Randy Ottenhoff talks with Christopher Sims about his research on incised stones in the great basin. What are the for? What do they mean?

For decades archaeologists have tried to figure out how to educate, license, and legitimize all levels of field archaeologist. The Register of Professional Archaeologists is a start, but in a world where you need a license to cut someone's hair but not to record the cultural history of an entire nation, something has to change. Professional Certifications for Scientists is a non-profit organization that aims to provide training and certification for all levels of archaeologist and other...

The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (NVSHPO) is announcing a new mapping service as part of the Nevada Cultural Resource Information System (NVCRIS). As such, there will be two online mapping tools available under NVCRIS – a Restricted and an Unrestricted service. In this session, the new Unrestricted service will be demonstrated. This new service has all the same features and capabilities as the Restricted site. However, the Unrestricted site does not contain data that is protected...

Throughout human history, we have invented remarkable new technologies that, in their time, were met with skepticism and even rejection, only to be embraced by later generations who realized the value of these innovations. We are feeling this struggle now as archaeology moves from an analog/paper/film recording to a paperless/digital ecology. It has been a 20+ year process, but it is about time to fully consider the impacts of thinking beyond the page. In this ‘paper’ we will explore the...

Four years ago I set out to bring together interested parties to update or replace the Intermountain Antiquities Computer System (IMACS) for recording archaeological sites in Utah. After 30+ years of using the same form, I believed (and still do) that updating the system would make management of our cultural resources more efficient and effective. But I also believed it would be a relatively straightforward process. I was wrong. In this presentation I discuss the four-year effort, lessons...

This presentation presents a non-destructive, empirical and replicable method for aging bison teeth. Tooth eruption, growth, and attrition can document age-at-death, which informs on hunting strategies, occupation seasonality, environmental conditions, and herd health. Previous dentition studies utilize numerous tooth metrics that commonly require specimen-destructive research methods. Also, occlusal wear age estimates rely on subjective wear patterning classifications and figures. We suggest...

Models were developed to predict spatial distribution of prehistoric archaeological site potential in the Sawtooth National Forest. Archaeological data and environmental parameters were collected and processed in a GIS. Predictor variables were evaluated to discover correlates with human locational behavior & compared against a control dataset. Three modeling methods were used: Logistic Regression, Regression Tree, and Random Forest. These models were assessed for efficacy using k-fold...

Podcasts have been around for over 10 years now and only in the last couple years, since the release of the popular This American Life spin-off, Serial, has the American public been interested. Until Serial, it seemed that you were either a podcast listener or you weren’t. Now, people are incorporating them into their lives as trusted sources of information and entertainment. The Archaeology Podcast Network was founded as the first season of Serial came to a close and our downloads quickly...

The buildup of fuels, such as tree branches, on archaeological sites is a major concern in the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest due to the potential for wildfire in the area. Since 2013, the SW Jemez Mountain Landscape Restoration Project-Archaeological Site Thinning has endeavored to remove fuels from sites, creating a unique treatment plan to prevent damage to archaeological sites.

Cedar Mesa, Utah, is an amazing landscape with a rich archaeological record. Excavations took place throughout the area, including in the dry caves in the Greater Cedar Mesa region. The Cedar Mesa Perishables Project set out to study 4,000 unpublished textiles, baskets, wooden implements, and hide and feather artifacts excavated during the 1890s. These artifacts are housed in six different museums! The overall goal of the project is to carefully document each artifact and make the collection...

“Landforms as Architecture and the Appropriation of Place on Orayvi Wash, A.D. 550-800” by Kellam Throgmorton Binghamton University During a 2015 survey of Orayvi Wash, Arizona, two adjacent sequentially inhabited community centers were documented. The communities date between A.D. 550 and 800, the Basketmaker III and Pueblo I periods. The particularly unique aspect of these communities are the large buttes near the habitation area, which may have been seen as formalized ceremonial...

“The Archaeology of Aztec North” by Michelle Turner, Maxwell Forton, Josh Jones, Randall McGuire, Lubna Omar, Kellam Throgmorton, Samuel Stansel, and Ruth Van Dyke Binghamton University The poster highlights testing conducted at the Aztec North great house (Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM) by a crew of archaeologists from Binghamton University. The project’s research questions, research design, and preliminary results of the excavation were discussed, including unexpected finds such as the...

“An Investigation into Possible Lunar Alignments of Prehistoric Shrine-Sites at Chaco Canyon” by Anna Sofaer, William Stone, and Robert Weiner The Solstice Project and Brown University There are more than enormous pueblos and beautiful artifacts at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. There are also a number of C-shaped, circular, and cairn masonry structures situated on elevated positions near and throughout Chaco Canyon. These structures appear to have been...

“College Vs. The Work Force” By Alyssa Colan and Vincent Gentile The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Are college graduates ready to work in the field of archaeology? Were they adequately prepared to survey, write reports, and dig shovel tests? Colan and Gentile explore these questions, focusing on whether or not the skills taught while obtaining a bachelor’s degree are applicable to the working world. The majority of the material taught prepares students for academia, not necessarily for...

The Pecos Conference, created in 1927, is an outdoor extravaganza of presentations and posters highlighting current research in southwestern archaeology. Archaeologists descend on the chosen location for the year, camping together, sharing research and stories, and carousing for a couple of days. This year the Pecos Conference took place in Alpine, AZ, hosted by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.

Tracy Schwartz is an archaeologist with Naval Station Whidbey Island in Washington State. She sits down with Ashley Morton to talk about their experiences at the Cultural Resources Protection Summit in Suquamish, Washington.

An interview with conference emcee and THPO Dennis Lewarch

Wireless Lithics: An Open Hardware Approach to Stroke Quantification and Replicability in Lithic Use-wear Experiments

Bridging the Gap between Cultural Resources Management and Academia: A Consultant In Residence’s Perspective

Engaging with Archaeological Collections from Banks Island, NWT: Examining the value of digital representations and physical replicas

A field and buildings archaeologist for the past 30 years he has worked in a variety of positions and locations from Scotland to Iraq and Germany to Turkmenistan. He works closely with metal detecting groups, the Portable Antiquities Scheme and other interested groups to ensure wider cooperation within the field of public and accessible archaeology. He is an advocated for training in practical skills for both professional archaeologists and volunteers in order to chart progress and open the...

A Mature student at the Natural and Cultural Heritage Management programme at University College of Northern Denmark finishing her degree in 2016. with a  interest in the connection between human beings and landscape, with a focus on sense of place and heritage linked to geography. Misha is a project assistant in Geopark Vestjylland in Western Jutland, Denmark, where she works with strategy, fundraising and community involvement. Past experience includes volunteer management, consulting on...

In 2015, DIGTECH surveyed 45,000 acres in desert and "Great Basin" like environments. We used Apple iPad Minis to record over 250 prehistoric and historic sites and over 1500 isolated finds. We had field technicians using California DPR forms that we created for $9 software from the Apple Appstore. Now, we're helping to re-invent the first phase of digital archaeology and will bring ALL phases of archaeology and beyond into the forefront of field data collection and management.

 “The hidden heritage of Veteran Trees and ancient woods in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire”. At Edinburgh I applied for funds from the University to start my own archaeological project (separate to my PhD. Research), which developed into a 10 year study of the Later Prehistory of Cumbria. After my PhD. I had a post doc at the Crichton campus of the University of Glasgow in Dumfries. Being based in Dumfries with a young family once my post doc ended I decided to work part time in...

Alison James has been a maritime archaeologist at Historic England for seven years with responsibility for the protected wreck sites. Previously she worked at Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology and the NAS. Angela Middleton holds a degree in archaeological conservation from the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and an MSc in Maritime Conservation Science from the University of Portsmouth. She has worked for the Newport Medieval Ship Project and the Michael Faraday...