• Join
    • Become a Member
    • Renew
    • Give a Gift Membership
    • Member Benefits
    • Update Your Information
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Year-End Giving
    • Become a Member
    • Update Your Information
    • More Ways to Help
  • Take Action
    • Volunteer
    • Make Your Voice Heard
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Annual Reports
    • Position Openings
    • Team & People
    • Partners & Friends
    • Policies & Financials
  • Things to Do
    • Events
    • Archaeology Café Online
    • Exhibits
    • Classes
    • Field School
  • Explore
    • Free Resources
    • Projects
    • Protection Efforts
    • Ancient Cultures
    • Videos
    • Virtual Southwest
    • Places to Visit
  • Store
    • Archaeology Southwest Magazine
    • All Products
  • News
    • Blog
    • Press Releases/Announcements
    • Southwest Archaeology Today
    • Sign up for E-News
  • Join
    • Become a Member
    • Renew
    • Give a Gift Membership
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Year-End Giving
    • Become a Member
    • More Ways to Help
  • Take Action
    • Volunteer
    • Make Your Voice Heard
X
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Annual Reports
    • Position Openings
    • Team & People
    • Partners and Friends
    • Policies and Financials
  • Things to Do
    • Events
    • Archaeology Café Online
    • Exhibits
    • Classes
    • Field School
  • Explore
    • Free Resources
    • SW Archaeology 101
    • Projects
    • Protection Efforts
    • Ancient Cultures
    • Videos
    • Virtual Southwest
    • Places to Visit
  • Store
    • Archaeology Southwest Magazine
    • All Products
  • News
    • Blog
    • Press Releases/Announcements
    • Southwest Archaeology Today
    • Sign up for E-News

Slow and Steady, the Ancient Way

Preservation Archaeology Blog
  • Home
  • >
  • Preservation Archaeology Blog
  • >
  • Slow and Steady, the Ancient Way

Riley Duke, Preservation Archaeology Field School Student

Hello, Archaeology Southwest blog readers!

So far, my time at the Preservation Archaeology Field School has been nothing less than fantastic. I have spent the majority of my time either in the field excavating or with staff members working in experimental archaeology. My excavation group and I are currently investigating what we think is a pithouse dating from 700–800 years ago. Already, we have found pieces of pottery, stone tools, and shell, and I am always eager to see what we will find next.

My work in experimental archaeology has been equally enjoyable. Experimental archaeology is a method archaeologists use to bridge the gap between the physical remains of ancient artifacts and architecture (such as structures, pottery, tools, etc.) and our understanding of how people created and used those items. In order to do this, archaeologists attempt to replicate structures and objects using only the resources that were available to their creators in the past.

Digging the Foundation Trenches
Using digging sticks to dig the foundation trenches of an adobe pueblo is slow and labor-intensive.

Yesterday, my team made wooden digging sticks using stone tools. We then used those digging sticks to dig the foundations for a single-room adobe house. Believe it or not, digging a 20-centimeter-deep trench 6 meters long and 20 centimeters wide took two people five hours!

Participating in experimental archaeology gives an advantage to any aspiring archaeologist because there is a huge difference between learning by reading and learning by doing. Not only has building this structure helped me recognize architecture in the field, but it has also given me a new appreciation for the people who originally built the structures we find and the massive amount of labor they put into their buildings. Everything is so instant and immediate these days that I wonder if we have lost the ability to be patient when progress is slow, knowing that, in time, our work will pay off.

Trench Progress
With hard work (and a lot of time!), we have made progress.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore the News

  • Preservation Archaeology Blog
  • Press Releases/Announcements
  • Southwest Archaeology Today
  • Join Today

    Keep up with the latest discoveries in southwestern archaeology. Join today, and receive Archaeology Southwest Magazine, among other member benefits.

    Become A Member

Related Posts

  • Adobe Walls

  • Raising the Roof

  • Building Blocks for Understanding the Past

Want to help us? Make a donation

or take action

© 2020 Archaeology Southwest
Formerly the Center for Desert Archaeology

520.882.6946
Contact
  • Donor Portal
  • My Store Account
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Press Room