Southwest Archaeology Today for Nov 13, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Pothunting: In the dead of night, looters are destroying the history of America, desecrating sacred Indian ruins. An estimated 80 percent of the nation’s ancient archaeological sites have been plundered or robbed by shovel-toting looters. Though some of the pillaging is done by amateurs who don’t know any better, more serious damage is wrought by professionals who dig deep, sometimes even using backhoes.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1112looters-mainbar1112.html

– The Pothunter’s Perspective: Owens notes that there are millions of ruins on private land where artifact hunters can dig if they have permission, or if they buy the property. In fact, he made pot-hunting a career after a rancher offered to sell him land full of archaeological treasures. And he knows of several diggers who purchased residential plots near Globe that are checkered with pristine ruins. After artifacts are harvested, the land is flipped.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1109looters-owens.html

– More Pothunting: The student contacted law officers who arrived to find John D. Price and Tony Mascher packing up to leave their backcountry camp. The two men were detained. During a search of their homes, investigators found artifacts and videotape from other archaeological digs. There was film of the suspects blasting away with automatic weapons, and pictures of a swastika carved into a tree.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1109looters-price.html

– A Brief History of Tucson, from Pithouse Village to “Desert Metropolis”: Written records show humans living in what we now call Tucson 4,000 years ago. They killed small game, fished in the sometimes-flowing Santa Cruz River and farmed. “It was an agrarian group living at the base of ‘A’ Mountain,” says Jim Turner, historian with the Arizona Historical Society. “They were the earliest known tobacco farmers in North America. And they grew the earliest corn in North America.”
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/155272

– Prehistoric Raiding for Women? An important new archaeological study from the December issue of Current Anthropology is the first to document interregional movement of women in the pre-Hispanic Southwest. Using an analysis of grave sites, the researchers found more female remains during periods of political influence, providing an interesting insight into the ways warfare may contribute the local archaeological record.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061112094745.htm

– Old Pueblo Archaeology’s Third Thursday Lecture Series Presents James Ayres, Speaking on “Chinese Contributions to Archaeology and History in Tucson” Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s monthly “Third Thursdays” lecture programs are held on the third Thursday of each month starting at 7:30 p.m. The location for this month’s program (next thursday, november 16) will be the town of marana operations center’s mesquite room auditorium at 5100 W. Ina Road (directly across the parking lot from Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) in the Marana Town Limits, Arizona. Each Third Thursdays program is free with no advance reservations required. Contact Old Pueblo at 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org for more information.

– Arizona State Museum’s Native Eyes Program Presents and Evening with Chris Eyre: “A Great American Filmmaker” 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Center for Creative Photography Auditorium Free – Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Chris Eyre’s first feature, Smoke Signals, won numerous awards worldwide and made him a unique figure – the first Native American director to make a movie that received national theatrical release. Other films made by Chris Eyre, including Edge of America, which won a Directors Guild Award and a Peabody Award, have screened at the Sundance Film Festival seven times. Listen in on a stimulating conversation with University of Arizona alumnus Chris Eyre (Cheyenne-Arapaho) and Patrick Roddy, Producer-in-Residence, University of Arizona Department of Media Arts. They will discuss the evolution of Chris’s career and then invite audience questions.

– Employment Opportunity, City of Tucson Seeks Historic Preservation/Cultural Resources Program Manager: Manage cultural resources and historic preservation activities for the City of Tucson including activities in the City’s central core area as well as assisting with master planning in the City’s evolving edge and future city growth areas. Oversee cultural resources review program for City capital projects and provide program, project and technical assistance for a variety of cultural resources issues.
http://tinyurl.com/yluu5p – City of Tucson

– Tour Opportunity (Southern Arizona): Travel with museum scholars! Highlights of this day trip include Tumac