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p&c.thunderhead-第53部分

小说: p&c.thunderhead 字数: 每页4000字

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d pointed his trowel tip at a series of alternating dark and light bands。 Each was littered with distinct layers of broken pottery。 〃There was definitely a seasonal occupation of the site。 For most of the year; there were not many people in residence; I'd guess fifty or less。 And then there was a large influx every summer; obviously a seasonal pilgrimage; but on a far vaster scale than at Chaco。 You can tell by the volume of broken pots and hearth ashes。〃 
 A seasonal pilgrimage; Nora thought。 Sounds like Aragon's ritual journey to a city of priests。 She decided not to antagonize Black by saying this aloud。 〃How can you tell it was summertime?〃 she asked instead。 
 〃Pollen counts;〃 Black sniffed。 〃But there's more。 As I said; we've only started the test trench。 But already it's clear that the trash mound was segregated。〃 
 Nora stared at him curiously。 〃Segregated?〃 
 〃Yes。 In the back part of the mound there are fragments of beautiful painted pottery and the bones of animals used for food。 Turkeys; deer; elk; bear。 There are a lot of beads; whole arrowheads; even chipped pots。 But in the front we find only the crudest; ugliest corrugated pottery。 And the food we found in the front of the mound was clearly different。〃 
 〃What kinds of foods?〃 
 〃Mostly rats;〃 said Black。 〃Squirrels; snakes; a coyote or two。 The flotation lab has brought up a lot of crushed insect carapaces and parts as well。 Cockroaches; grasshoppers; crickets。 I did a brief microscopic examination; and most of them seem to have been lightly toasted。〃 
 〃They were eating insects?〃 Nora asked incredulously。 
 〃Without a doubt。〃 
 〃I prefer my bugs al dente;〃 said Smithback; with an unpleasant smacking of his lips。 
 Nora looked at Black。 〃What's your interpretation of this?〃 
 〃Well; there's never been anything like it in Anasazi sites。 But in other sites; this kind of thing points directly to slavery。 The masters and slaves ate different things and dumped their trash in different places。〃 
 〃Aaron; there isn't a shred of evidence that the Anasazi had slaves。〃 
 Black looked back at her。 〃There is now。 Either slavery; or we're looking at a deeply stratified society: a priestly class that lived in high luxury; and an underclass living in abject poverty; with no middle class in between。〃 
 Nora glanced around the city; quiet in the noonday sun。 The discovery seemed to violate all that they knew about the Anasazi。 〃Let's keep an open mind until all the evidence is in;〃 she said at last。 
 〃Naturally。 We're also collecting carbonized seeds for C…fourteen dating and human hair for DNA analysis。〃 
 〃Seeds;〃 Nora repeated。 〃By the way; did you know that most of those granaries in the rear of the city are still bulging with corn and beans?〃 
 Black straightened up。 〃No I didn't。〃 
 〃Sloane told me earlier this morning。 That suggests the site was abandoned in the fall; at harvest time。 And that it was abandoned very quickly。〃 
 〃Sloane;〃 Black repeated casually。 〃She came by here a little earlier。 Where is she now; anyway?〃 
 Nora; who'd been looking away; looked back。 〃Somewhere in the central roomblocks; I think。 She's beginning the preliminary survey; with the help of Peter and his magnetometer。 I'll be checking in with her later。 But now I'm off to see what Aragon is up to。〃 
 Black seemed to be thinking about something。 Then he turned and laid a hand on Smithback's shoulder。 〃Care to finish up F…one; my muckraking friend?〃 
 〃Slavery still exists;〃 Smithback muttered。 
 She raised her radio to her lips。 〃Enrique; this is Nora。 Do you read?〃 
 〃Loud and clear;〃 came the answer after a moment of silence。 
 〃Where are you?〃 
 〃In the crawlspace behind the granaries。〃 
 〃What are you doing back there?〃 
 There was a short silence。 〃Better see for yourself。 e in from the west side。〃 
 Nora walked around the back of the midden heap and past the first great tower。 Typical cautious Aragon; she thought; why couldn't the man simply e out and say what was up? 
 Just beyond the tower she picked up the small passageway that ran behind the granaries toward the back of the cave。 It was dark and cool here behind the ruin; and the air smelled of sandstone and smoke。 The passageway doglegged through a gap in the granaries; and there she came to a sunken passage…Aragon's Crawlspace…at the very rear of the city。 Once again; the Crawlspace was a feature unique to Quivira。 As Nora moved forward; the ceiling of the passageway became so low that she had to drop to her hands and knees。 There was a long moment of close; oppressive darkness; then ahead she could see the glow from Aragon's lantern。 
 She rose to her feet inside a cramped space。 Before her sat Aragon。 Nora drew in her breath: beyond him lay a sea of human bones; their knobby surfaces thrown into sharp relief by the light。 To her surprise; Aragon was holding a bone in one hand; examining it with jeweler's loup and coordinated calipers。 Beside him lay the tools for excavating human remains from surrounding matrix; barely necessary here: bamboo splints; wooden dowels; horsehair brushes。 The place was silent save for the hiss of the lantern。 
 Aragon looked up as she approached; his face an unreadable mask。 
 〃What is all this?〃 Nora asked。 〃Some kind of catab?〃 
 Aragon did not reply for some time。 Then he carefully placed the bone back on the heap beside him。 〃I don't know;〃 he said in a flat tone。 〃It's the largest ossuary I've ever encountered。 I've heard of such things in Old World megalithic sites; but never in North America。 And never; ever; on this kind of scale。〃 
 Nora glanced from him to the bones。 There were many plete skeletons lying on the top of the pile; but beneath them appeared to be a thick scattering of disarticulated bones; most of them broken; including countless crushed skulls。 Punched into the stone walls at the back of the cave were dozens of holes; a few rotten timbers still jutting out of them。 
 〃I've never seen anything like this either;〃 Nora said in a low voice。 
 〃It's like no burial practice; or cultural behavior; I've seen before;〃 Aragon said。 〃There are so many skeletons; so loosely thrown about; even a horizontal section is unnecessary。〃 He gestured at the closest skeletons。 〃It's clearly a multiple interment of sorts: a series of primary burials; overlaying a vast number of secondary burials。 These skeletons on top; the plete ones; weren't even 'buried' in the archaeological sense of the word。 The bodies seem to have been dragged in here and hastily thrown on top of a deep layer of preexisting bones。〃 
 〃Are there any signs of violence on the bones?〃 
 〃Not on the whole skeletons on top。〃 
 〃And the bones underneath?〃 
 There was a short pause。 〃I'm still analyzing them;〃 Aragon replied。 
 Nora looked around; feeling an unpleasant gnawing in the pit of her stomach。 She was far from squeamish; but the charnel…house nature of the place made her unfortable。 〃What could it mean?〃 she asked。 
 Aragon glanced up at her。 〃A large number of simultaneous burials usually means a single cause;〃 he said。 〃Famine; disease; war 。 。 。〃 He paused。 〃Or sacrifice。〃 
 At that moment her radio crackled。 〃Nora; this is Sloane。 Are you there?〃 
 Nora pulled her radio from her side。 〃I'm with Aragon。 What is it?〃 
 〃There's something you need to see。 Both of you。〃 Through the microphone; the quiver of suppressed excitement in Sloane's voice was clear。 〃Meet me at the central plaza。〃 
 A few minutes later; Sloane was leading them through a plicated series of second…story roomblocks at the far end of the ruin。 〃We were doing a routine survey;〃 she was saying; 〃and then Peter found a large cavity in one of the floors with the proton magnetometer。〃 They stepped beneath a doorway and entered a large room; only dimly lit by the portable lantern。 Unlike most of the other rooms she had seen at the ruin; this one was strangely empty。 Holroyd stood in a far corner; tinkering with the magnetometer: a flat box rolling on sliding wheels; the long handle projecting from its side ending in an LCD screen。 
 But Nora wasn't looking at Holroyd。 She was gazing into the center of the room; where a section of floor had been removed; exposing a slab…l

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