Recent Archaeological Research in Petrified Forest National Park

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Petrified Forest National park has been the subject of archaeological research for well over 100 years. In 2004 Congress authorized a boundary expansion, effectively doubling the protected land in Petrified Forest National Park. As these lands are slowly being purchased and added to the park, a three year project began in 2013 to inventory cultural resources. The results of the first two seasons of survey and recording work have found a stunning density and diversity of archaeological remains. Archaeological sites spanning the last 10,000 years of human occupation have been identified and recorded, including most notably extensive preceramic sites and lithic landscapes, large Basketmaker villages, and a densely settled Puebloan landscape. The National Park Service has taken this opportunity to use the boundary expansion project as a teaching laboratory and platform for future investigation, incorporating student interns and researchers into the project. This session presents an update of the recent archaeology completed in Petrified Forest, and highlights some of the independent student research projects.

Other Keywords
Ceramics • Lithics • Southwest • Puebloan • Petrified Forest • Basketmaker • Petrified Forest National Park • Geoarchaeology • Archaeological Survey • Erosion

Geographic Keywords
North America - Southwest • US (ISO Country Code) • New Mexico (State / Territory) • Arizona (State / Territory) • United States of America (Country) • Colorado (State / Territory) • Utah (State / Territory) • North America (Continent)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-19 of 19)

  • Documents (19)
Documents
  1. 13,000 Years of History in 990 Square Feet: Recent Undertakings in Public Archaeology at Petrified Forest National Park. (2015)
  2. All Potted Up: Exploring Seasonality at Small Late Pueblo II and Early Pueblo III Sites at Petrified Forest National Park (2015)
  3. Clarifying Late Archaic, Basketmaker, and Pueblo I Project Point Types at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona (2016)
  4. Clay Reconnaissance and Suitability Testing within Petrified Forest National Park (2015)
  5. Documenting Lithic Landscapes of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona (2015)
  6. From Ocean to Desert: Analysis of Prehistoric Shell Through Type, Use, and Trade Routes to Petrified Forest National Park (2016)
  7. It's a Slippery Slope: The Impacts of Erosion on the Spatial Distribution of Artifacts (2016)
  8. Lithic Analysis from the Rainbow Forest Clovis Site (2015)
  9. Lithic Landscapes and Basketmaker Villages: An Update of the 2014 Petrified Forest Boundary Expansion Survey (2015)
  10. Petroglyphs of East Tank Mesa and the Mac Stod Great House: Using Rock Art to Gauge Regional Influences in Petrified Forest National Park (2016)
  11. Pithouses, Pueblos, Projectile Points, Petroglyphs, and Possible Plazas: An Update on the 2015 Petrified Forest National Park Boundary Expansion Survey (2016)
  12. Pot Hunting, Artifact Collection and Site Destruction: A Study of a Multi Generational Pot Hunting Family on the Colorado Plateau (2015)
  13. Sourcing and Trade of Basalt and Turquoise to Petrified Forest National Park (2016)
  14. Space and Settlement Across the Painted Desert: Comparing the Land Use Patterns of Preceramic Groups at Petrified Forest National Park (2015)
  15. Three Seasons of Survey in the Painted Desert: An Update of the Petrified Forest Boundary Expansion Survey (2016)
  16. Tree-Ring Analysis at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona (2015)
  17. Understanding Formation Processes of Archaeological Sites in Eolian Settings in the Petrified Forest National Park (2015)
  18. Understanding the Relationship Between Sample Size and Variation in Ceramic Relative Chronologies at the Petrified Forest National Park (2016)
  19. When in the World? A Comparative Debitage Analysis of Single-component Sites through Time at Petrified Forest National Park (2015)