Preservation Archaeology Along the San Pedro

Preservation Archaeology Along the San Pedro and the Story of Archaeology Southwest
The bulldozer scars are old, but somebody’s been here recently. Someone’s been scraping away with hand tools on a terrace above the San Pedro River, where the Hohokam built villages and fortifications centuries ago. “The San Pedro is ground zero for preservation archaeology,” said Andy Laurenzi of Archaeology Southwest, which is trying to ensure that archaeological areas on the river that have been long spared from development remain that way. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/the-san-pedro-of-long-ago/article_a5e92c13-4f09-596c-9aa5-ddf7b5aef5da.html#ixzz1q8y2Dvm0

Obituary for David Breternitz Published in Cortez Journal
Dave’s first full time job in the field was as the Curator of Anthropology at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. During this period he excavated important archaeological sites in the Flagstaff and Verde Valley areas of Northern Arizona. He briefly worked as an archaeologist for the Arizona State Museum on excavation in advance of the construction of I-40 across Northern Arizona, and also as the Laboratory Director for the Joint Casas Grandes Expedition in Northern Chihuahua, Mexico before completing his PhD at the University of Arizona. His Doctoral Dissertation was a ground breaking association of prehistoric southwest pottery types with associated tree ring dates. The published version of his dissertation continues to be widely cited over 50 years later.  http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20120320/NEWS07/703209977/-1/News07

Concerns Over Televised Looting Published in New York Times
The series, which Spike hopes will be a hit along the lines of its tattoo competition “Ink Master,” features Mr. Savage and his team traveling the country, digging up people’s lawns in search of historical artifacts. That sounds a bit like the work of archaeologists and anthropologists, and both groups are, in the words of the letter they have sent to Spike, “deeply concerned” by the show. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/arts/television/spikes-american-digger-draws-concern-from-scholars.html

An Introduction to Salado Polychrome Pottery
A major part of our research at Mule Creek—and in the Upper Gila region in general—is to identify compositional and stylistic variability in Salado polychrome pottery (also known as Roosevelt Red Ware) through time and across space. Identifying compositional variability means looking at what the pottery is made of, what materials were used. Stylistic variability has to do with what the pottery looks like, how it is decorated. We are using these data to track processes of migration, population coalescence, and long-distance interaction in the study area. In the context of our work in the American Southwest, coalescence refers to the process of combining social groups from diverse backgrounds into large, multiethnic communities. This occurred after A.D. 1300. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/investigations/salado/mule-creek/mule-creek-underground/

Following the Old Spanish Trail
In his search for the routes used by the West’s early travelers, archaeologist Jack Pfertsh has become a detective of detritus. Today he’s on the hunt for old tin cans and fragments of purple and green glass. The mid-November sun is sinking as we walk the windswept land just north of Delta, Colo. Brown grasses like broom bristles throw long, sharp shadows across the rolling plateau. http://www.hcn.org/issues/44.5/following-the-old-spanish-trail-across-the-southwest 

Extensive Archaeological Excavations at Luke Air Force Base
 Archaeologists here recently unearthed an ancient dwelling — just one of thousands of artifacts found here that date back as far as 3,000 B.C. The excavation was part of the site preparation, including mitigation of surface archaeology and testing for subsurface archaeology, for a large solar array on the south side of the base, “This site could be of importance to Arizona and the Phoenix valley,” said John Hall, the senior project director with Statistical Research, which is doing the excavation. “We had some of the artifacts dated and this site is almost 1,000 years older than any other site in the Phoenix valley.”  http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123294825

Historic Archaeology of the Provo Tabernacle
Brigham Young University students, under the direction of the school’s Office of Public Archaeology, have been excavating the remains of the first Provo Tabernacle. Since February, the students have unearthed the foundation and, after sifting through tons of dirt, artifacts that shed light on life in Provo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53780522-78/tabernacle-students-building-provo.html.csp

The Archaeology of a Modern Migration Examined by National Public Radio
If you walk through the desert in southern Arizona you can find evidence of a major migration. Water bottles, shoes, food wrappers — these are some of the things left behind by the thousands of people who try to cross the border between Mexico and the United States every year. For some people, the items are trash to be cleaned up; for others, they offer a window into a perilous voyage. http://www.npr.org/2012/03/24/149171195/living-breathing-archeology-in-the-arizona-desert

Section 106 Training Offered at the Arizona Preservation Conference
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will be offering an introductory Section 106 training at the upcoming statewide Historic Preservation Conference in Prescott.  The class will be offered on Wednesday, June 13th, and will be an all-day training (9 am – 5 pm).  The seminar is FREE with full Conference registration, or $75.00 for the class only.  Student registration rates for the Conference are available and include this class ($100 for full time undergrad or grad student).  Detailed information on registration can be found at the Conference website at:  www.azpreservation.com/registration.html.  This seminar will be an excellent introductory precursor to the Advanced Section 106 training class that will be offered in the fall (in Flagstaff) by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. For questions regarding SHPO’s seminar, please contact Ann Howard/SHPO, at avh2@azstateparks.gov or (602) 542-7138. We hope to see you at the training!

Tour Opportunity – Navajo Pueblitos of Northwest New Mexico
Spring is an ideal time to take a four-wheel drive day trip to the rugged ruins of early Navajo settlements in northwest New Mexico. A free, introductory tour of this region being offered bySalmon Ruins Museum and Research Center May 12th gives visitors a taste of these outdoor adventures. In a joint effort, the Farmington Convention & Visitors Bureau has produced three short films, now on YouTube, highlighting these unique guided excisions into Navajo history.  https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/?shva=1#inbox/13645d46559568e1https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/?shva=1#inbox/13645d46559568e1

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is pleased to present Tim Kearns to discuss Basketmaker III in the Southern Chuska Valley, Northwest New Mexico on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 North Market Street, Cortez, CO.  In his presentation, Tim will highlight the Basketmaker III settlement, architecture, subsistence and material culture of the southern Chuska Valley area with a focus on the population movement and settlement dynamics of the period AD 500 to AD 725. For questions about this or other lectures, please call Bob Bernhart at 970-739-6772.

Lecture Opportunity: Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars presents a lecture by Dr. Stephen H. Lekson, Curator of Archaeology and Professor of Anthropology, University of Colorado Museum of Natural Hitory, Archaeologist, Editor, and Author, who will give a presentation entitled: We Get the Southwest We Deserve. Presented tonight, March 26 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe. Admission $12 at the door or $100 for the series of ten lectures. Part of the Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II given to honor and acknowledge the work of The Archaeology Conservancy. 

Lecture Opportunity: Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars presents a lecture by Dr. Charles E.Adams, Professor of Anthropology, University of Arizona; Curator, Arizona State Museum and Archaeologist, who will give a presentation entitled: Katsinam in Hopi Culture. Presented on April 2 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe. Admission is $12. Part of the Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II lecture series given to honor and acknowledge the work of The Archaeology Conservancy.

News from the Archaeology Channel
In the latest installment of the Video News from TAC, we present the story of an Eighth Century Mayan king as related on an ancient monument, experimental archaeology on re-creating classic Athenian coins, and begin our preview series of film clips from the upcoming ninth installment of The Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival.  See these stories in the March 2012 edition of this monthly half-hour show, available now on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel (http://www.archaeologychannel.org) as well as on cable TV in cities across the US. 

Thanks to Cherie Freeman for contributing to this week’s newsletter.