2015
10
Oct
The Making of a Preservation Archaeologist
Between now and October 17, 2015, Archaeology Southwest is participating in the Archaeological Institute of America's celebration of International Archaeology Day (10/17/15) by sharing blog posts about why—or how—we became archaeologists. We hope you enjoy this very personal look at our staff me...
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2015
06
Oct
Ancient Engineering: "Hanging" Canals
Archaeology Southwest is honored to feature "The Prehistoric Bajada 'Hanging' Canals of the Safford Basin: Small Corporate Group Engineering in Southeastern Arizona," written by James A. Neely, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas, and co-researcher Don Lancaster of Thatcher, Arizona, especially ...
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2015
24
Aug
Woodrow Ruin Revealed
Jakob Sedig, University of Colorado, Boulder
(August 24, 2015)—For the past four years, I have been conducting research at Woodrow Ruin, a large, multicomponent site on the upper Gila River. (“Multicomponent” means that the site bears evidence of people being there in more than one distinct c...
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2015
17
Jul
Using a Multidisciplinary Approach to Interpret Artifacts
Lindsay Shepard, Arizona State University
As an archaeology student, a question I’m frequently asked is, “How do you know that (insert artifact name here) was really used in that way?” Because the objects I study are not accompanied by textual evidence, some of my non-archaeologist friends ar...
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2015
16
Jul
Flakes, Points, and Little Obsidian Discs
Stacy Ryan, Lithics Lab Director, Preservation Archaeology Field School
Now that excavations at the Dinwiddie site are complete, the students are focused on writing detailed summaries about what we’ve learned these past five weeks. Our days here have been incredibly full with fieldwork, ceramics ...
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2015
15
Jul
In the kaigim of our ancestors who once inhabited this land
Marcy Pablo, Tohono O'odham College
kaigim [guy-gym]—animal hide sandals (Tohono O’odham word for sandals)
My journey started out at our local Himdag Ki: cultural center and museum on the Tohono O’odham Nation. While taking a couple of archaeology classes at Pima Community College, I became ...
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2015
14
Jul
The Sirens
Dushyant Naresh, Vassar College
Eyelids slowly wilt as the soothing hum of the car engine lulls me to sleep. The rising sun casts a golden glow across the endless landscape, with subtle magentas, yellows, and blues fusing together the feathery clouds. Desert grasses and prickly pear cacti blanket t...
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2015
13
Jul
Learning the Landscape
Barry Price Steinbrecher, Survey Director, Preservation Archaeology Field School
The 2015 survey component of the field school primarily focused on surveying land on the Pitchfork Ranch in the Burro Mountains south of Silver City. The ranch owners generously hosted us as we hiked our way through ...
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2015
10
Jul
Connecting the Past to the Present
Anna Porter, State University of New York at Buffalo
The first thing that comes to mind when you think about archaeology is not usually involvement in modern society. Archaeologists study things that happened thousands of years ago—how could this be relevant to today? What I learned at this field...
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2015
08
Jul
Career Directions
Victoria Bowler, University of New Mexico
Since graduating with an Anthropology degree three years ago, I have been putting off graduate school and roaming to and from National Park Service sites in the Southwest. My seasonal nomadic employment has supplied me with so many friends and networks and ...
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2015
08
Jul
Necessary
Alisha Stalley, Northern Arizona University
In early February, I began the relatively short quest of finding a field school to attend. After receiving my acceptance letter from Karen Schollmeyer on behalf of Archaeology Southwest, I excitedly told my close friends and family, some of whom asked why...
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2015
07
Jul
My Brief Break from Quantitative Analysis
Lindsay Shepard, Arizona State University
When it comes to archaeological research, I tend to stick to the technical side of things. I especially enjoy using technologies such as laser scanning and 3-D modeling to analyze artifacts and features to gather quantitative data. Because of my preference ...
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