THE ARCHAEOLOGIST - Vol. 11, November 12, 2011

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Vol. 11, November 12, 2011

Chapter Web Site -  http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

 Chapter email - ioccnysaa@gmail.com

 Chapter meetings are held on the third Friday of each month except July, August and November.

**** Please Note – No monthly meeting this month since we are having the annual dinner on November 12^th. The next monthly meeting will be held at the Middletown Senior Center on Friday, December 16^th. Don’t forget the December meeting will feature the grab-bag.

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President’s Message

            I am finally back from Peru and Arizona and look forward to attending the annual dinner on November 12^th. I want to thank Chuck and Jon for conducting the meetings for me while I was away.

            Several members have asked me how my recent trips went so here is a brief summary. Both of the trips to Peru and Arizona were very interesting and successful. In Peru I completed two remote sections of the Rio Grande de Nasca drainage and can finally say the investigation of this region is completed. I was accompanied by three colleagues from Germany who are also studying the Nasca Lines. I was able to locate several geoglyphs that had not been documented since they are not visible in Google Earth. I did this by locating concentrated areas of permeability within the groundwater and followed them to the geoglyphs which mapped them.

            During the last year I have been working on changing my study area from Peru and Chile to the southwestern United States. Preliminary surveys conducted in the southwest during the last few years have indicated I am able to find features at archaeological sites using the same techniques I have been using in Peru and Chile. In June and October I was asked to present the results of my preliminary surveys at two conferences in Arizona and New Mexico. During both visits I conducted blind surveys of archaeological sites with local archaeologists. A blind survey consists of a local archaeologist taking me to a site I could not have read about and don’t know the location of. Then I conduct my survey and compare it with their’s. The results were very interesting. I was able to locate features such as Chaco / Anasazi Roads and structures that they knew about which were no longer visible on the surface. Next year we intend to expand this investigation.

Interestingly, even though I have been associated with the New York State Archaeological Association for the last 50 years I had to remove myself from the forest to see the forest clearly. Now let me explain. As I expanded my research along the coast of Peru and Chile I wondered if other cultures in the Western Hemisphere also mapped areas of high permeability within groundwater with surface features. This led me to the southwest where a similar pattern existed. Now I am re-entering New York’s forest and applying the same techniques I used along the coast of Peru and Chile as well as the southwestern United States to develop a better understanding of the northeastern Native Americans who occupied this region before Columbus. Once again the preliminary results are very similar to the other two regions. The correlation between these regions will be the topic of my presentation at the state meeting in April.

Dave

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                                                            Florist Site

            Stephanie is working at the Florist Site nearly every Sunday morning starting at 9 AM, weather permitting. If you intend to go please contact Stephanie to make sure they will be working the site that day.

            This site provides all our members a wonderful opportunity to experience archaeology first hand. We hope all of our members can take advantage of this opportunity to develop their skills as archeologists. If you are new to the chapter here is your opportunity to participate in an archaeological investigation and learn the techniques needed to properly document a site.

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Results Of The State Survey Taken In 2010

            A few observations from the NYSAA’s survey’s results which was conducted last year.  If you want to review it, upon request, I will have it available on my computer at the upcoming monthly meetings. Here are some comments regarding the results.

1. Half of the respondents were professional archaeologists.
2. Even though we are one of the largest chapters in New York State only 8 members responded to the survey.