Exposure and Safe Keeping

Exposure and Safe Keeping. . Parts of the great house, now excavated and stabilized, were buried under a mound of collapsed stone and wind-blown sand that accumulated for over 700 years. Prior to excavation, a 9-foot mound of rubble and earth stood here. This great pile of debris protected the buried intact walls from the elements., Once exposed, architecture and other sensitive features start to deteriorate. Leaving an area unexcavated, like the pueblo under this naturally formed mound, is the best way to preserve traces of the past for future study. Advancements in technology will allow us to learn more from ancient sites without excavating them., Did You Know? , Archaeologists can estimate how many people lived in an area by studying the number and sizes of hills covering pueblos and depressions that indicate kivas., Captions , (Photo #1) The same wind that battered and collapsed these stone structures, buried them in the sand that preserved their last remnants. , (Photo #2) Mounds and depressions across the landscape indicate the locations of pueblos (homes) and other structures that made up this sprawling Ancestral Pueblo village. , (Photo #3) Archaeologists must carefully document every detail and step of an excavation. Sometimes an excavated site may be covered back over with dirt to preserve it. , (Photo #4) Cement used in original stabilization efforts actually damaged the great house's masonry. The kiva's walls are now stabilized with a mortar that is mostly made from local earth.