Jade artifacts played a fundamental role in the three major ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica,serving multiple purposes including sacrifice,ritual and decoration.Through the incorporation of scientific and technological archaeological perspectives,alongside optical and spectroscopic methods(such as microscopy,infrared spectrometry and Raman spectrometry),it was firstly determined that at least 20 types of jade materials were used in Mesoamerica,with jadeite as the main material.Then the characteristics of material utilization by Mesoamerican ancestors were analyzed and it is suggested:in terms of jade production,Mayans in the Classic Period displayed efficient and consummate techniques in the carving,drilling,grinding,polishing and standardized manufacturing of jadeite;in terms of gender,high-ranking male aristocrats used a large quantity of jade artifacts,with green jadeite being the most prestigious,whereas female aristocrats seldom possessed jadeite artifacts but used jade artifacts with various colors and types;in terms of hierarchy,aristocrats often used a lot of symbolic jade artifacts,and commoners used a single piece of jade tool;in terms of diachronicity,influenced by various factors such as resources and cultures,etc.in ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica,the utilization of jadeite of Aztecs decreased.This paper enriches the understanding of the diverse and distinctive history of jade artifact development and jade culture in Mesoamerica.
关键词
中美洲/三大古文明/出土玉器/玉料利用/科技考古
Key words
Mesoamerica/Three major ancient civilizations/Unearthed jade artifact/Utilization of jade materials/Archaeological science
维普
万方数据