This story in Nature News about societal collapse in ancient Peru is worth noting, especially for this quote by one of the main researchers: Dramatic climactic events are always used to explain culture change in the Andes. But this is not satisfying based on what we know about human culture. It paints a picture of…Continue Reading…
This article by Roger Webster, a South African historian, is intriguing on several levels. I was drawn in by this opening: One of the many aspects of history and archaeology that fascinates me is that, in many respects, archaeology becomes the verifier, or the destroyer, of history. Be sure to read it all the way…Continue Reading…
I have an upcoming story in the Nov/Dec issue of Archaeology magazine that will perhaps generate some controversy among Southwestern archaeologists. (It’s called “Who were the Anasazi?”) The piece explores Navajo claims to ancient Puebloan sites in Chaco Canyon and other famous prehistoric ruins in the Four Corners region. My story also discusses a wealth…Continue Reading…
For a would-be pothunter, I supppose arrowheads are like a gateway drug. Of course, not everybody becomes a junkie. And most people who become addicted to uncovering a piece of the past don’t become pothunters. That said, see if you can match the quote to the right author below. Don’t click on a link until…Continue Reading…
There seems to be lingering anger and bewilderment over the FBI’s conduct in the June arrests of 16 suspected pothunters in Blanding, Utah. In my own reporting on this story, it’s one of the angles I covered here and here. Since then, I’ve been surprised to see that some authorities and former prominent government officials…Continue Reading…
I’ve recently spent a lot of time reporting in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. When this blog goes dark for a few days, it’s usually because I’m on assignment somewhere in the backcountry, or frantically trying to meet a magazine deadline. So one of the stories I’ve been working on is about archaeology…Continue Reading…
[UPDATE: See comment # 5 for clarification and added detail about the Childs talk that I discuss below. Now I wish more SW archaeologists would weigh in…but most of them don’t read blogs, as far as I can tell.] Craig Childs advising archaeologists on how to write for a popular audience is about as useful…Continue Reading…
Nothing pisses off archaeologists more than being equated with pothunters. Last year, this piece by Craig Childs upset many SW specialists. (Childs is giving a talk at the annual Pecos conference later this week; somebody please record this. Or blog on it. How about you, Gambler’s House, if you’re attending?) As this recent column in…Continue Reading…
As I wrote in this story a few years back, most ancient ruins are discovered after a bulldozer digs up the ground for a new highway, oil pipeline, or strip mall. It’s called “rescue” or “salvage” archaeology.” It’s an ironic way to advance a science–got to build new stuff before you can find the really…Continue Reading…
Now that my CU Fellowship is over, I’ve been out in the field reporting on a bunch of stories, so blogging has been light the last few weeks. Here’s a piece on the big pothunting investigation I recently wrote for Science magazine, published today (sub req). For those who haven’t followed the twists and turns…Continue Reading…