Human Migration in Ancient Mesoamerica

古代中美洲的人类迁徙

• 批准号: 0413047
• 负责人: T. Douglas Price
• 金额: $ 25.64万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-07-01 至 2006-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0413047&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Human; Migration; Ancient; Mesoamerica

The major question of this research involves migration and human movement in ancient Mexico. Dr. T. Douglas Price and colleagues from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada will be investigating evidence for the movement of individuals using isotopic tracers. We will utilize new techniques involving the chemistry of prehistoric bone that allow direct evaluation of past human movement. Just as medical doctors use isotopes to follow pathways in your body, strontium isotopes in human bones and teeth allow archaeologists to follow past peoples in their movement across a region. For the first time in the New World, this research will use a combination of three isotopes (strontium, oxygen, and lead) for enhanced resolution of migration evidence. This combination should provide powerful means for identifying both migrants and places of origin.The principle of the method is straightforward. The isotopes of the environment of the place of birth are permanently fixed in tooth enamel. Bone, however, rebuilds itself continuously through a person's life and the isotopes in bone will represent the environment of the place of death. A different between the enamel isotopes and the place of death isotopes means that the person must have moved from one place to another during life. In some cases it is possible to determine where that person came from. Strontium, lead, and oxygen isotopes reflect different kinds of information on the geology and climate of the place of birth. Thus the use of several isotopes in combination will improve our ability to identify migrants and to search for their place of origin.In terms of intellectual merit, this project will provide new information on the nature and scale of human movement in prehispanic Mesoamerica and on relationships between different peoples and cultures in this region. We hope to provide insight on the origins of elite, commoners, and sacrificial victims, of the nature of urban growth, political relationships between major centers, and the nature of the relationship between Teotihuacan and the rest of Classic Mesoamerica. The study will also document the application of isotopic methods for the investigation of human migration. At the same time we are developing new methods for the proveniencing of prehistoric human remains.The broader impact of study will be to demonstrate the application of new scientific methods to old archaeological questions and involve a number of young scholars in the process. The project is cooperative one among senior scientists, younger colleagues, and graduate students. This is an international research project involving scholars from throughout North America. Our work will also interface with local archaeologists in Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The research will result in at least one PhD dissertation as well as publications in a variety of journals including Latin American Antiquity and the Journal of Archaeological Science, among others.

这项研究的主要问题涉及古代墨西哥的移民和人类运动。来自墨西哥，美国和加拿大的T. Douglas Price博士和同事将调查使用同位素示踪剂的个体运动的证据。我们将利用涉及史前骨骼化学的新技术，可以直接评估过去的人类运动。正如医生使用同位素遵循体内途径一样，人骨头和牙齿的锶同位素使考古学家可以跟随他们在整个地区的运动中追随人们。这项研究将在新世界首次使用三种同位素（锶，氧气和铅）的组合来增强迁移证据的分辨率。这种组合应该为识别移民和原产地提供强大的手段。该方法的原理很简单。出生地环境的同位素永久固定在牙齿搪瓷中。然而，骨骼通过一个人的生活不断地重建自己，骨头中的同位素将代表死亡地点的环境。牙釉质同位素和死亡同位素的位置之间的不同意味着该人在生命中必须从一个地方转移到另一个地方。在某些情况下，可以确定该人的来源。锶，铅和氧同位素反映了有关出生地的地质和气候的不同类型的信息。因此，使用几种同位素组合将提高我们识别移民并寻找其原产地的能力。就智力优点而言，该项目将提供有关前卫生前中美洲人类运动的性质和规模的新信息，以及该地区不同民族和文化之间的关系。我们希望提供有关精英，平民和牺牲受害者的起源，城市增长的性质，主要中心之间的政治关系以及Teotihuacan与经典中美洲其他经典之间关系的性质。该研究还将记录同位素方法用于研究人类迁移的应用。同时，我们正在开发新的方法来证明史前人类遗体。该项目是高级科学家，年轻同事和研究生中的合作社。这是一个国际研究项目，涉及来自整个北美的学者。我们的工作还将与危地马拉，伯利兹和洪都拉斯的当地考古学家互动。这项研究将导致至少一项博士学位论文以及包括拉丁美洲古代在内的各种期刊的出版物，以及《考古科学杂志》等。