This article mentions how local ranchers and conservationists are up in arms about the proposed toxic waste dump that would sit right next to Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. But no quotes from archaeologists, which I found odd. Yet the “Outhouse Recycling Facility,” as the 474-acre waste pits are being termed, would be a…Continue Reading…
That’s the title of this astonishing story in the current issue of Science News. Antiquities trafficking is the bane of archaeology, yet it appears that archaeologists in the Middle East and elsewhere are playing an unwitting role when they employ local laborers for excavations. (The first generation of southwestern archaeologists learned this lesson the hard…Continue Reading…
These guys are are also really pissed off at journalists. After I read their rant I thought of that scene in Ghost, where the creepy dead guy on the New York City subway starts yelling at Patrick Swayze, “Get off my train!!”
At first I thought this was some spoof, then I saw CNN had picked up on it here a few months ago. Which means I probably missed Bill Maher talking about it. Now I’m wondering if the story of two pounds of 2700 year old weed discovered in the tomb of a light-haired, blue eyed…Continue Reading…
A big reason I’m drawn to the Southwest is for its well preserved archaeology. But that doesn’t mean it’s well protected, much less appreciated by native residents or politicians. That said, a cruel irony is that most new sites on public and state land are only discovered when a highway or shopping center or gas…Continue Reading…
I heard back from Odyssey this morning about this charge, which they said is “untrue.” Then they politely directed me to their long list of publications here and here.
Is Odyssey Marine Exploration, the Florida-based company that discovered a 18th century British warship, talk a good archaeological game? I argued here that the gains to science trump the company’s treasure-seeking motive. But do they do any archaeology? A reader emails me: The complaint archaeologists have against Odyssey’s plundering the oceans is that they refuse…Continue Reading…
In the unofficial climate change anxiety index, you won’t find archaeology ranked very high. That’s understandable. If the worst scenarios come to pass, the world will be in a heap of trouble and people are going to worry about saving themselves, not the remains of ancient civilizations. But in the meantime, archaeologists are sounding the…Continue Reading…
To archaeologists and environmentalists in the Southwest, this decision probably marks the first real day of the Obama Administration. I’ve covered the rancorous archaeology/energy/public lands debate extensively over the last few years, most recently here, here, and here. Those days look over. Hey guys, what am I going to write about now?