Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Tepango Valley Archaeological Project

博士论文改进补助金：Tepango Valley 考古项目

• 批准号: 0712056
• 负责人: Christopher Pool
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-03-01 至 2008-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0712056&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Tepango; Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Tepango

Under the supervision of Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Wesley D. Stoner will conduct an archaeological survey, and artifact analyses, of 90-km2 in the Tepango River Valley, southern Veracruz, Mexico. The main objective of this research is to determine the types of political, economic, and social relationships that existed between inhabitants of this valley and the neighboring Catemaco Valley during the Classic period (A.D. 300-1000). Matacapan, a large regional political center situated in the Catemaco Valley, potentially developed in response to interaction with the great central Mexican city of Teotihuacan. However, limited research conducted at the large site of El Picayo in the neighboring Tepango Valley has produced no evidence of such a relationship. A comparison of the of these neighboring valleys can therefore elucidate: 1) the potential effect that interactions between polities over long distances can have on local development; and 2) how this process impacts relationships between the affected polity and their neighbors.The survey will generate settlement data to evaluate political boundaries and compare the internal structure of settlement in both river valleys. While ancient human settlements were placed on the landscape according to many environmental and social concerns, archaeologists have largely used these data to infer regional political organization. The patterning of settlements can reveal how strongly a regional center controls their dependants. Additionally, the architectural styles of political buildings provide a way to compare the identities of the ruling elite in different polities. Exchange relationships will be reconstructed through technological and compositional analyses of artifacts. Specifically, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) will be used to examine the chemical composition of pottery in the Tepango Valley. If this pottery was made from materials not available locally, exchange can be inferred. Finally, analysis of artifact style will facilitate reconstruction of social boundaries and/or social interaction within and between river valleys, attending both Teotihuacan and local stylistic elements. The style of hand made crafts reflects the culture of the artisan that makes them. The Tepango Valley Archaeological Project offers the chance for collaborations between the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia and the University of Kentucky via the Museo Tuxteco in Santiago Tuxtla. The Museo Tuxteco, which receives a steady flow of national and international tourists and school groups, does not currently contain any information about the important site of El Picayo, located less than 1 km from the museum. NSF supported field and laboratory work will also provide training and employment opportunities for a Mexican student archaeologist, a post-baccalaureate volunteer from the USA, and local citizens. The volunteer, who recently graduated from the University of Kentucky, will carry this experience into graduate school and possibly use it as a springboard for her own research. This initial study will establish a base to launch more intensive research at El Picayo and other sites within the Tepango Valley, which will provide additional educational and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, the results will be disseminated to the scientific community through peer-review journal articles and presentations at conferences.

在Christopher A. Pool博士的监督下，Wesley D. Stoner将在墨西哥南部Veracruz的Tepango River Valley进行90公里的考古调查和人工制品分析。 这项研究的主要目的是确定该山谷居民与邻近的Catemaco山谷之间存在的政治，经济和社会关系的类型（公元300-1000）。 Matacapan是位于卡特马科山谷（Catemaco Valley）的大型区域政治中心，可能是针对与大墨西哥城市Teotihuacan互动而发展的。 但是，在邻近Tepango山谷的El Picayo大型地点进行的有限研究没有产生这种关系的证据。 因此，对这些邻近山谷的比较可以阐明：1）长期距离政治之间的相互作用可以对本地发展产生的潜在影响； 2）这一过程如何影响受影响的政体与其邻国之间的关系。该调查将产生定居数据，以评估政治边界并比较两条河谷的定居点内部结构。 尽管根据许多环境和社会问题，古老的人类定居点被置于景观上，但考古学家在很大程度上将这些数据用于推断区域政治组织。 定居点的模式可以揭示区域中心如何控制其家属。 此外，政治建筑的建筑风格还提供了一种比较不同政体中统治精英的身份的方法。 交换关系将通过对工件的技术和组成分析来重建。 具体而言，仪器中子激活分析（INAA）将用于检查Tepango山谷中陶器的化学成分。 如果该陶器是由本地无法提供的材料制成的，则可以推断交换。 最后，对人工制品风格的分析将有助于重建河谷内外的社会边界和/或社会互动，并同时参加Teotihuacan和本地风格元素。 手工制作的手工艺的风格反映了使它们制造的工匠的文化。 Tepango Valley考古项目为通过圣地亚哥·图克斯特拉（Santiago Tuxtla）的Tuxteco博物馆（Museo tuxteco）提供了合作的机会。 Tuxteco博物馆接收到稳定的国家和国际游客和学校团体，目前不包含有关距博物馆不到1公里的El Picayo重要地点的任何信息。 NSF支持的现场和实验室工作还将为墨西哥学生考古学家，美国的后库后志愿者和当地公民提供培训和就业机会。 最近从肯塔基大学毕业的志愿者将把这种经验带入研究生院，并可能将其用作自己的研究的跳板。 这项最初的研究将建立一个基础，以在El Picayo和Tepango Valley内的其他地点进行更深入的研究，该研究将为本科生和研究生提供更多的教育和研究机会。 最后，结果将通过会议上的同行评审期刊文章和演讲将科学界传播到科学界。