2016
30
Jun
The Importance of Floors: A Case Study of Feature 300
Jonathan Alperstein, Vassar College
(June 29, 2016)—Whether you are working in a pit house or a pueblo room block, one of the most exciting parts of an excavation unit to work on is the floor fill. This year, while excavating the pueblo room we labeled Feature 300, we removed a grueling number ...
more
2016
28
Jun
Understanding the Landscape They Lived in
Evan Giomi, Survey Director, University of Arizona
(June 27, 2016)—Archaeological survey is the activity of locating, identifying, and recording archaeological sites to build a record that can be later used by archaeologists looking to put shovels in the ground or monitor any damage to the sites ...
more
2016
27
Jun
Adobe Walls
Conner Awayda, SUNY–Buffalo
(June 27, 2016)—Protecting from wind and rain, allowing cool temperatures in the summer, and heating in the winter, adobe makes up the walls of past homes. A mixture of sand and clay, adobe is made from earth and water. By mixing in water until the soil is the righ...
more
2016
26
Jun
Congressman Grijalva Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Heritage Resources in Arizona (6/26/16)
Congressman Grijalva Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Heritage Resources in Arizona
On June 22, 2016, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that seeks national monument designation for a remarkable cultural landscape known as the Great Bend of the ...
more
2016
22
Jun
Congressman Grijalva Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Heritage Resources in Arizona
Statement by Archaeology Southwest President and CEO William Doelle
Washington (June 22, 2016) – Today, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva will introduce legislation in the House of Representatives that seeks national monument designation for a remarkable cultural landscape known as the Great Bend of ...
more
2016
19
Jun
Archaeologists Petition the White House for a Bears Ears Monument
Archaeologists Petition the White House for a Bears Ears Monument
How a 1.9 million-acre parcel in southeast Utah dotted with archaeological and historical sites is managed has been a source of contention for years. Now, with less than one year left of Barack Obama's presidency, multiple groups ha...
more
2016
18
Jun
A Bee-Avoiding Field Trip
Emily Marturano, University of Pittsburgh
(June 17, 2016)—What do you do when bees decide to take over your excavation site and force an impromptu day off while the hive is removed? Drive to the middle of the desert to look at rock art, of course. In the name of bee avoidance, we headed to the ...
more
2016
17
Jun
The Archaeology of Looting
Elissa McDavid, Hendrix College
(June 16, 2016)—Before arriving at field school, I had imagined well-preserved sites disturbed by nothing more than a few animal burrows, adobe walls and floors that behaved nicely, and no looting. (Blame National Geographic glamour and the fact that no one reall...
more
2016
14
Jun
Leave-No-Trace Archaeology
Lexie Bennicas, University of Hawaii
(June 14, 2016)—When my turn at archaeological survey came, Evan led us past rattlesnakes and through thick brush into the valley of the Gila to a hill on the outskirts of the floodplain. Within minutes of approaching the hill we found artifacts rangin...
more
2016
13
Jun
Forest Service Fails to Protect Tonto National Forest from Excessive Off-Road Vehicle Use
Agency Documents Show Plan Likely to Result in Death of Endangered Species,
Damage to Habitat, Rivers, Streams
(PHOENIX, Ariz.) June 13, 2016— The Tonto National Forest released a final draft of its long-awaited Travel Management Plan on Friday that ignored members of the public and conservatio...
more
2016
12
Jun
Will a Bears Ears Monument Declaration Lead to Armed Rebellion?
Will a Bears Ears Monument Declaration Lead to Armed Rebellion?
For centuries, humans have used the red sandstone canyons here as a way to mark their existence. First came archaic hunter-gatherers who worked in Glen Canyon Linear, a crude geometrical style dating back more than 3,500 years. Then ab...
more
2016
11
Jun
In Appreciation
Patrick Depret-Guillaume, University of Virginia
(June 11, 2016)—Attending field school has given me a renewed appreciation for the skill and ingenuity of humanity’s common ancestors. For millions of years, stone technology underpinned our survival. For centuries considered crude and primit...
more
Show More