A view from Black Mesa

About this book

The science of unearthing the past has entered the computer age. Archaeology today is no longer the exclusive province of an individual investigator but is more often the effort of a team accountable not only to scholarly canons but also to a variety of sponsoring firms and public agencies. The changing face of archaeology is reflected best perhaps at Black Mesa, Arizona, where the Peabody Coal Company sponsored excavations prior to mining. George Gumerman, formely head of the Black Mesa Archaeological Project, tells here what it means to be a contract archaeologist today - not only in the field, but in the office, laboratory, and computer room as well. By drawing on work conducted over the coursse of fifteen years and knowledge of Anasazi culture it yielded, Gumerman shows how archaeology continues to increase our understanding of human behavior while it meets the requirements of modern bureaucracies. A View from Black Mesa offers general readers an inside look at a progession still known for its glamour, and a professionals a benchmark of their craft -- Book jacket.