Isotopic Studies of Human Movement in the Prehistoric American Southwest

美国国家科学基金会的资金将用于史前美国西南部人类流动性的研究。由于各种原因，包括殖民、冲突和气候变化，这一地区经历了数千年的移民和迁徙。然而，关于这一地区的流动性，许多问题仍然难以回答，部分原因是考古方法主要集中在人工制品和建筑上，作为人类的代表。事物和思想可以被借用、窃取或交易。然而，考古学中的一种新方法分析了人类牙釉质的同位素，提供了一种直接测量运动的方法。T. Douglas Price教授和他的同事们将利用牙釉质中的锶、氧和碳的同位素直接研究人类的运动，以早期在亚利桑那州Grasshopper Pueblo的成功研究为基础。该方法的原理很简单，并且有很好的文档。牙釉质形成于儿童早期，并结合了出生地的同位素比例。牙釉质是惰性的，能抵抗污染和分解，因此提供了出生地的同位素标志。这种签名在人死后，通常在埋葬后仍会保留。由于骨骼中的同位素信号在生命过程中不断更新，因此它反映了最近的居住地。如果死亡地点的同位素信号与牙釉质不同，那么这个人在他/她的一生中一定搬到了不同的地质位置。碳同位素反映饮食。一项对来自三个不同地区3个地点的32颗牙齿的初步研究记录了显著的差异和非本地人的存在。相关项目将测量骨骼中的碳和氮同位素，以研究古饮食，并测量同一个体的古DNA，以研究遗传关系。样本将在研究小组之间共享，以减少对收藏的影响。本项目的三个研究领域和一些重要的研究问题是：1。农业传入四角地区，以及东西方制篮文化的关系。2. 查科峡谷和新墨西哥州西北部的人类运动和相互作用，在那里对木材、玉米和鹿的同位素研究记录了长途运输。这一现象的起源、性质和原因引起了许多有趣的问题。查科大房子和他们的卫星社区之间的关系仍然是美国考古学中最有趣的谜团之一。研究将集中在普韦布洛博尼托和其他大房子普韦布洛的人类身上，那里的埋葬习俗表明社会不平等。将包括来自异常社区的样本进行比较。3. 对新墨西哥州西南部的米布雷斯文化的调查将集中在米布雷斯人与古代西南部的霍霍坎人和莫高伦人之间的关系上。还有迹象表明，它与墨西哥北部向南约200公里的卡萨斯格兰德斯（Casas Grandes）的大型区域中心有联系。一个更普遍的问题涉及乌托-阿兹特克人从墨西哥中部迁移到西南部以及他们与土著居民的关系。对来自这三个地区的人类牙釉质进行同位素分析，应该能为许多这些问题提供实质性的见解。这项研究将帮助我们了解人类在过去2000年左右的史前时期在美国西南部活动的性质和程度。

NSF funding will be used for the study of human mobility in the prehistoric Southwestern United States. This area witnessed millennia of migration and movement for various reasons, including colonization, conflict, and climate change. Many questions regarding mobility in this area remain difficult to answer, however, in part because archaeological methods have focused on artifacts and architecture as proxies for people. Things and ideas can be borrowed, stolen, or traded. A new method in archaeology involving the analysis of isotopes in human tooth enamel, however, provides a direct measure of movement. Prof. T. Douglas Price and colleagues will use isotopes of strontium, oxygen, and carbon in tooth enamel to directly investigate human movement, building on a successful earlier study at Grasshopper Pueblo, Arizona. The principle of the method is straightforward and well documented. Enamel forms in early childhood and incorporates the isotopic ratio of the place of birth. Enamel is inert and resistant to contamination and decomposition, thus providing an isotopic signature of place of birth. This signature is retained after death and often after burial. Because the isotopic signal in bone is continually updated during life it reflects recent residence. If the isotopic signal of the place of death is different from the enamel, the individual must have moved to a different geological location during his/her lifetime. Carbon isotopes reflect diet. A pilot study of 32 teeth from 3 sites in three different areas documents significant variability and the presence of non-locals. Related projects will measure carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone for paleodiet and ancient DNA for genetic relationships in the same individuals. Samples will be shared among the research groups to reduce the impact on collections.The three study areas for this project, and some of the important research questions, are 1. The introduction of agriculture into Four Corners region, and relationships between Eastern and Western Basketmaker cultures. 2. Human movement and interaction in Chaco Canyon and northwestern New Mexico where isotope studies of timber, maize, and deer have documented long-distance transport. Fascinating questions concern the origin, nature, and causes for this phenomenon. The relationship between the Chaco Great Houses and their satellite communities remain one of the more intriguing mysteries in American archaeology. Research will focus on the humans at Pueblo Bonito and other Great House pueblos where evidence from burial practices suggests social inequality. Samples from outlier communities will be included for comparison. 3. Investigation of the Mimbres culture of southwestern New Mexico will focus on the relationship between Mimbres and Hohokam and Mogollon groups in the ancient Southwest. There are also indications of ties with the large, regional center of Casas Grandes, some 200 km to the south in northern Mexico. A more general question concerns the movement of Uto-Aztecan groups from Central Mexico into the Southwest and their relationship with indigenous populations. Isotopic analysis of human tooth enamel from these three areas should provide substantial insight into many of these questions. This research will help us understand the nature and extent of human movement during the last 2000 years or so of prehistory in the American Southwest.