This is a record year for community participation in our Field Laboratory. Volunteers of all ages are essential to the project. For many of them, this is their first time participating in an archaeological dig; others are returning from previous years. Working in our Field Laboratory, volunteers sort and catalog artifacts and wetscreen soil as it is brought in from the field. The lab processes approximately 500 gallons of soil per day. By processing all the soil immediately after excavation, the lab provides real time feedback and guides the excavation research design. The focus and methods of the excavation change daily in response to lab analysis and findings.

In an exciting move, the research team has exposed the collapsed roof of Building 1 and is diligently working through the debris. We hope that the fallen roof tiles have sealed the floor of the house and protected any cultural deposits within. Already, this new excavation has yielded surprises that raise new questions about the house. We have found evidence of an intense fire episode based on the presence of heat-affected adobe and scorch marks on some foundation stones. In response, we are currently looking for examples of adobe house-fires and researching contemporary fire investigation techniques to better understand this data.

Animal bones can be an important source of archaeological information, telling us about what people ate and what their environment was like. Our featured artifact for this week is a cow mandible with complete dentition found inside Building 1. After careful removal, this bone will travel to our field lab where it will be cleaned and analyzed. Analysis of animal bone often includes determining the animal’s age and sex, learning how it may have died, and asking whether or not it was butchered for human consumption. One question we would like to answer is what was the sequence of events that led to this bone being here, surrounded by fire-affected rock and adobe, when it shows no sign of having been burned itself?