Early State Formation and Climate Change in Ancient Mesoamerica

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01108
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03050:Archaeology-related
• Research Institution: Saitama University
• Principal Investigator: Fukuhara Hironori 埼玉大学, 教育機構, 非常勤講師 (10725956)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 初期国家 / 環境変動 / 火山噴火 / メソアメリカ / 考古学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of the present project was to provide new diachronic data on environmental changes, including volcanic eruptions, to the existing research on ancient Mexican history, and to elucidate social changes before and after the establishment of the early state in ancient Mesoamerican civilization, based on environmental change data and stratigraphic excavations. To this end, I conducted a borehole survey at the bottom of Lake Chautla in Puebla, Mexico, and an archaeological survey at the Tlalancaleca site, and based on the data obtained and a close examination of previous research, I conducted a historical reconstruction. This project research provided an argument for the legitimate evaluation of natural disasters as one of the factors of social change during the period of early state formation and the impact of long-term environmental changes caused by such disasters.

Free Research Field

考古人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究成果の学術的意義は、本課題研究で獲得した考古学データを考古学のみではなく、環境地球学・地質工学、古気候学などの専門家との学際的共同研究の枠組みで解釈し、新たな歴史観と社会の複雑化に関する知見を提供できたことにある。これに加え、火山噴火という自然災害に対峙し、より強靭で持続的な社会を築くための試行錯誤を物語るデータを提供できたことは、現代における災害復興のあり方を考える上でも援用可能であろう。これが社会的意義である。