Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Taphonomy, Paleopathology and Mortuary Variability in Chaco Canyon: Using Modern Methods to Understand Ancient Cultural Practices

在约翰·维拉诺博士的指导下，克里安·马登女士将对查科峡谷普韦布洛·博尼托前哥伦布遗址的骨骼系列进行最后阶段的分析。查科峡谷位于今天的新墨西哥州西北部，被认为是一个广泛的前西班牙文化体系的起源和中心。普韦布洛博尼托是峡谷中巨大的“大房子”中最大、最中心的一个，但这个结构的功能仍然存在争议。19世纪末和20世纪初对普韦布洛博尼托的挖掘发现了包含数十具人类遗骸的墓室，其中许多是混乱和混合的，这引起了人们对这些人是谁以及为什么他们的尸体会被这样对待的猜测。马登女士的研究采用了一系列当前的骨骼分析方法，以促进对这座重要的查科大宅的文化习俗和社会组织的理解。在研究的最后阶段，马登将回到美国自然历史博物馆，完成对她在之前的参观中重新联系起来的遗骸的分析。生物考古分析（将骨骼分析应用于考古材料）在将尸体作为完整的有机体进行检查时最有指导意义，它提供了有关个体生前和死后所受作用力的信息。遗骸的重新关联可以准确地评估埋葬在这个重要的大房子里的个人的数量、年龄、性别、营养状况、疾病标记和太平间治疗。生物考古学和古病理学（对古代疾病过程的研究）提供了对个人营养、健康和整体生活质量的见解。相比之下，埋藏学（对尸体变化的研究）提供了关于尸体在死亡时和死亡后处理方式的信息。最后，稳定同位素分析和放射性碳定年将有助于确定这些遗骸的时间和地理位置，以阐明谁被埋葬在普韦布洛博尼托，这将有助于确定这个巨大的大房子的功能。在研究的最后阶段收集的数据将与马登从保存在国家自然历史博物馆、菲尔德博物馆和皮博迪考古与民族学博物馆的普韦布洛博尼托遗址中收集的等效数据进行比较。这些连接起来的数据将提供一个共同的框架来解释相对健康状况和/或社会地位如何影响这个神秘的前哥伦布遗址的殡葬行为。拟议的研究将在几个层面上产生更广泛的影响。由于该峡谷是查科系统的中心，并影响了整个地区的文化群体，因此了解普韦布洛博尼托核心遗址的文化习俗，是了解广阔的前西班牙西南部文化的关键。此外，这项研究将有助于改善博物馆的藏品，并通过加强藏品的文献记录来影响未来的研究。随着这些遗骸被遣返的可能性越来越大，美洲原住民体质人类学收藏的文献变得尤为重要。马登女士的研究将有助于重建查科社会的发展，无论是在现在还是在未来的研究中——即使在这些遗骸不再可以直接观察之后。

Under the supervision of Dr. John Verano, Ms. Kerriann Marden will conduct the final phase of her analysis of the skeletal series from the pre-Columbian site of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon. Located in northwest present-day New Mexico, Chaco Canyon is believed to have been the origin and epicenter of a broad prehispanic culture system. Pueblo Bonito is the largest and most centrally positioned of the massive "Great Houses" in the canyon, yet the function of this structure remains debated. Excavations of Pueblo Bonito in the late 19th and early 20th century revealed burial chambers containing dozens of human remains, many of which were disordered and commingled, giving rise to much speculation about who these people were and why their bodies had been treated in this manner. Ms. Marden's research employs an array of current methods of skeletal analysis to advance understanding of the cultural practices and social organization of this important Chaco Great House.For this final phase of research, Ms. Marden will return to the American Museum of Natural History to complete analysis of the remains that she reassociated on previous visits. Bioarchaeological analysis (the application of skeletal analysis to archaeological materials) is most instructive when examining bodies as complete organisms, providing information about the forces acting upon that individual both in life and after death. Reassociation of remains allows an accurate assessment of the number, age, sex, nutritional status, disease markers and mortuary treatment of the individuals buried in this important Great House. Bioarchaeology and paleopathology (the study of ancient disease processes) offer insight into an individual's nutrition, health and overall quality of life. In contrast, taphonomy (the study of postmortem changes) provides information about the manner in which a body was treated at and after death. Lastly, stable isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating will help to locate these remains temporally and geographically to elucidate who was buried at Pueblo Bonito, which will help to determine the function of this massive Great House. The data collected in this final phase of research will be compared with equivalent data Marden has collected from Pueblo Bonito remains housed at the National Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. These concatenated data will provide a common framework to interpret how relative health status and/or social status may have influenced mortuary behavior at this enigmatic pre-Columbian site.The proposed research will have a broader impact on several levels. Since the canyon was the epicenter of the Chacoan system and influenced culture groups throughout the region, an understanding of cultural practices at the core site of Pueblo Bonito offers a key to understanding a broad swath of prehispanic Southwest culture. Furthermore, this research will contribute to the betterment of the museum collections and impact future research by enhancing documentation of collections. Documentation of Native American physical anthropology collections is becoming especially important with the increasing likelihood of repatriation of these remains. Ms. Marden's research will aid in reconstructing the development of Chacoan society, both now and in future research-- even after these remains are no longer available for direct observation.