A preliminary study on the preceramic and early Maya civilization

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20712
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 3:History, archaeology, museology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Ibaraki University
• Principal Investigator: Aoyama Kauzo 茨城大学, 人文社会科学部, 教授 (70292464)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: マヤ文明の起源 / 手工業生産 / 技術 / 物質文化 / 交換 / アグアダ・フェニックス遺跡 / マヤ文明 / 石器

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of my diachronic analysis of 38,141 lithic artifacts collected in the Middle Usumacinta region, Mexico indicate that the obsidian artifacts in Aguada Fenix and Ceibal during the early Middle Preclassic period represent the earliest evidence of local production of obsidian pressure blades in the Maya lowlands to date.The inhabitants of the Middle Usumacinta region participated in developing long-distance obsidian exchange networks more actively with the Maya highlands of Guatemala than with the Golf Olmec region during the Middle Preclassic period. The inhabitants of Pajonal may have resided near the boundaries of obsidian exchange networks between highland Mexico and highland Guatemala during the late Middle Preclassic period. Finally, the early leaders of Aguada Fenix may have played an important role in the long-distance exchange of obsidian from the Maya highlands of Guatemala, thus contributing to the origins and development of Maya civilization.

Free Research Field

考古学、文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

石器研究の成果は、建造物の配置パターン、土器や石彫様式などと共に、メソアメリカ文明の起源がオルメカ文明にあるという「オルメカ文明＝メソアメリカの母なる文明」に基づき、マヤ文明がオルメカ文明の一方的な影響によって興ったとする従来の学説を覆す実証的な証拠を提供し、より複雑な社会変化の過程を示唆する。先古典期中期のウスマシンタ川中流域のマヤ人は、オルメカ地域よりも、グアテマラのマヤ高地産の黒曜石の遠距離交換網に積極的に参加した。マヤ文明黎明期の指導者たちは、遠距離交換を通して、黒曜石や翡翠のような重要な物資、観念体系や美術・建築様式などの知識を取捨選択しながら、マヤ文明を築き上げていったのである。