RUI: Proyecto EK Balam Archaeological Research Project

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，Ringle， Bey和同事们将在位于墨西哥尤卡坦半岛的玛雅遗址Ek Balam进行两个季节的考古研究。Ek Balam在史前玛雅人发展的高峰期被占领，是该地区六个最大的遗址之一。沉降规模与建筑投资平行，最大的底座尺寸为165米乘65米，高度为31米。Drs。Ringle和Bey希望了解城市的内部组织，纪念性建筑的核心区如何与更多的外围地区联系起来，以及Ek Balam本身如何与其他此类实体相互作用。为实现这些目标，他们将开展四项相关活动。他们将继续在遗址中心进行过去的测绘工作，并对建筑进行调查和记录。陶瓷等表面材料也将被收集。其次，将开始在遗址中心进行挖掘。地层发掘将提供有关陶瓷年代、建筑风格和建筑施工顺序的信息。第三，将对Ek Balam的腹地进行调查，即距离遗址10-12公里的区域，并记录建筑和相关的农业用地。最后，将在Ek Balam和Chichen Itza之间20公里宽的走廊内进行初步侦察。研究结果有望揭示这两个玛雅大城市之间的关系。在尤卡坦半岛和中美洲邻近地区，玛雅人被组织成接近国家规模的单位，成千上万的人生活在今天人烟稀少的地区。像Ek Balam这样的大型遗址是中心，人们在这些地方周围排列。在过去的几十年里，考古学家对这些“中心”和相关的腹地是如何运作的有了更多的了解。然而，这些单位是如何在更大的范围内组织起来的——或者没有组织起来的——很少被调查，也很少被理解。Drs。Ringle和Bey希望研究这个问题。因为Ek Balam位于Chichen Itza地区，这是另一个大型中心，因此可以研究两者之间的相互作用。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据。它将增加我们对大规模社会如何在区域一级出现和相互作用的理解。该项目还将有助于促进本科院校的研究，并使本科生积极参与研究工作。* * *

9321603 Ringle With National Science Foundation support, Drs. Ringle, Bey and colleagues will conduct two seasons of archaeological research at Ek Balam, a Mayan site located in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Ek Balam was occupied during the height of prehistoric Mayan development and is one of the half-dozen largest sites in this region. Settlement size is paralleled by architectural investment and the largest mount measures 165 by 65 meters at the base and rises 31 m in height. Drs. Ringle and Bey wish to understand the internal organization of the city, how the core area of monumental architecture relates to more outlying regions and how Ek Balam itself interacted with other such entities. To accomplish these goals they will carry out four related activities. They will continue past mapping work at the site center and survey and record architecture. Surface materials such as ceramics will also be collected. Secondly, excavation at the site center will be begun. Stratigraphic excavations will provide information on ceramic chronology, architectural style and the sequence of building construction. Third, a survey will be conducted of Ek Balam's hinterland - the region within 10-12 km. of the site - and both architectural constructions and associated agricultural fields will be noted. Finally a preliminary reconnaissance will be made within a 20 km wide corridor between Ek Balam and the large site of Chichen Itza. The results, hopefully, will shed light on the relations between these two large Mayan cities. In the Yucatan peninsula and adjacent regions of Central America Mayan peoples were organized into units which approached state level in size and thousands of people subsisted in areas which are only sparsely inhabited today. Large sites such as Ek Balam served as centers and populations arrayed themselves around such places. Over the last several decades archaeologists have gained much understanding of how these "centers" and associated hinterlands fun ctioned. However how such units were organized - or not organized - on a larger scale has been little investigated and is little understood. Drs. Ringle and Bey wish to examine this issue. Because Ek Balam is located in the region of Chichen Itza, another large center it will be possible to study the interaction between the two. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will increase our understanding of how, at a regional level large scale societies emerge and interact. The project will also help to foster research at an undergraduate institution and actively involve undergraduates in the work. ***