Doctoral Dissertation Research: Variation in Island Adaptations

该项目将调查岛屿以维持生计为基础的经济的起源和发展。在这篇论文中，我们提出了一个案例研究，其中两个大西洋岛屿可能被一个以上的文化群体多次殖民。这些岛屿的环境特征和人类生存适应能力也各不相同。对古代岛民的考古研究揭示了人类适应和繁荣的许多方式的新信息，因为岛屿通常呈现有限，边缘和脆弱的景观。对一个岛屿的研究表明，铁器时代的人们带来了谷物，放牧动物和其他文化元素。此外，最近在另一个地方的挖掘发现了一个罗马工厂，在那里海洋腹足动物Stramonita haemastoma被用于商业目的，以获得非常珍贵的皇家紫色染料。这些发现可能表明，人类定居是由于古代航海贸易网络的扩张，目的是开发沿海自然资源。考古学证实了这些岛屿是文化交流和多样性的纽带。来自古代物质文化、语言学和遗传学的证据表明，群岛上存在着异质的社会政治和经济景观;然而，对于谁确切地居住在这些岛屿以及为什么居住在这些岛屿上，学术界几乎没有共识。回答这些问题的一个主要障碍是缺乏整个地区的可靠年表--目前的研究将通过开发一系列放射性碳年表来解决这个问题。该项目将使用碳、氮、氧和锶的稳定同位素比率，再加上考古人类遗骸中的古代DNA标记，以更好地了解当地的适应策略、社会组织和景观管理方法。这项研究将解决诸如沿海资源在土著经济中的作用等尚未解决的问题。通过探索饮食和流动性，研究人员将深入了解在这种文化多样性的岛屿社区中土著生产方式的问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will investigate the origins and development of island subsistence-based economies. In this dissertation proposal a case study is presented in which two Atlantic islands were likely colonized multiple times by more than one cultural group. The islands also have varying environmental characteristics and human subsistence adaptations. The archaeological study of ancient islanders reveals novel information regarding the many ways in which humans adapt and prosper, as islands present often limited, marginal, and vulnerable landscapes. Research on one island shows the arrival of Iron Age peoples who brought with them grains, herding animals, and other cultural elements. In addition, recent excavations on the other revealed a Roman factory where marine gastropods, Stramonita haemastoma, were exploited for commercial purposes to obtain the highly prized royal purple dye. These findings may suggest that the human settlement occurred due to the expansion of ancient seafaring trading networks with the intent to exploit coastal natural resources. Archaeology confirms the islands to have been a nexus of cultural exchange and diversity.Evidence from ancient material culture, linguistics, and genetics suggest the presence of a heterogenous sociopolitical and economic landscape in the archipelago; however, there is little scholarly consensus as to who exactly peopled the islands and why. A major obstacle to answering these questions is the deficit of reliable chronologies for the entire region – a problem that will be tackled in this current research by developing a series of radiocarbon chronologies. The project will use stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium coupled with ancient DNA markers from archaeological human remains to better understand local adaptive strategies, social organization, and landscape management methods. The research will address unresolved questions such as the role of coastal resources in the aboriginal economies. Through exploring diet and mobility, researchers will deepen into the issue of understanding aboriginal modes of production within such culturally diverse island communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.