Substantial Progress in Thwarting the Sale of Illicit Antiquities

Substantial Progress in Thwarting the Sale of Illicit Antiquities
Across the country measures taken to curb the trade in looted artifacts are making it more difficult for collectors of antiquities to donate, or sell, the cultural treasures that fill their homes, display cases and storage units. Museums typically no longer want artifacts that do not have a documented history stretching back past 1970, a date set by the Association of Art Museum Directors, whose guidelines most institutions have adopted. Drawn up in 2008, the rules have been applauded by countries seeking to recover their artifacts and by archaeologists looking to study objects in their natural settings. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/arts/design/antiquity-market-grapples-with-stricter-guidelines-for-gifts.html?_r=2&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Dr. Jeff Pappas Named New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer
Governor Susana Martinez has approved the appointment of Dr. Jeff Pappas to lead the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Cabinet Secretary Veronica Gonzales announced today. Pappas will commence work as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and Historic Preservation Division Director on August 20, 2012.  “Dr. Pappas is exceptionally qualified,” Secretary Gonzales said. “He is extremely well versed in the history of the West. His background with the National Park Service, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, and as a history instructor at Colorado State University gives him the expertise to be able to identify and protect the cultural resources that are so vital to our state, which is the mission of this important division of Cultural Affairs.” http://www.newmexicoculture.org/news/2012.07.16.hpd.director.pdf

Archaeology is the “Main Attraction” in the Four Corners
Downstairs in one of the classrooms at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, young people — mostly teenagers — are down on their hands and knees, scraping through sandboxes and learning how to work an archaeological dig. A group of younger kids, meanwhile, is attending a class in not-so-modern living in a subterranean pithouse on campus a short distance away. Is this how Indiana Jones got his start? Probably not … but then Indy’s brand of research only exists in Hollywood anyway. http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/07/15/entertainment/doc50023a8203947289405702.txt

Arizona Archaeology and Historical Society Hosting a “Rock Swap” at This Year’s Pecos Conference
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society will host an impromptu “rock swap” at our vendor table at the 2012 Pecos Conference in Pecos, New Mexico. The purpose of the rock swap is to facilitate the identification and exchange of raw materials among researchers working in the Southwest. Preference is given to knappable materials such as chert, rhyolite, obsidian, and so forth, but all contributions are welcome.  Pecos Conference attendees can participate in the rock swap for no cost, but raw material contributions are encouraged. Please identify the rock type, geological unit name, provenance, and your name for all rock contributions. In order to minimize the need for on-site reduction, large nodules should be broken into multiple pieces in advance. AAHS strongly discourages the collection of authentic artifacts for raw material reference collections, and none will be included in the AAHS rock swap. If you have questions please email Jesse Ballenger (jamb@email.arizona.edu)

 Jemez Pueblo to Manage New Mexico’s Jemez State Monument
New Mexico officials are partnering with Jemez Pueblo to manage a state monument at the site of a prehistoric village.  Jemez State Monument ranks third in visitation among the state’s seven monuments, behind Coronado and Lincoln. http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/central/nm-jemez-pueblo-to-manage-monument

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Secures New Headquarters
The Town of Camp Verde’s long-term relationship with the Verde Valley Archaeology Center drew one step closer to crossing the threshold last week, when the chamber of commerce board voted to surrender the Visitor Center and let the VVAC start building. http://www.cvbugle.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=35360

Lecture Opportunity – Dolores
Jude Schuenemeyer will give a presentation on the preservation of Montezuma County’s fruit-growing heritage at the Anasazi Heritage Center on Sunday, July 29, at 1 p.m. His appearance is part of the 2012 Four Corners Lecture Series. Admission to the museum is free on lecture days. Orchards once thrived where meadows now fill the fields around Dolores, Mancos, and McElmo Canyon. Montezuma County was a haven for apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots, including some now-rare varieties. Though reduced in number, local orchards have not entirely disappeared, and here and there a few trees of the old varieties have survived into the twenty-first century. Jude Schuenemeyer’s mission is to save that heritage. For more information, contact the museum at (970) 882-5600 or see its web site at www.co.blm.gov/ahc.

Lecture Opportunity – Gila Cliff Dwellings
On Saturday, July 28, 2012, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will host a presentation by Katherine Dungan from Archaeology Southwest. Katherine will conduct a slide presentation on the excavation of the Fornholt Site, a Mogollon area village that was occupied during the same time period as the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The program will begin at 6 pm in the Gila Visitor Center.  The Park Store will also be open for the purchase of snacks, books, pottery, t-shirts and other park-related items. Researchers from Archaeology Southwest have been working in the Upper Gila area since 2008. The 2011 and 2012 Archaeology Southwest field school, a cooperative effort with the University of Arizona School of Anthropology, focused on excavations at the Fornholt Site.  For more information about this summer’s excavations at the Fornholt site, see the Archaeology Southwest blog Mule Creek Underground. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/investigations/salado/mule-creek/mule-creek-underground/

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe 
Dr. Paul Fish, Professor of Anthropology and Emeritus Curator of Archaeology, Arizona State Museum, will present a lecture July 23 at Hotel Santa Fe at 6pm as part of the Southwest Seminars Voices of the Past Lecture Series. “The Ancient Hohokam and West Mexican Interaction.”Admission is $12. For more information call 505 466-2775.  http://www.southwestseminars.org