasis on those aspects which will permit reconstruction of prehistoric environmental and subsistence patterns. Lake core sediments will also be collected to allow placement of these sites into a broader paleoenvironmental context. Finally, a preliminary survey of local caves and rockshelters will be conducted to search for sites dating to the earliest periods of occupation of the region. While considerable archaeological attention has been focussed on the development of agriculture in temperate regions, relatively little is known about how human populations adapted in tropical areas. Yet it is clear that chiefdoms and complex societies developed in such regions in Middle America and the goal of this research is to learn about the subsistence base which allowed this to happen. It is also known that prehistoric groups in the American tropics utilized both root crops as well as maize, but it is not clear when the latter was adopted and the role it may have played in the development of social complexity. It is not lack of archaeological interest but rather poor preservation which has hampered research and what makes Dr. Hoopes sites so important is the excellent preservation of both faunal and floral remains. In addition to the regional knowledge which will emerge, this research is important because it will increase our understanding of long-term human adaptations to the humid tropics. It will also provide insight into how tropical forests may be used on a sustained basis. Given the involvement of graduate students, the research will contribute to the training of young scientists.