Dissertation Research: Investigationn of Basalt Exploitation and Craft Production at Tres Zapotes, Mexico During the Formative Period

论文研究：墨西哥特雷斯萨波特斯形成时期玄武岩开采和工艺生产的调查

• 批准号: 9629727
• 负责人: Robert Drennan
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-06-01 至 1998-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9629727&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Investigationn; Basalt; Exploitation

Under the direction of Dr. Robert Drennan, Mr. Mark Kruszczynski will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological research in the Tres Zapotes region of Mexico, an area which lies in the heartland of prehistoric Olmec culture. The Olmec are best known for the production of massive stone heads - several tons in weight -sculpted from basalt boulders. Fieldwork in the region by Mr. Kruszczynski and others has also demonstrated the presence of many other basalt objects such as manos and metates used to grind food. Several potential raw material source areas and workshops have also been located. In his research, Mr. Kruszczynski will reconstruct the organization of the basalt production industry. He will address four questions: 1. Was there substantial craft specialization in the production of both utilitarian and other basalt items? 2. How was the production organized? 3 Did this production serve to meet purely local needs, regional demand or pan-regional purposes? 4. If there was such craft specialization and regional export, what role did elites play in this production and export and how was this activity related to the overall development of Tres Zapotes? To accomplish these goals, Mr. Kruszczynski and colleagues will conduct a regional survey to locate both basalt outcrops and workshop areas. In areas with dense remains both surface and subsurface samples will be collected and three workshop areas will be extensively excavated. Typological analysis of basalt objects as well as other cultural remains will be conducted and basalts will be examined by thin section to relate objects to source outcrop. The Olmec civilization was the first of a series which arose in prehistoric Middle America and because of its early date represents a `pristine` or independent development. Therefore archaeologists have focused considerable attention on it. Researchers wish to learn what is responsible for the development of this society in a relatively inhospitable Mexican coastline region and several have hypothesized that it is related to the exploitation of local basalt resources. Manos and metates formed an essential subsistence item in Middle American since they were used to grind vegetable foods. However the scale and organization of Olmec basalt manufacture is still not understood and Mr. Kruszczynski's research should provide insight into this. This work is important for several reasons. It will provide data on one of the New World's best known civilizations and this will be of interest to both scientists and the lay public. It will contribute to understanding the processes which lead to the growth of cultural complexity and assist in the training of a promising young scientist.

在罗伯特·德伦南（Robert Drennan）博士的指导下，马克·克鲁森斯基（Mark Kruszczynski）先生将收集有关博士学位论文的数据。他将在墨西哥的Tres Zapotes地区进行考古研究，该地区位于史前Olmec文化的心脏地带。 OLMEC以生产巨大的石头 - 从玄武岩巨石而闻名。 Kruszczynski先生和其他人在该地区的实地研究也证明了许多其他玄武岩物体（例如Manos和Metates）用于研磨食物。还在几个潜在的原材料来源区域和研讨会上找到了。在他的研究中，Kruszczynski先生将重建玄武岩生产行业的组织。他将解决四个问题：1。在实用和其他玄武岩物品的生产中是否有实质性的专业化？ 2。生产是如何组织的？ 3该生产是否用于满足纯粹的当地需求，区域需求或泛区域目的？ 4。如果有这样的手工艺专业化和区域出口，精英在该作品和出口中扮演着什么角色，这项活动与TRES Zapotes的整体发展有何关系？为了实现这些目标，Kruszczynski先生及其同事将进行区域调查，以找到玄武岩露头和车间。 在具有浓密的区域，将同时收集地下样品，并将进行三个研讨会区域。将对玄武岩对象以及其他文化遗物进行类型学分析，并将通过薄片检查玄武岩，以将对象与源源相关。 Olmec文明是在史前中美洲出现的系列中的第一个，并且由于其早期代表了“原始”或独立的发展。因此，考古学家对此非常关注。研究人员希望学习在相对荒凉的墨西哥海岸线地区中造成该社会发展的原因，并且有些人假设这与当地玄武岩资源的开发有关。 Manos和Metates在中美洲中构成了重要的生存项目，因为它们被用来磨植物食品。但是，仍然尚不清楚Olmec玄武岩制造的规模和组织，而Kruszczynski先生的研究应该为此提供见解。 这项工作很重要，原因有几个。它将提供有关新世界最著名的文明之一的数据，这对科学家和外行公众都感兴趣。它将有助于理解导致文化复杂性增长并有助于培训有前途的年轻科学家的过程。