This here blog prefers to concentrate on news of Southwest US archaeology, but this recent article from The Atlantic is way too good to pass up. There are many implications for future research of animal and human remains in our own area, and how scientific findings may be interpreted in new and exciting ways. Submitted for your consideration:

Why a Medieval Woman Had Lapis Lazuli Hidden in her Teeth -

an analysis of dental plaque illuminates the forgotten history of female scribes

The Texas Archeological Society's two-day Rock Art Academy will be held in El Paso, Texas, on February 16-17, 2019. Registration will close at midnight on January 17, 2019.

The TAS Rock Art Academy "...explores regional rock art archeological sites, Mogollon archeological sites, and how investigators use this information to interpret the human and natural histories of an area. Classroom sessions for the Academy will be held at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology with field sessions at Hueco Tanks State Park..."

For registration and event details please go to this TAS page.

/s/ webmaster [Photos by Marianne Smith]

Cool people know how wrong it is to carve (photo, left) or spray-paint (photo, right) their own "art" on top of petroglyphs and pictographs.That kind of vandalism stifles the voices of the ancient artists and erases their stories. It also creates some very bad juju for the perp. However, even the most well-meaning visitor to an archaeological or historic site may not be aware of the damage that can be caused by other, seemingly harmless activity.

Nominations for the annual Richard A. Bice Archaeological Achievement Awards are due no later than January 11, 2019. Six days from now, people.

Please help the ASNM identify one or more members of the GCAS who are worthy of recognition. It only takes a few minutes to review the ASNM's samples of the text of past awards and to complete the nomination form, available here. Don't wait! Act now!

The Bice Awards recognize individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to advance the purpose of their local archaeological society/organization and the Archaeological Society of New Mexico's (ASNM's) goals of documenting, preserving and protecting the archaeological heritage of New Mexico. Nominees do not have to be professional archaeologists. We are proud to include several GCAS members among past Bice Award recipients: David G. Matthews – 2003, Mary Margaret Soulé – 2004, John Fitch – 2006, Marilyn Markel – 2007, Barbara J Roth – 2015 (photo, right), Judy (photo, left) and Carroll Welch – 2015, Kyle Meredith – 2017, and William Hudson – 2018.

The American Southwest Virtual Museum describes itself as "...a digital repository of photographs, maps, information, and virtual tours of National Park Service units and museums across the Southwest." However, they offer much more than that to the avocational archaeologist. For example, browse through their Pottery Guide in the home page's right sidebar, or perhaps start with the home page's Featured Exhibit. Their interactive Artifact Exhibits include animal bone, projectile points, shells, and more - with comprehensive identifications that include provenience.

The American Southwest Virtual Museum is an excellent way for anyone to become better acquainted with the cultures, artifacts, and archaeological sites of the US Southwest. Your GCAS Webmaster says check it out!

/s/ webmaster [Style III Mimbres bowl image by Boone/Belnap, Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University]

The Archaeological Society of New Mexico is seeking nominations for an honoree to be named in the 2020 edition of the ASNM's Annual Volume. You can learn more about the past honorees of the ASNM's Annual Volume here.

The ASNM encourages GCAS members to nominate a deserving individual to our President, Kyle Meredith, so that in turn Kyle can contact the ASNM with our group's nomination before the end of 2018. That's two days from now, people, so if you have not already done so pleasecontact Kyle at kyyote@msn.com immediately with your nomination! Act now!

From the GCAS Library/Archives:

No photos of this particular bowl are known to exist, but the following description may be accurate enough that someone may recognize it if they have seen it. This bowl was reportedly unearthed on private ranch land located east of Silver City, New Mexico, at some time during the late 1970s through the 1980s.

It was described as "...a beautiful Mimbres Classic bowl...[depicting] a Mimbres warrior standing up with a shield on one arm and a three-pronged spear-headed staff in the other..."

The individual who excavated this bowl was not related to the landowners and it appears he did not have the landowners' permission to remove this artifact. However, it does not appear that the landowners made any report of theft to any law enforcement authorities. Nevertheless it was assumed at the time that the individual who took this bowl eventually sold it to either an intermediary or directly to a private collector.

If anyone encounters a bowl matching this description, either on display or in a photograph, you are welcome to contact the GCAS via this website so at the very least we may be able to alert the individual currently in possession of it.

/s/ webmaster

Nominations for the annual Richard A. Bice Archaeological Achievement Awards are due no later than January 11, 2019, just shy of three weeks from today.

The Bice Awards recognize individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to advance the purpose of their local archaeological society/organization and the Archaeological Society of New Mexico's (ASNM's) goals of documenting, preserving and protecting the archaeological heritage of New Mexico. Nominees do not have to be professional archaeologists. We are proud to include several GCAS members among past Bice Award recipients: David G. Matthews – 2003, Mary Margaret Soulé – 2004, John Fitch – 2006, Marilyn Markel – 2007, Barbara J Roth – 2015 (photo, right), Judy (photo, left) and Carroll Welch – 2015, Kyle Meredith – 2017, and William Hudson – 2018.

The Archaeological Society of New Mexico is seeking nominations for an honoree to be named in the 2020 edition of the ASNM's Annual Volume. You can learn more about the past honorees of the ASNM's Annual Volume here.

The ASNM encourages GCAS members to nominate a deserving individual to our President, Kyle Meredith, so that in turn Kyle can contact the ASNM with our group's nomination before the end of 2018.

Only 12 days remain to nominate someone, so if you have not already done so please read further and contact Kyle at kyyote@msn.com as soon as possible with your nomination!

We all have that certain someone on our holiday gift list. They're the kind of person who spends a fair amount of time outdoors, exploring untold numbers of historic and ancient sites in remote locations...volunteering as a site steward to protect such sites from vandalism and looting...and spending their indoor time reading and learning even more about the places they like the best.

If you're stumped by what to give to your favorite archaeo-nerd this holiday season, you may find the following suggestions helpful: