Southwest Archaeology Today for Jan. 09, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Historic Preservation – Tempe – Is Gov. Pyle’s 1940 Dwelling a “Pile of Junk?” “What’s made of sticks and stucco and looks like a dump? Tempe’s ‘Governor Howard Pyle’ house. “Located at 1120 South Ash Ave. near downtown Tempe, the ranch-style home, built in 1940, sits amid dead weeds, its broken windows covered with cheap plywood. It’s a junk pile of a building. Pyle owned the property in 1948, some 57 years ago.” As you might imagine, the column was not well received by local historical preservationists. Among them is a fellow named Bob Gasser. He’s the chairman of the Tempe Historic Preservation Commission.
http://tinyurl.com/anu7d – The Arizona Republic

– Historic Preservation – Citizens’ Committee set up to Preserve Cemetery (Sierra Vista): The campaign to save and preserve the historical Fry Cemetery has officially been launched. A citizens’ committee set up to take on the task met for the first time Wednesday. The group is made up of local residents concerned about the future of the city landmark, part of which was put up for sale in 1999 by its owner, a member of the Fry family, who were the area’s original settlers in the early 1900s.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2006/01/05/local_news/news1.txt

– Agent Based Demographic Modeling of the Southwest: Epstein and Axtell have been conducting one such study of how extraordinary social phenomena can form out of the interactions of individuals. Working with archeologists at the Santa Fe Institute, with which Epstein and Axtell are also affiliated, and the University of Arizona, the researchers are attempting to replicate the actual history of the Anasazi, a Native American people who lived in the Southwest from the first to the fourteenth centuries. “The idea is to take little cyber Anasazi, place them under the same environmental conditions that applied to the real Anasazi, and see if we can devise simple rules under which simulated evolution matches true evolution,” Epstein says.
http://www.technologyreview.com/BioTech/wtr_11541,312,p1.html

– Native American Place Names Examined : It’s bad enough that we didn’t apologize for ripping off all that real estate – American Indian lands that we’ve redesignated as the United States – but we didn’t even bother to say “thank you” for the place names.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local/010706a8_Lookinback

-Mesoamerican Archaeology News:

Early Evidence of Mayan Writing System
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_sc/archaeology_find_1

New Ballcourt Discovered in Yucatan
http://tinyurl.com/b8l38 – Los Angeles Times

– Employment Opportunities (Tempe): Logan Simpson Design Inc. is seeking to fill several full-time positions with experienced archaeologists to direct survey and monitoring projects. The positions will be based in our Tempe, Arizona office. A degree in anthropology, completion of a field school, and previous survey and excavation experience in the Southwest is required. Individuals having a degree in Anthropology and at least 2 years of experience in the Southwest are preferred. The ability to prepare archaeological monitoring and survey reports is required. For immediate consideration, e-mail your resume with references and a daytime phone number to:
gbrown@lsdaz.com

– Old Pueblo Archaeology Offers Tour of the Middle Gila: Tuesday January 17, 2006 “Ancient History of the Middle Gila Valley” Pima Community College study tour ST147, CRN 60796D, via passenger van departing from Pima Community College, 401 N. Bonita Ave., Tucson 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. $69. Archaeologist Allen Dart leads van tour to Coolidge-Florence area: visit backcountry area of Casa Grande Ruins, other early and late Hohokam villages, historic Adamsville Cemetery, Pinal County Historical Society Museum. Bring a lunch and water. Advance reservations required: 520-206-6468 (Pima Community College, Tucson)