I guess someone considers the Fremont part of the SW

Props out to our very own Chris Watkins whose thesis abstract showed up in Pottery Southwest.

http://www.unm.edu/~psw/PDFs/current.pdf

Excavation Blog

I got this email forwarded to me today. Maybe we should set up a blog for Sand Hollow...

Prof. Michael Smith and his research team are blogging from their excavation project at Calixtlahuaca, Mexico!

Calixtlahuaca was a large urban center of the Matlatzinco culture, closely related to the Aztecs (A.D. 1100-1520).

n Hear about their latest discoveries,
n Learn about the history of the site, and
n Experience the day-to-day life at an archaeological dig as it is happening!

The blog contains the team’s informal reports and is geared toward the general public, with pictures, links and illustrations. The project began this month and will go through July 2007. Check back regularly and follow their progress!

Links:
Calixtlahuaca Blog
Professor Michael Smith’s Homepage
Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Project Website
School of Human Evolution & Social Change

Announcing the USAS/UPAC Convention 2007

June 8-10th at UVSC. Registration starts Thursday afternoon.

This year's theme will be The Archaeology of Utah Valley: The Late Prehistoric Period and Contributions to Archaeology by USAS members.

Dr. J will be our keynote speaker at a catered dinner Saturday night. Charmaine will likely introduce him and then, to his surprise, we'll hopefully have some sort of presentation afterward in honor of his contributions to USAS as well as to archaeology in Utah Valley and in the Late Prehistoric.

Any ideas or personal experiences you can share are much appreciated. We'd love to have you guys come do presentations--Friday and Saturday--or lead workshops. Obviously this is a small venue and most of the audience is comprised of amateurs over 60, but Utah Valley is central enough that we expect a fairly good UPAC attendance this year. Any subject is welcome, though obviously the closer to the theme the better. Aaron--Spotten Cave would be particularly applicable and we may have several field trips that will pass by and be able to point it out beforehand. Hint...

I know everyone's spread out, especially that time of year, but new blood and new ideas could really breathe life into this. And hey, free presentation opportunity. Registration forms won't be out until the end of March, but the fee is only like $10 and you get a groovy t-shirt. =)

Let me know if you guys want to participate. If for no other reason, for those of you still at BYU, you know Dr J loves to see us participate in this stuff. Thanks!

Woods and Yoder (2004)

Hey all,

dropping a quickie while I have some time away for St. Geo. This past week, the 2004 issue of Utah Archaeology finally made it to press. It is now available and features an article by Mr. Yoder(CRM stuff), and one by me(Spotten Cave, what else?)...then there are a few others. I can't remember what they are about.

Anyway, Mr. Bright grudingly admitted that I should get a free copy, so if he follows through, those of you in the office may get to see it. Those of you out of the office can let me know if you want to take a look.

Unfortunatley, the formatting is less than stellar. Many of the figures are fuzzy, and a little too small to really show what they are supposed to show, but whatever. It's out and the Great Basin Seminar paper no longer hangs over my head.

Note to self: never submit anything to Utah Archaeology again.

Congrats Cady and Jeff!!

Had a call from one Jeff Jardine. Baby Jardine was born today at approximately 8:00 PM, after an extended labor. Mother and child are doing fine. Baby weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz and 19 inches(?).

Can't wait to meet little Joel Clark Jardine, a future friend of the Fremont.

Good Luck Cady

Cady is likely winding down her thesis defense at this moment. Full respect, and let's get the report ASAP.

New Blogger

Today, I was prompted to abandon my blogger account for my google account when I tried to get into the blog. It looks like everyone will also have to make this change.

Joining the Fray and Do You want to Work at OPA?

I just thought I would let everyone know that I am applying to the Masters program here at BYU and plan to start classes this coming fall. I will probably take some intro classes this summer to get up to speed. I am really looking forward to becoming legit and able to really know what I am talking about though that remains to be seen...

On a side note, I have been asked by Rich Talbot, Director of OPA to make everyone on FOF aware that OPA plans is offering two full-time 1 year positions as operating archaeologists. This is a big deal and an amazing opportunity for anyone wanting some major responsibilities and time working with two of the best field archaeologists in the state of Utah. Those interested need to contact Debbie Silversmith at 801.422.0024 or apply online at yjobs.byu.edu.

Practice Archaeology

Anybody tuned in much to the developing theory and such on Practice in archaeology? I'm looking for a good general summary definition, and maybe recommendations on texts or articles that spell things out pretty basically.

It's been pretty quiet on here--this as much a hell semester for everyone else as it's looking for me? Or are there other Sand Hollow II's taking people away from civilization as we know it in 'good ol' Provo?

For those who are interested...

Hey guys, this was brought to my attention by one of my professors. World Archaeology is doing an issue on Experimental Archaeology.

Vol. 40 No. 1: Experimental Archaeology Editor: Alan Outram
Most archaeologists have some understanding of what is meant by'experimental archaeology', but it is not always clear what the term means.Most would agree that experimental archaeology involves 'actualistic'investigation of archaeological questions employing authentic materials and'primitive technologies', rather than being purely lab-based. Suchexperiments might address processes of artefact manufacture and use,taphonomy or (re)construction, however, actualistic experiments are alsoemployed to develop or valid laboratory techniques.

This call is for papers that employ experimental archaeology as a seriousresearch method. Papers that illustrate how experimental archaeology isintegrated into wider archaeological investigations are particularlywelcome.

(http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/cfp/rwarcfp.asp)

Lay-tar.

Way to go, Nabataeans!!

Hello New Worlders! Now for some news from the Old World:

Yes folks, Petra was named as a candidate for one the new seven wonders of the world. Read about it here. Petra is one of 21 sites from around the world competing for the title as one of the world's 7 wonders. Aww yeah!

Stay tuned on 07/07/07 for results!!

Molly SIR (Thanks for the motivation, Chris)

Geographic Information Systems

Though this was technically a Grad level class it was combined with the general intro to GIS undergrad class, so it was incredibly easy (I'm talking about major assignments consisteing of one 2-3 page paper). But, it was very useful, especially since I don't learn well from just exploring computer programs on my own. Basically, we just completed the ESRI on-line lessons to learn how to push the buttons while we did one extensive project broken into a dozen little pieces to learn the applications. Finally, for the Grad students, we came up with an idea of how to use GIS in conjunction with our thesis. Originally, I wanted to show the distribution of gamming pieces over the Paragonah site, but it would have taken way too long to prep all the data, so I ended up showing the distribution of gamming pieces over the Fremont area.

Readings/Thesis
I took one credit of readings simply so I could get my student loan, but it was extreemly helpful towards my thesis. I read the abundant (sarcasm) liturature on Fremont worked bone, mostly consisting of site summaries. There were a few other more helpful pieces including, of course, the Clear Creek Report. I ended up getitng into areas outside of the Fremont as well. The worked bone section of "The Durango South Project" (APUA No.34) was interesting because John Gooding attenpted to analyze worked bone (esp. awls) using functional characteristics rather than simply morphological attributes. I also actually started on the PVAP worked bone analysis, which has been challenging, but very useful, since I have to identify the element (faunal analysis is a major weekness of mine) as well as any modification/wear.

Field School Lab Class
I was the sole TA (though I had much needed help from Aaron, Brad, and Jenny) for the Field School Lab class. This was most useful for comedic relief in my otherwise busy life. I think my favorite story about the students was the follwoing: One student (Let's call him, M) made a comment about how few scales we had and another (let's call him, D) replied, "Oh, you don't really need to use one. What you do is at the beginning of the day you weight one sherd and then use that one to help you estimate on the rest that you do." The best part is that this converstion was held right infront of Dr. Allsion! Through the grapevine I also heard that D found out that M (who was working with sherds from the same site as D) finished analysis and had found 100% greyware with sand temper, so D decided his must all be greyware with sand temper as well...he finnished his analysis really quickly after that.

GB Paper
Finally, I finished by Great Basin Seminar paper (on Fremont Architecture in the Utah Valley...basically reporting the uncommon structrures as Jay's Place) at least to get a grade. I'm sure it'll need a few more drafts before publication, but it's nice to be at a good resting point.

Watkins SIR (Fall 2006)

I get the impression that people are not posting these because they don't have time to write a big long entry. In that spirit, I am posting an abbreviated SIR as an example.

-=Courses=-
Only one course this year:

Comparative Southwestern Ceramics - In this course, we learned to type ceramics from across the southwest, and compared them to one another. Interesting note - most people agreed that Fremont painted pottery is in the Red Mesa style, so much so that some of the Crow Canyon folks wondered whether some of the displaced Mesa Verdeans landed in the Fremont area around AD 900. Check this website for some really cool lab manuals and type descriptions, including one for the Fremont by yours truly.

-=Research=-
Finishing:
1. A paper on the Fremont Ceramic typology
2. A paper on structure contemporeneity at Five Finger Ridge

Dissertation:
Analyzed a bunch of sherds for my D.
Am working on an automated method to digitally analyze petrographic thin sections.

-=Next Term=-
Taking Chiefdoms from Spielmann (the incoming Shallit lecturer) and Ben Nelson
More D research
More Fremont papers

News Flash: Dateline - Rupert Idaho.

Extra, Extra! Read all about it!

Mel Gibson's Apocalyto is full of embellishments, inaccuracies, and racist undertones. The archaeological advisor on the film, one Richard Hansen, responds in this interview with Archaeology Magazine.

Maya "expert", former BYU student, and current UC Riversider Zach Hruby gives his two bits in this National Geographic Newsletter article.

ASU graduate students ask BYU alumni Chris Watkins why the H Hansen let Mel get away with his theatrics. A puzzled Watkins knows not what to say...

Jenny's SIR

Ah semester in review time once again...what could be more enjoyable than reflecting on the anguish and pain all over again, re-opening wounds and salting them with anticipation of next semester's responsibilities? Here goes:

I spent the better part of the first couple of months working with the Forest Service and finishing out the season's fieldwork. In addition, I finally managed to pull together my Farmer/Forager research about an hour before presenting it at the GBAC. That was the highlight of the semester, since it was my first 'real' presentation, though I still feel like I got jipped out of a really good 'Simms makes a scene' moment. According to Dr J, everybody's favorite Little Elf Man has decided--after 20 years, mind you--to accept that his theory needs work and he needn't be offended by those who attempt to move it in a more reasonable direction. Thank heaven!

Early in October, Charmaine and I took Matt Seddon out to Vernon to talk about eligibility and chaining on surface sites. We couldn't resist showing off our homesteads and, being the fellow rust-appreciator that he is, Matt was interested in my thesis and offered to join my thesis committee. Sufficeth to say, I'm thrilled. His insider track on the Level III project, etc is really going to help. Matt's a great guy--it's nice to know that someone with a personality is up there reading our reports.

I only had one class this semester--History 566: Sources and Problems in Utah History. It was interesting to see the difference in the historian approach--as we chose our books from the selected bibliography, I noticed that the three history students most often chose those that were focused on a specific individual's experience. In contrast, I tended toward those that were broader and emphasized the history of many in a specific place. Granted, I also tended to choose the shortest book on the list. The class wasn't fun, per se, but I don't regret taking it since it places all my little rusty homestead bits in better context.

Fairly uneventful, and I'm still trying to find time to knock out a preliminary report for 42WS1931 from last season, but that's what the break is for, right?

Busted!

This morning, I was driving into Phoenix to conduct a brief (< 1 acre) survey of a small parcel we are working on. On my way, I passed by the site of a huge (more than 1,000 burial) Hohokam Village we had excavated the previous year. As I was stopped at a traffic light, I noticed two guys out in the middle of the site fooling around with shovels. The site had been hit by professional looters while we were still in the field, and I immediately called our PI for further instructions.

He called the Phoenix PD, who responded with 4 cars and a helicopter unit. The bosses raced over to the site to survey the damage. Turns out, these were just two members of the Phoenix Symphony (Bassoon and 1st Violin) who were poking around in the backdirt. They had run into a former employee of our company on the site a few weeks back who had told them that it would probably be ok.

While I didn't hook a big fish, and while these dudes are probably not going to be getting into any trouble, I still count this as the first looter bust of my career.

Yoder's Semester in Review

Ah yes, that time of year again….for the semester in review! Guys, I am so freaking ready to be done with school. I need a real job! I need a real income! Sorry. Ok, this semester I only took two classes, one was an ethics and grant writing class and the other was a hunter-gatherer class.

The ethics and grant writing was ok. We discussed a lot of ethical situations, and how you might deal with them. This was actually more interesting than I first thought it would be. We then discussed how to write competitive grants. I found a few useful things from this part of the course, but most of it I had already heard. Though admittedly I have more grant experience than most of the other grad students here. A smart, yet short and interesting resource we used in the grant portion was entitled “Writing from the Winner’s Circle: A Guide to Preparing Competitive Grant Proposals” by David Stanley. This is a good little resource and can be found at http://epscor.unl.edu/rfps/winnerscircle.shtml

The hunter-gatherers class was good. It could have been better, but the class schedule got screwed this semester so that we ended up not meeting that often. This meant we weren’t able to get into a lot of the topics that we wanted to. Overall it was good though. We discussed the characteristics of hunter-gatherers in prehistory and how they interacted with their neighbors. Don’t have any really good articles to give you as you have probably read them already. As I said, we just didn’t have enough time to really get into the interesting topics we would have liked.

On my own research notes. I’m just about to submit an article to the Journal of Archaeological Science on using soft X-rays in perishable research. I hope this one gets in, it would be a good publication. I’m planning on spending the break finishing up a curation article I hope to have submitted by the beginning of next year, and of course, the ever present grant writing for dissertation money. I’ll also be running a week long survey out in the Nevada desert for one of my professors (I need the cash!). Oh, and I might work on the experimental granaries paper for publication somewhere. Though I’m not quite sure if that one is worth it, we’ll see. I’ll also be going up to Utah to visit my in-laws. On the way I’m going to stop by some old fellas who have sandals in their private collections and see if I can convince them to donate them to my dissertation (I think I’m going to dissect one or two). Working with the good ole boys and destroying artifacts, what the h have I come to! Hope you all are enjoying the break. Take some time off and relax.

Virgin Anasazi Ceramic Conference

Kelley Hays-Gilpin gave a guest lecture in my Ceramics of the Southwest class yesterday and mentioned a Conference on Virgin Anasazi ceramics that she, Jim A., and Margaret Lyneis are planning. What the H? I gotta hear about this from the outside?

Anyone know anything about this? I already emailed Jim about it.

PS: Sounds like the MPC just got a really important collection of ceramic vessels from Holbrook. Anyone know about this?

Figurine Analysis

The other day, Aaron and I were talking about the figurines recovered from North Creek.


We were talking about how they are sometimes scored on the back, and were wondering what they might have been attached to. We are currently trying to set up a Scanning Electron Microscope analysis of the dorsal side of these artifacts to see whether any organic fibers or other residue indicating how or what these things might have been attached to. We are trying to get a student in the BYU microscopy lab on-board to help with the analysis and technical stuff.

Any thoughts?

Archaeometry Rules!

Tribute to Dr J

We just had our first USAS Convention planning meeting for next June's USAS/UPAC Meetings. They're typically held the third weekend in June and will likely be there again in 2007. It's a little early, but since this is the last time the Utah County chapter will host the meeting before Dr J retires, Charmaine and I are talking about putting together a session related to Dr J's contributions to archaeology in Utah Valley and to students/amateurs. Assuming we're able to pull it off without the big J himself pulling a veto, would any of you being interested or willing to give a 10 or 15 minute presentation in tribute?

Like I said, Charmaine and I will likely spearhead it and I know there are USAS folks who'll want to talk about things they've done with him, but I'd really like to see the student perspective. He'll be moved off to Washington fishing all day every day soon enough and I know his secret cream filling soft side would really love to hear what we'll take from him after when he's gone. I mean, it'll never be the same as his relationship to Jennings, I suppose...none of us has ever loaned him a shirt that I know of...but it's something.

What do you think? Also if you have any thoughts on presentations that would be interesting or valuable at a USAS convention, especially with regards to projects you've done that used USAS volunteers, let me know--we're still very much in the brainstorming stages and I'm trying to work up a preliminary idea of possible sessions and conference themes.