The production of knowledge about the archaeological record often involves efforts by both amateur archaeologists working because they love what they do, and professional archaeologists, who may also love what they do but also have chosen to make a living from the activity. This book examines a roughly 90-year period in the relationships between amateurs and professionals who have worked in the Prescott region of central Arizona. Three individuals who receive close attention are J. W. Simmons, who was first to identify the region as culturally different and to get professionals interested in working there; Franklin Barnett, who focused on excavating late pueblo ruins in the region; and Ken Austin, who took on a regional survey to document the numerous hilltop sites in the area. All three of these amateurs worked with professionals, but also inspired additional researchers who carried on with their path-breaking work. We also explore the archaeological societies in Prescott, particularly the current Yavapai Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society, which have been active in important salvage work and research for nearly four decades. The concluding chapter examines how amateurs have been leaders in archaeological work in the region and where we can expect contributions to come from in the future.

An Essential Relationship: Amateurs and Professionals in Central Arizona Archaeology (The Arizona Archaeologist)

Politics & Social Sciences

Christenson, Andrew L.

Archaeology

Arizona Archaeological Society

Earth Figures of the Lower Colorado and Gila River Deserts : A Functional Analysis

Johnson, Boma

An Introduction to the Archaeological Ceramics of Central Arizona, The Arizona Archaeologist No. 21

Checklist of Pottery Types for the Tonto National Forest (An Introduction to the Archaeological Ceramics of Central Arizona, The Arizona Archaeologist No. 21)

Walnut Canyon settlement and land use (The Arizona archaeologist)

Science & Math

Bremer, J. Michael

Nature & Ecology

Book by Alan Ferg (Author), Jim I. Mead (Author), Raymond McClusky (Editor)

Red Cave - A Prehistoric Cave Shrine In Southeastern Arizona

Mead, Jim I.

Ferg, Alan

Bones of birds of sacrifice have been recovered from excavations of archaeological dating as early as 300 B.C. to the present. A four part model is presented which relates the occurances of these specimans to socio-politico-religio-economic stages in the development of the prehistory of the southwest. THese include Paleo-Indian big game hunting, dry farming, canal irragated farming, and population aggregation phenomena as illustrated by archaeological excavation, osteological remains, and iconography in Southwestern and Mesoamerican sites.

Southwest Birds of Sacrifice

Charmion R. McKusick

The list of pottery types and descriptions which follows is a partial compilation of the prehistoric and protohistoric aboriginal ceramics found on the Tonto National Forest in central Arizona. It is an attempt to provide a description of an important aspect of Tonto archaeology which lies somewhere between a "popular" or non-technical account and an abstract and specialized technical manual. It presents a typology of Tonto pottery based on its manufacturing technology and physical attributes, but it does not constitute a study of typology or ceramic technology. It presents a number of pottery type descriptions, but it cannot be considered an identification in the traditional sense. Nor is it a bibliography of ceramic literary references for the Forest, despite the inclusion of a list of useful references. It is intended primarily as an introduction to the study of central Arizona pottery and as a tool for making "quick and dirty" type identifications, especially in the field.

Checklist of Pottery Types for the Tonto National Forest: Arizona Archaeologist No. 21

History

Wood, J. Scott

Americas

The Casa Malpais National Historic Landmark site was built and occupied by the Mogollon culture in northeastern Arizona from about C.E. 1250 to 1400.  A study of the cultural astronomy of the site was conducted from 2008 to 2011.  The previously observed “solstice observatory” feature was found to have been used for solar sunset observations.  In addition several rock art features were found to be astronomical seasonal markers.

Arizona Archaeologist No. 38: A Cultural Astronomy Study of the Casa Malpais National Historic Landmark Site

Zoll, Kenneth J.

This report documents the archaeological work conducted at Coyote Ruin (NA 6654), a Prescott Culture site located northeast of Prescott Valley, Arizona. The field work for this project involved survey, mapping, excavation, and recording of rock art, followed by extensive analysis and write-up of the features and artifacts. Work began in November 1998 and concluded in April 2004 using volunteers from the Yavapai Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society. Data recovered indicates Coyote Ruin represents a record of human occupation from perhaps the A.D. 900s until after 1300. Excavations at the site in the late 1920s are the earliest in the Prescott area for which we have documentation. Included herein is the account of J. W. Simmons who worked at the site starting in 1927. The Yavapai Chapter conducted excavations at 11 of the 26 masonry rooms, 2 of the 10 pit structures, and documented many of the agricultural and water-control features. Ceramics recovered included Prescott Gray Ware, Verde Brown, and a range of tradewares mostly from the Kayenta and Little Colorado River areas. The abundance of projectile points and bones from deer, antelope, elk, and small mammals indicated the importance of hunting for the inhabitants. Archaeo-botanical analysis documented consumption of maize, harvesting of a variety of seeds, and use of agave. The concluding chapter of the report places the pueblo into a context of 13th to 14th century occupation in the Prescott area, discusses how the Prescott Culture was organized in this period, and provides some hypotheses that need to be examined with future research.

Arizona Archaeologist No. 39: Coyote Ruin (NA 6654), A Prescott-Area Community

Beck, Robert

Johnson, Ginger

Spall, Mary

Christenson PhD, Andrew L.

Cline, Joanne S.

Higgins, Elizabeth S.

Kwiatkowski, Scott M.

Stoycheff, Judy

Perry Mesa is a small, isolated plateau lying within the mountainous Transition Zone of central Arizona. During the fourteenth century, the area on and around the mesa was home to a population of Native Americans who built several dozen masonry pueblos, the largest of which are remarkable for their large size—100 or more ground-floor rooms, probably two stories high—and, often, for their dramatic settings at the edges of cliffs overlooking deeply incised canyons. It appears that the people of the Perry Mesa Tradition migrated to this locale, lived there for at most 200 to 300 years, and then moved on. Archaeologists have known of Perry Mesa's archaeological treasures since the 1940s. Due to its remote setting, Perry Mesa preserves an essentially complete Classic period settlement-subsistence system within a bounded environmental setting. This report, a scanned reproduction of the original 1995 Arizona Archaeologist volume, offers important insights into this unique gathering of communities, providing a glimpse of life and survival in the mesa’s harsh, but resource-rich central Arizona environment.

Prehistory of Perry Mesa:: The Short-lived Settlement of a Mesa-canyon Complex in Central Arizona, ca. A.D. 1200-1450 (The Arizona Archaeologist)

Roberts, Heidi

Ahlstrom, Richard V.N.

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Books by Arizona Archaeological Society