Amazonian Dark Earth Formation in the Upper Xingu, Southern Amazonia, Brazil: Dissertation Research

被称为亚马逊黑地球（ADE）的人类是考古记录的关键组成部分。人类土壤，面积达数十公顷，深度达两米或以上，以及人工制品分布和土方工程，通常用于划定亚马逊地区的史前居住地。对土壤的分析可能有助于在其他物质文化遗迹很少或缺乏的地方确定活动区域，并补充其他考古数据和解释。在Michael Heckenberger的指导下，佛罗里达大学的博士候选人Morgan Schmidt将在亚马逊东南部上新古地区的史前、历史上被遗弃的和当代美洲印第安人定居点中研究导致ADE变化形成的过程。ADE土壤因其在一个以低肥力土壤为特征的地区内具有极高的肥力而引起了考古领域以外研究人员的注意。作者认为，ADE可以为了解热带土壤的潜在肥力和开发可持续土地利用技术提供信息，并揭示过去维持人类住区的做法。作为考古学中的一项辅助技术，对人类活动或已被人类活动深刻改变的土壤的化学和物理性质进行分析的重要性日益增加。在不同的活动在土壤养分的相对水平上留下明显差异的前提下，土壤数据可以为废弃定居点的空间利用提供有价值的见解，特别是在民族考古背景下收集样本时。研究人员强调了土壤分析的效用，以了解家庭和外部活动区域的遗骸，特别是在缺乏人工制品的地方。土壤分析有潜力成为一种有效的考古工具，相对快速，便宜，并且比挖掘侵入性更小。这项研究将通过支持我们对空间利用、资源管理和遗址形成的理解，为正在进行的上新古考古工作做出贡献。这个项目将产生一个独特的物理收集和一组数据，这些数据是从当代美国印第安人村庄和上兴古的大型史前遗址收集的。每个土壤样本的一部分将留在巴西埃米利奥·戈尔迪博物馆（MPEG）的永久参考收藏中，并将与MPEG和其他地方的同事开展合作研究。希望这个项目的数据将有助于与南美洲各地不同考古遗址的数据进行比较。研究结果将呈现给广大的研究人员、学生和土著人民，并以论文、专著、在线、期刊和会议论文集的形式发表。施密特之前培训了库伊库罗印第安人社区的六名成员协助实地数据收集，并安排了来自帕拉联邦大学的五名学生在MPEG土壤实验室实习，协助土壤分析，为他们提供培训和参与科学研究。该研究还有助于热带环境的保护和发展、热带土壤管理、土壤碳固存以及通过参与研究和更好地了解当地美洲印第安人的文化历史和资源来赋予他们权力等问题。

Anthrosols known as Amazonian dark earths (ADE) are a key component of the archaeological record. Anthropic soils, up to tens of hectares and depths of two meters or more, along with the artifact distributions and earthworks, are typically used to delimit prehistoric habitation sites in the Amazon. Analysis of the soils may be useful in determining activity areas in places where other material cultural remains are few or lacking and in complementing other archaeological data and interpretations. Under the supervision of Michael Heckenberger, Morgan Schmidt, PhD candidate at the University of Florida, will investigate processes that contribute to the variable formation of ADE in prehistoric, historically abandoned, and contemporary Amerindian settlements in the Upper Xingu region of SE Amazonia. ADE soils have attracted attention by researchers outside the field of archaeology because of their extraordinarily high fertility within a region characterized by low fertility soils. It is argued that ADE can provide information for understanding the potential fertility of tropical soils and efforts to develop sustainable landuse technologies, and reveal practices that maintained human settlements in the past. Analysis of the chemical and physical properties of anthrosols or soils that have been modified profoundly by human activities is steadily gaining importance as an ancillary technique in archaeology. Operating on the premise that different activities performed leave distinct differences in the relative levels of soil nutrients, soil data can provide valuable insights into the use of space in abandoned settlements, especially when samples are collected in an ethnoarchaeological context. Researchers have emphasized the utility of soil analysis for understanding the remains of households and outside activity areas particularly where artifacts are lacking. Soil analysis has the potential of being an efficient tool for archaeology being relatively rapid, inexpensive, and less intrusive than excavations. The research will contribute to ongoing archaeological work in the Upper Xingu by buttressing our understanding of the use of space, management of resources, and site formation.This project will generate a unique physical collection and set of data that was gathered from contemporary Amerindian villages and large prehistoric sites in the Upper Xingu. A portion of each soil sample will remain in a permanent reference collection at the Emilio Goeldi Museum (MPEG) in Brazil and collaborative research will be developed with colleagues from the MPEG and elsewhere. It is hoped that the data from this project will be useful for comparison with data from diverse archaeological sites throughout South America. Results will be presented to a wide audience of researchers, students, and indigenous people and published as a dissertation, monograph, online, in journals, and in conference proceedings. Schmidt previously trained six members of the Kuikuro Amerindian community to assist in field data collection and has arranged internships at the MPEG soils laboratory for five students from the Federal University of Para to assist in soil analysis, giving them training and participation in scientific research. The research also contributes to issues concerning conservation and development in tropical environments, tropical soil management, carbon sequestration of soils, and the empowerment of local Amerindians through participation in research and a better understanding of their culture history and resources.