Utah Statewide Archaeological Society Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 2, June 1956

UTAH STATE HISTORICAL SOCJSi:X ~ S.X~'\

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UTAH ARCHEOLOGY Vol. 2, No. 2

337 STATE CAPITOL

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SALT LAKE CITY. yTAH

A Newsletter June 1956

CONTENTS Editor's Notes Radiocarbon Dates From Danger Cave, Utah, J.D. Jennings Role of Museums & Educational Institutions in the Functioning ~ of Local Anthropological Societies, S.F. Borhlgyi ~etrographs, J. H. Gunnerson Antiquities Act

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EDITOR'S NOTES Summer Activities

Pi'ans fore~tcavations in Utah are taking form. Th ' University of California, Los Angleles, summer field school in archeology will again be housed in the College of Southern Utah dormitories at Cedar City, Utah.

Excavation will be at the north edge of Paragonah, Utah, from June 18 to July .27. ,

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Your editor will be in the field from July I to August 15 with a small ~ield school for the University of Utah. This party will be mobile, and will dig for a week or ten days at each of several sites within about 25 miles of Emery, Utah.

Visitors will be welcome at both digs. It would be well to check with the Deparcment of Anthropology at the University just before visiting our dig to find out where the group is. !h~ll!!h ~~~tewide

Archeological Society The rapid growth in membership of the US~S has been most gratifying. In the course of a ye~r we have achieved a membership of about 150. Thus, the interest in Utah archeology seems great enough to '<tJ6u'rant: mak:1.ng our organization more formal and increasing its

activiti.es.

I have just returned fr.om the annual meeting of the Society fer:.: American Archeology, held this year at Lincoln, Nebraska. At this meeting one long se's s:ton ~,yas devoted to the organization and problems of local archeological societies a.nd I came away with many ideas for the development of the USAS. I am reprinting in part an article distributed by Mre Borhegyi at this meeting in which he described the Oklahoma Archeological Society. I feel sure that we can adopt many of the ideas he presents and I would like to hear from all members of the USAS as to (1) 'Colhether or not you fa.vor an organization of this type, (2) ow you would like ours to differ, and (3) any other comments which you might have concerning our organization. I sincerely hope that enough of you will attend the Great Basin Ar.cheological Conference in Salt Lake c,;tty i)1~ t he Un iversity of Utah Ca.mpu~ , August 19-21, to take action on formalizing our organizatione If there are enough members present, we can arrange for a special meeting, so please make yourselves known when you register . If a.ny D.¡f you (lid not receive Vol 2, No.. 1 of Utah G

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which included a room and ba.nquet reservation form and a program, please let me knml] and I will s~nd you a copy.

~rch~olqg~,

Since the USAS newsletter, after a trial period of one year, appears to be a success, our organization should assume the cost of preparing and distributing it. The Department of Anthropology and the University of Utah, which has subsidized the newsletter during the trial period, is willing to continue to sponsor our organization and to furnish equipment and labor to prepare and distribute our publication.

The lJSAS, however, "lil1 be asked to provide the necessary materials and postage starting with Volume 3" in 1957. Membership dues of $1.00 per year will provide the materials and postage required to produce and distribute slightly enlarged quarterly newsletters. Toward the end of this year~ I will distribute notices that membership fees are due and the receipt of Volume 3 of Q~ah ArcheoloSI will be contingent upon your paying $1.00.

This Issue

~e-first

article this time is on the dating of Danger CAve, probably the most significant site thus far exca{iilated in Utah. The article is by Dr. Jesse D. Jennings, Head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Ut:ah, who"directed most of the eltcavation at the site._ A final report of work at Danger cave is now in preparatIon ..

The 'article on the Oklahoma Archeological Society is by Stephen F. Borhegyi, di,rector of the UniversitY, Ilf Ok14homa Muse\lDl. The article in essentially its present form, was orig'j .na.llyprepared for the symposium on local 'archeological societies which const~ltuted one session of the recent annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The article on , Petrographs by your editor is in response to several inquiries for such information. "It is hoped that this rather gene:~:al article will be followed from time to time by more specific articlss on the same subject.

The fi.nal item in this is'su¢, a copy of the Antiquities Act, is :tncluded in response to inquiri es an to how one gets permission to excavate archeological sites on government land.

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JMU) IOCARBON DATES FROM DANGER

CAVE~,

UTAH

Jesse D. Jennings

This summsry is in response to inquiries caused by a. short newspaper item recently released about the evidence of man's antiquity-,ua matte~ of 10,000 to 11,,000 years--in western Utaho The i.nform.ation comes primarily from Danger Ca.ve and was recovered during the routine operation of the summer Archeological Fiel;d School of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Utah dt1't"il1g 1950 y 1951, and 1953. While a detailed statement is not yet finished, the evidence for the age of man in Utah can be quickly reviewed.

Danger C&.v e is a derep cavem--l20 feet long by 60 or more wide--in the Desert Range. Its first'value li~s in the extensive eviden-ce of huraan use--debris from occupation was 11 feet deep at the deepest point--and the wide range of organic material suit&ble I

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for: radiocarbon (C14)

~ting.

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'There are five major structural and cultural layers. The floo~ of the cave, before man began to use it, is of beach gr avel of unifonn ' size. Level I upon the gravel consists of two sand layers. Sand 1 is a thin "t'14lterla,id layer upon ll1hich six little fireplaces were built. These yielded a. radiocarbon date of 8320 ± 650 BeC Man wa.s in the cave, then; as soon as lake waters receded to an elevation of about 4310 feet. SO,on thereafter the second; t hicker layer of ' sand wa.s deposited by wind a.ction and the C;8ve t';7ti.S used briefly by mountain sheep alone. The, radiocarbon datos from t he sheep droppi.ngs £pund in Sand 2 ayerage around 9500 ± 600 B.C. Note that the higher, hence. mor~ r ec,entj/ nw.teria.l yiel&e"d.an older date than the charcoal underlying i t . ;' The plusrei-nus f:tgures , hO't'J'ever ~ overlap and this is rega:rded as indicating that the two samples are essentially contemporary. The remainder 0··

of the deposit--lelJels II .. Ill,

IV~

of' the levels are clear in

10

and V are all the "natura,l lU

accum.u lat:ion of' tl®bris and ~1aste products r~ ~.ulting from almost 10,00,0 ye~rs of c ont i nuous use pf the cave by t1¥ln " The rel6.u:iollahips ~ig .

Dur:tng the lo1hole period Qf use the aborigines 'subsisted about t:w.lf on glZt~e of all Bizer§;~~fr~1l';' mountain sheep and bison dO'{'l111. to

rabbits and ~ven smaller l'odents";~and half on vegetable foods.. The vegetable foods include the small seeds of burro weed!) which were ha.rvested by the ton arid grotlm::1 on flat slabs (qver 1000 grinding stone fragment,s i:<?lere found) as tiell as bulbsi' pine n.uts, and berries. ]'rom beginning to end u thest2 people made stl::tng~ excellent: baskets!) and 7ar:fi.ed classes of flint: implements The way of life Q

LADDER OF TWELVE RADIOCARBON DATES FROl-t

·.

pt,\llGER CAVE

Michigan Series

Chicago Series

M-203, uncharred twigs and leaves from middle of Level V -- 4000 ± 300

C-635, charred bat guano and twigs -- 1930 ± 240

.Leve1 V (topmos~)

M-205, uncharred twigs and leaves from base of Level V -- 4900 ± 500 Level IV

~

none

C - 636, charred bat guano and twigs -- 3819 ± 160

Level 111

none

none

Level II

none

C-611, charcoal in pit origiinating at lower middle zone of Level II -- 9787 ± 630

)

}. ~

C-640, charred rat d~~g from base of Level II -- 8960 ± 340

-------.-.---------------------------------.....----~----~--.....---------Level I Sand 2

..

M-1l6, uncharred sheep dung -- 11,000 ± 700

C-609, uncharred sheep dung -- 11453 ± 600

M-1l9, uncharred woody material (twigs, leaves) -- 10400 ± 700

C-610, uncharred wood (stem of large shrub) -- 11151 ± 570

Occupation ~- 202, charcoal from one of area be tween 6 fireplaces on surface of Sand 1 and Sand 1 -- 10270 ± 650 Sand 2

none

-,

Is'

Level I Sand 2

slightly charred sheep dung _. 10700 ± 650

~-204,

none

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::/'/~ --/ 1

~

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Ii Twigs (C637)

v

T'tl1igs (M203) BC 2050 1~(C636 } Be 1900

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13 feet Depth

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: ] 'l'Idga (not tested) -

(Charcoal (c6n) BC 1839

, Sheep Dung ~ (c609 ) Be 9500

~ ~d

\!J

&II

Be. . ""

~.j I. ; .

_

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Twigs (Ml19) Be 8450 .

\ ' \ \ \ \ \ \ ~\'\\~ \\ v~narcoal trom fireplaces ~\ \ \ \ \

&md 2 (wind deposited)

,

Sand 1 {water deposited) I

~~~~Z\\\\\\\\\"\~:\ ~\\v\&%\\\ Fig. 1.

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Rat Dung (0640)

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"'-'$ . -~

\ , fI'dfr- ... , "

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Much simplified cross section of Danger Cave from front to back, showing the 5 major cultural levels and the radioca.rbon dates from each level. The f4 series are

Michigan Laboratory dates; the C-s.aries are Chicago t:lates.

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4 was unchanged until pioneer times. The life~way observed in Danger Cave is called the Desert culture, and is found historically and archeological1y over most of the West, between the Wasatch and the Sierra Nevadaso The age of the different levels of the cave can be seen both in f!'able 1 and Figure 1. As Table 1 shows there are two separate ser t e s of radiocarbon dates. One set was derived by the Chi-cago La~orQtory by the solid carbon technique, from specimens collected in 1950. The other set was derived through the methane gas technique by the Michigan Laboratory from spec~ens collected a year later from different locations in the cave but from the same levels. The two series agree well; this agreement seems to satisfy the scientific r~quirement of independent ObSe"8tion and is an argument for accepting the accuracy of radiol!arbon .dates. "iii.

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ad.dition to evidence of man's antiquity, Danger Cave also provide~" information about, the ,fauna and flo~~ of the past 10,000 years "in that all the plant s.nda:nimal species are mOdem species, and are" .today (or were hlstorica"lly) to be fQun4: 11;1 J:he immediat~ vicinity of the cave. . :ttl

Equally 1:mPortant is the lQc;.tion location of tbe cave ..

As Figure 2 shows, the cave lies hundreds of feet below the Stanso bury terracE!. Geologists 4lre" not exactly agreed as to the time when ·the Bonneville lake wat~rs receded from the Provo and Stansbury tet:'race$ ·but ~batever the. f~nal s91ution to the problem may be~ Danger, .q£tve radiocarbon &ieee provide a minimum date for the lower·· ing 01: l,ske ..,y ater to the 4310 foot level (110 feet above present G1"eat:SaltLake) of 8320: B.• C., whe'n the six fireplaces attest to the p'resence of man in the cave s.t a time when the waters had just released it.

On Figure 2, the eleva.tions of other important Utah cave sites and 6f the terraces are· also sb~. " ·Department of Anthropology University ·~University of Utah

---"-"~--P---

. . _______,_._ "''__ _ _.

5~OO

Bonnev111e

Terrace 5100

5000

4900 4800 4700

Provo Te~raee

,\

4600 4500 4400

4300

-- . ~--.--,

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t~.

Elevation of Utah caves, and the three major ter1."acea.

ROLE OF MUSEUMS AND EDUCATIONAl, INSTITUTIONS IN THE FUNCTIONING OF LOCAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETIES Stephen F. Borhlgyi

In almost every state of the United States there are numerous arch .:ologists who, if unorg8n~zed, may fall into the category of pot-hunters. These persons, though technically unpr epared laymen in the field of anthropology, may be of consider~ able value to the field when their interests and activities are . proper ly channeled and directed . They may be equally devastating if penni tted to¡scavenge helter-skelt er across the country-side.

Therefore, it is & most tmportant function of museums and educational institutions to see that these amateur collectors are organized into local archeological societies and to malte . 's ure that their work is such that it will increase the knowledge of the historical past of ~heir state. It is also the role of the museums and educational institutions to serve as c learing houses from ~lhich ~an be disseminated information as to the pr oper means of collecting, cataloging , and preserving Gpeci ments, and net-1S of current deve lop ments in .the fiel d of ~nthropology within the state and in a gen~ ral 't>18y throughout the wor l d.

Thu s a n unorganized "hobby" can be msde into a most profitable and worthwhile avocation.

From the above it is evident that much good can come of a close cooperation between the amateur and professional ¡archeologists. 'l11e next matter is. to ascertain t he t"ays and means by which such cooperation can best be accomplished. The following program has been carried out with considerable succe ss by the Oklahoma Anthroti pologica l Society (OoA.S.)~ the Anthropology Department of the Un1.ve rs :tc.y of Okla.homa, and t he University Museuill o The local s ociety ...1 s created in 1952 through t he untiring efforts of. Dr. Robert E. Tiell, c ha innal'l of the Anthropology Department. The f ive major obJ ec-tivea of t he Society ,are listed as

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1)

To unite individuals who are interes ted in the Indian history and prehistory of the state of Oklahoma .

2)

Preservation and display of Indian r emai ns within the State.

3)

The scientific study, inv'estigation, and interpretation of a~cheological

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remains and ethnological ma terials.

4)

The publication and distribution of information concerning Oklahoma archeology and ethnology.

5)

The development and promotion of a greater public interest and appreciation for the cultural heritage of the state e

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In the four years of its existence the society bas grown from 60 members to more than 200 members. Let us see then how this was accomplished.

1. One of the most important ties between the Anthropological Society and the University is the annual meeting held in the University Museum in Norman . This serves to reinforce the relationship between the University, the Museum and the membership. At the same time it provides an opportunity for the members t o meet and talk personally with the professional members of the Society and to hear lecture5 by ~ellow members and invited guests. The fi rst matter of' '!niportance " a~ the annual meeting ,;1.8 the election of . officers . In this regard it should be mentioned that t he l eadership of the Society is always in the hands of the non- p ro~essional members with the e~c eption of the Editor of the Newsletter. In the eve\;1.1.~g ; f61l,i!~.Jf,ng the meetings a reception is held by the wives of the professionals for the members and their families ~ This gives everyone a chance to meet informall y and cement f riendshipso This year the introduction of a luncheon meeting with a guest spea~er proved to be a highly successful addition, giving the meet:lngs t he feeling of a II convent ion" and furthering the cause of professional interest and goodwill.

2.

Members are encouraged to bring their recent collections to the' Annv.al Neetings. 'This gives them an opportunity to show the results of their work to fellow members while at t he same time the professi onal members ar.e able to check these recent acquisitions from the fiel~.

3. .~e£.ial. ~xh:tbi~,! a r e pla'qned by the Ml1seum f or ' the ~nu.al MeetIng to acquaint the membership with curr~n t anthr opological developments. At the same time $everal exhibit cases are put at the disposal of the m~bers. They a:re encouraged to put their better specimens on :display thereby becoming acquai~tE!d with museum dis'" play techniques and affording . t he ge'neral publiC" the opportunity of seeing the yearly "10rk of the Society. ¡.. Such exhibits by.the membership often result in donations and l oans to the Museumo 4. At the meetings members are encouraged to give talks and show slides of their field work6 'In Oklahoma we try to emphasize the la!ger scope of linthrop'o logy and be~, ides archeology several members have presented reports on ethnological or historical subjects.

5. At the Annual Meeting this year it was decided that ~ome of the chapters of the Society in the larger citie~ should have meetings to which the entire membership would be invited but which would be concerned specifically with local matters.

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6. Organized field tr.ips follmli:tng the Annual t-ieeting.

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'l~he

always 8.rral1ged for the day local chapters also a~crange

weekly or monthly field trips in thel!' ar.eas, frequently under the supervision of a. memb~r;' from the University or the Museum.

7. A monthly ~g,wf~~ ett~ consisting of from eight to ten mime.ographed pages is another important tie between the membershiPI the educational insititution, and the Museum. The Editor is the only officer of the Society with professional status and in our cas~ the position is held every year by Dr. Bell, the chair.wan of tb,e Anthropology Department. In his absence this year during sabbatical leave I carried on thE! job of interim editor. At the end of the fiscal yea.r of the Soc:iety a Bulletin is prepared by the editor and distributed at the Annual Meeting: It is made up of &1l:t:i.cles by members of the Society, University students, and profess:i.onals Both the Ne,,,sletter and the Bulletin contain article,r:.; and nevIS items of archeological., e"tJ1nologIcal and. historical interest, in acco!.'dance "lith the broader s(!ope of the Society. The printing and distributj.on of the !~~'ls1ett:s:!: and the ~J:!lletin is paid for out of. the dues. This:is a nominal fee (active tnemb~rship- $3.00) lot" enough ,to IErmit anyone to join upon re.conImelldation by a member in good standing. 'l'he Netll'sletter contains information on current anthropolog:tcal literature and rf~s.aarch. This includes biblio ... graphies, 1.'eports on field activ:H:lee of members, area 5ur"eys and site 0

rep0irts:; and reprints of articles of local interest by professionals in anthropological journals not

genlnr~~lly

"available to the membership

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8. In addition to the Annual Meeting and the ~ew e 1.etteEj) contact between the professional and the amateur members is maintained till'( ¡ ~h correspondance and personal visits. Advice and assi;\9,taDce 1~ frequently solicitnd by members and 1s given freely by the staff of the Anthropology Department and the Muset1 â&#x20AC;˘ Survey sheets are prepar~d at the Thliversity and distributed to the members.

When these have biEen filled out they are returned to the Museum so that a file is ke.pt of all nev1 archeological sites in Oklahoma .

A site number is assigned and th(;~ meI\lber informed so that all material collected a.t the site will be correctly labeled. In this way a unifI)Xi~, cataloguing system has been established throughout the state coordinating the ~-1useum collections with those of amateur collectors.

9.

The more acti.ve members of the Society axe encouraged to

take out membet'8hi.p in Nati.onal ':J:rcheological and anthropological societ.:tes,IJ thereby integrat:b.1g them into the profession.

10.

This m.llm'ler the D'niversLty MUSelml is i.ntroduc ¡~::'l1g a Museum It '{vill be designed primarily - for--

~.:kshoE for. tt10 ~;;,;eeks in .June.

High School and Elementary teachers but. will be open to members of the Society. If: desired~ Unive~sity credit can be obtained for this ~

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10 'l'hese points apply most spec ifl.e'::ll ly to the situation in Oklahoma where the Department o f Al'1thrcipo lc-gy and the University Huseum work hand in glove tON8.rd t he e)l.cou·ca .:~ement and help of anthropological field worlt bv B.mat.€)u.r eO::. le:ctors. In other areas e i ther the educa.tional ins~: .U:l ~t ,t....: ;. ~ty htE!.ve to carry the entire bur den or t \l.ere may be ~everal di:Efe:,:'Q:lc ins t itutions competing f.(lk~ domina·n ee.

Understandably the p r()bl (::rus will be somewhat differe nt :i.n e.gdl ~lr(3a but in general the points oL.tlined above shou1"d serve '::W Sl. 1ggestions for. the achievement of p rofessional and non1)1:c;J: 8s rd .ona1 cooperation. In cf.')nclusi'.(ra it should be reroemphasizc.d tha.t t he role of the educat5.onaJ instlt ution or museum in the f u.:nc.t:5_ordng of local societies should b~~ ths,t of guidance rather

than domlnance.

lp.:~ Ivers i

ty Museum

Norman; Dklahoma

.... ,

James

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H. Gunnerson

Pe"~L.aps none of the arc~e~ logical sit~,sattrac,t lIlore attentiOJ) t.han the Indian pictographs and l,'e troglyphs • . ,T hese examples of abol."4.gln~ 1 art abound in ~ll p..t"t .$ o f the st~te a~d prompt many ques't J ons , n1~ st of '(tlhich can he 'g iven only pa:r ti,a ,l answers. VerY few inte~f3ive studies have been ni~de of these d't'(Q-wings since it f,s 6eld:o~ pas'B ible to determine" the i r exact age , or c;,ult~ral affilis,tion..

F1.1rth..e,rmpre, in spite of many, ~l& ims 'to the ,con,t,r~ry, it it not p08s{bl~ ' t o "read" or "transrate" the drawings:. Th~re is no evidence that ' ~~y £,(;,.-m of heiroglyphic tn>.:Lt,i ng ,is ~epres~n:ted. ' To be sur,ej) ' many ,of tile elements, such as' 'I!le~' and ~nima.ls" . are 'vle!l -enough , depiiited ;',tJuit they are recogniz~:ble ,bStlt any s)11\lholisIJi or , a.bs ;r.act meaning could be leame~ on~y · f*om the arti:Bt himself

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1.~~.~~ are two princ ipal ~~:rihiliques used , to , pr~duce the picture:s. or d~awingfJ on rocks. The most ·c;om-tlon t_~:dque J(;epresented is the pecking:, :c utting, or grinding of , the figures: into the surface of the rockf i : ·;P.~nel s prepared in t~is t.J'2+Y are calle4 E.etrOgl~hS" The 8eco~d Inajo;%:' technique is the paint:~D:g ·tif the desig~~ ~~~ t e rocks.

'T hese paintings are cal l~d .e.~ctof$raehs , although this term is sometimes applied to designs made by both techniques. A third te1."m'~ pet!ogr.ru?h!1. ~"s used to include both pictographs and petroglyphs . .

The pigment used in pictographs is mos t commonly red oxide of irou .. Less common colors are bl~ck and to1hite; although stiil other colors are occasionally found. t-Jhere more than one color is found on a pictograph, the figures were usually painted in one color and outlined in another. Seldom has any attempt been ma~e at realism in c()19r. Occasional l y pecking or grind ing 1s combin.ed ~<1ith

paint;ihg.

.

Design elements in the petrographs can for ~he grouped into three categories: geometr.ic figures,

~os~

part be forms (complete or ir'1.8rtial) I and y~atur31istic forms includ;tng such things as plants, animsls g birds, and insee~or p&rts of &ny of these.

Sometimes manufactured objects su~h as ba~ke~~s, pottery vessels,

and

numan

bows, are depicted and an occasional desip ·18 ,suggestive of a

map ..

The exact date of a petrogrsph is seldom determinable.. There l;ire, however, several ways t:o' es't;$blish relative dat:es for them .

In some in8tances~ one dr~wing is placed over another in such a

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wa.y that it is possible to determine which ,was first.- It is still impossible to tell whether the first preceded the second by a brief time or by a very long one.

In other instances, petrographs can

be dated by their content. Pahela showing railroad trains, wagons, horses, men with guns, etc. must post date the time when the artist ~ould h~ve come in contact ,with such things, that is, they wel'e .• made: after contact "1ith white people. The pi;-esen~e of a' bow and arrow similarly, 'wOuld set at'lotber maximum age' for the picture, for l.tl the Southwest and presumably in most :6f Ut~h the bow and arrow 'S'.;~re · nQt ' used until about 6.00 AD, although they 'lDfly have been known

earlier.

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petrograph-s c,an be correlated wi~h geological or culttn;~i phenomena which ,.c!:1n· b.~ ' I~tecl. Where pe_~rog'raph panels are but-,f ed"by a geologIc or c~1'.~y.ral deposi~, the pe,trographs have to pre;~a.te the deposit. ,Simi,l~1:·~y, petrolf#lyp~h's '_ ' 'can -_sometimes be g):ven '~n approximate date: QIi 't:Jle baais /Of - ;~he:ir. relationship to the .d:~s~rt vs.mish on tb~ - (o;dt$ upon ~1ch , i~h~y are carved" .;:I_o~et1mes

I-Iunt..-· _(l;9.54) points out that deaex't varnish, which '~s -, the blacklah or ht,pw.nish stains on thfi! J~~;t;f~¢,~ of rocks I ba:~': ,b e_e n _formed in ~h~ South.~e~· t.- -a t two princip~I_ t'im~_s'! ~>1hen the critDi!.t~ was much moister than" a.t pres,ent. The mos"t rec.ent vamish, w~i.c;:h 1i the thinnest, WQS ;fp:~e.d ~,arly in the ~rls,t:t.a.n, era.

The ,o,ld~~ -A.n~ heavier - _ varriish. :1:s p-robably several thqusand years older Thus a petro .. glyph- ~ (0,0 ". s O- dry surface) wl;11ch is, covered by t~e he~v.ier desert varn:t.s,~' - p'r ,e dates this ve-ry, early ·w et period. , . Pe.trog1ypbs ~lhich have been ,(.;lit ' through the heavlex: stain, but which , ar~ _c overed by t he lighter:, ,' would date from somewhere between tte$e' tttl0 wet periods.

And p:,e~roglyphs cut through. ;c1~s,e,r.t varnish and.,_p~:e ,sent1ng 8 .: f 1:f2'sh, unva.rnished appeartanc~ ~10uldbe no ol~r than 'about 1800 yea rso It

le ig s.ometimes posuible to correlate petroglyphs with archeologi.cal _ of ~nown ages. l~ an ~rea where only one archeological

camplex~ ~

comple2t i.a known, there 1_8 a goO,d chance that the petrographs in

t he a.rea belong to that complex.

Another clue to relationship

would be the presence on petrographs and also other art work such as pottery of the same design motif~'or even elements. Such stylistic correlations, however, A1i e not often too reliable ..

The direct association of petrographs with structures, or with caves showing only one occupat!Ol'l.ll iseften good evidence fo:r cultural relationship and contemporaneit)'. 'there are, however, examples where pieces of rock with older petroglyphs have been renused in structures. In such cases, the petroglyphs obviously predate the structures.

In spit.e of the difficulties in dealing with petrographs, there is a great deal of descriptive information in the literature concerning

13 them. Only a few of the richer sources pertinent to Utah will be included here. The bibliographies of most of these references, howeve~, will be useful to anyone ;interested in further reading.

An outstanding dist~ibution study of pictographs and petroglyphs was pregared by Steward (192'9 ). ibis wel1-illustrat$d paper deals pr:Lm8.ri1y with California, Nevada, Arizona~ and , Utah. In it he has plotted on maps the distribution of 45 elements which are repr~s.ented at several sites each.

Steward bas been able to est~blish sever.al p~trographic areas distinguishable by differences in tecll~ mique and design elements. Many elements are found to be common·' t :o all or nearly all of his areas. .

It is interesting to note tM;t most of Utah and Arizona form a. single area, called area B .by~teward (1929, pp. 221-22).

Area Bshares the four un;l.versal ,e lements: concentric circles, wavy ' or zigzag lines, htanan . rept:esenta~ions • .and <;ir~les with : radi_t-irlg .lines, called "s~ cl1s1~s. 11 J)t furt;:her $h,ares with mos·t . Qf theregi oQs studied :naturalisti~ and real i a.t :ic· elements (elemeti-~s.

5-11):--o':quadrupeds, mountB:1 nsheep, hand prin't;s, h~n or bear tracks, snak~s and spirals, and to' a less degree~ 4<>ts and' "concentric circles:." . With the exception .of the last ~~o, all of these elements are much more abundant in Area B. The elements ·which are more distinc,tive of Area Bare : "Blrds.ll horned toads or frogs, lizards of a special rectilinear s1zyle, and kachina ... like huinans o " In addition to this outstand.i ng general work, there are many publ:ic~tionB describing and illus.trating petrQgraphs from variouo

sections of Utah.

Wormington (1955, pp. 79-8'5., 165-170) has

conc.e med herself primarily with the Fremont culture including its petroglyPhs. Most of those descl;'ibed by Reagan (1933,' 1934" 1935) . from · no~theastem Utah are p.r obah]'y .attl:i.but,a ble to the Fremont people. Hunt (1953, pp. 179':'.201) cQ~ducted an archeological survey of the La$al Mountain area near Moab~ Utah and illustrated petrographB of that area. Steward (1941) descJ::1bes and il1ustra~es many petrographs from southern Utah; Judd (1926) does the same for the western half of t.he state . Kidder and Guemsey (1.919, pp. 192-199, plates

89-97) , have an excellent section on petroglyphs found just over the boundary in Arizona~ Even though the full significance of the petrographs will never be known, we can safely inte.rpret some aspects of them. It is, first of all, most unlikely that these artistic endeavors are all the idle doodling of the artists. Too much care, work, and consistency

.\.,

have gone into them for them to h,s,ve had no significance. The evidence further suggests that m~ny if not most of, the petrogra~hs were of ceremonial or religious f V J1'lct:1.on. Among the most common elements are anitDals, often she~p or goats. Such animals would t

14 llave been of prtme importance to the Indians since they represent the sourc.e of their meat, and hence, of much of their food. It seems probable that animal and pet'haps many of the other petrographs were made in ceremonies to insure an abundance of game and good hunting.

Often actual hunting scenes are dep~cted.

Still other petrographs show people in CQstumes or with othe,r paraphernalia suggestive of the accouterments of many of the present .. day lndian ceremonies. Another 1nteresting feature 1s the occurrence in restri~ted areas_ sometimes on a s1ngle rock wall,_ of many figursf} supe.,~imposed.

Such concentrations are certainly suggestive of ceremonial c.~nters, especially whEm _o ther nearby rocks are not used and t~h~n the~e is little evedence of· occupation in tQe vicinity.

11) sbort, where ther~ ;f..~ b,~ tl~s for interpr~,t;a.tion of petrographa .. they{,;, $;,r4ici~~"'tly appear to h~v~ .b,:¢!en associa~~d w;lth ceremonial act · .d .ties conn~¢~,ed 'w.1 th fe , ·tility an4 ab~n,dance. . .1 •

.. :

,.

t

~

•

"

Hunt~ . Alic:e l~):5.3 .. HArcheological

.

.

Survey : ~f the LaSal , ~unt:a1.n Area;· Utah.

Qniversi~ of .Uta.hAn~hropological , Papers, No.c.14. ~ , • . • -, " • . , • 1

Hunt,!:·.C harles B. , 1:95)0 UDasert V~t'nish~' §.ciehce, Vol. 120, ~o,! '3109. pp. ,183-4. .•. .

~ ~ ~

Judd, , 'N.Ed1 M. . 192.6 ~, "Archeological Ob.sa,rva,t;iOl).s North of the Rio Colorado. !!l.£eau o( American Et~ology Bu} l..e.!!!!.~ ~o.. 82 .. ' Kidder~

Alfred V. and Sarntlel J. G.uemsey 1919. "Archeological Explorations in North,aste1.-n Arizona ."

B}lreau of AmericE)~ ,!t.htiology Bulle,t in, No. 65.

Reagan, Albert. B. 1931-. "The Pictographs of Ashley and Dry Fork Valleys in Northeastern Utah. It .Iran!a~t:1Clns, t<ansas :\ca(1~X-2..f.Sc1enC!e.Volo 34 pp. 168-216. ' ~ , 1933. uAnciently Inhabited Caves of the Vemal ' (Utah) District, With lome Additional Notes on Nine Mile 'Canyon, Northeast Utah. " !!!p8a~Ons 1_~~a.S Acade~e:!f S~!enc:e ~ Vol. 36, pp. 41.-70.

L

1935. 'VArcheological Report of Field Work POnfi! iu Utah in 1934-35 . .!!tah Aca d~ of Sciences , Arts , and Lett'er~~~ Vol. XII, pp. 50-88.

15 Steward, Julian H. 1929.

.

Petroglyphs of Cal ifornia and /:',dj oining States. 'I Q!}i'\1ersi ~ of Cali;,ornJ a Eul.>} !~ions in Al'aerican II

!thnology <i1}d Archeology, Vol. 24, part 2.

,

1941. " Archeological Reconnaissance of Southern Utah. ' Bu~~f Amer~E..an Ethnol:,og,y Bulletin., No. 128, pp.

27'7-356.

Wormi ngton, H. Mo 1955. "A Reappr.aisal of the Fremont Cu1ture. 1I Denver Muaettm 9i-Na tura ~ Hist~!Y

Proceedings, No.1. )

THE ANTIQUITIES ACT James H. Gtmnerson Host people 8.zoe ei.thar unaware of or poorly informed concerning the la~7 x",hich protects archeological and similar material on federal

Inquiries to us here at the ~llversity of Utah a re frequent enough that it se~s advisable to include in this newsletter a copy of the law and also of the rules and regulations under which the provisions of the law are carried out. It is hoped that with this infor~ po~erty.

mation at hand, members of the USAS wil.l be

ab~e

to inform other

inte&~~

ested people of the law.

The answ{!l'S to the two most common questions are: (1) It is nearly impossible for an individual not associated with H recognized sci.entific institution or museum'to receive a permit to collect archeological material on public land. ' (2) Mineral x:Lghts" grazing permits, etc. do not authorize their holders to collect or destroy archeol?gical tMteria,l on the land covered~

l'

If you have any further questions concerning the Antiquities Act;, I toi:tll answer them if I can and forward thenl to proper authorities if I cannot. \Public ... -No. 209~~ An Act For the preservation of. Po.merican anti9uities

Be it enscted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the "'!:r::C ~<Lยง~s w~ric,!- !.n CQ!1.&~.~P !~~ That any person v1ho ~~_r;t~" I ~~~.u.n.;~~J..---n_ _ _ _ _..-mrk"'~~

~

'0"

shall ~ppropY.'1.ate, exc$.:a te, injure, or destroy any historic or prehistoric l."llin or montp.nent, or any object of antiquity, situated on lands oWl1led or controlled by the Government of. th,e United State.s, with-

out tho permission of the Secreta:ry of the Department of the Government having jurisdiction ove~ the lands on which said antiquities are Situated, shall upon con.viction" be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred .,

~ '0,

..

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oj

. 't'1 ~nn(..'\rl

ff'n"

P.t

T"lIP1"ill"ui of YU',t" mf\'I"r~

t:"ht'ln 1'1in~1-~7

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16 shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court 0

Sec. 2. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized" in his discretion, to declare by public proclamantion historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments" and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the ltmits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area campatibl~ with the ~roper care and management of the objects to be protected : Provided, That when such objects are situated upon a t ract cove~ed by a bona f i de unperfecte d clatm or held in private ownership, the tract, or sOo.Jmuch thereof as maybe necessary for the proper care .and management of the object. may be relinquished to the Goyernment, and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the relinquishment of such tracts in behalf of the Government of the United States.

Sec. 3. That permits for t~e examination of ruins, the exc~­ vatton of archaeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity upon the lands under th~~r respective jurisdictions may be granted by the Secretaries of the Interior. Agriculture, and War to institutions which they may aee~ properly ~ualified to conduct such exantination, excavation, or gathering, subject to such rules and regulations as they may prescribe: . Provided, That the examinations# excavations, and gatherings areundElrtaken for the benefit of reputable mUSel1mS, universities, colleges, or o~her recognized scientific or educational institutions, with a view to increaSing the knowledge of such objects, and that the gatherings shall be made for. permanent preservation in public museums.

Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of the Departments aforesaid shall make and publish from t~e to t~e uniform rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act .â&#x20AC;˘ Approved, June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. L. 225). '. I

UNIFORM RUl.ES AND REGULATlmfS PRESCRIBED BY THE SECRETARIES OF THE INTERIOR~" AGRICULTURE AND WAR TO CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF THE "ACT FOR THE PRESERVATION OF

AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES," APPROVED JUNE t, 1906

. l

1. Jurisdi.ction over ruins, archeological sites, historic and prehistoric monuments and structures, objects of antiquity, historic landmarks, and other objects of historic or scientific interest, shall be exercised under the act by the respective Departments as follows:

By the Secretary of Agriculture over lands wi thin the exterior limits of forest res erve s~ ,by the Secretary of War over lands within

1'1

the exterior l~its of military res~rv.ations, by the Secretary of the Interior over all other lands owned or 'contro1led by the Government of the ' United States, provided the Secretaries of War and Agriculture may by agreement cooperate with the Sr.~cretary of the Interior on the supervision of such monuments and objects covered by the act of June 8, 1906, as may be located on lands near or adjacent to forest reserves and military reservations, respectivelYG 2. No permit for the removal of any ancient monument or st:r.Uci:UI·..,2 which can be permanently preserved under the control of the United States ..... :in,.." situ , and remain an object of interest, shall be granted • . r·

3. Pe~its for the examination of ruins, the excavation of arche= ologiesl sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity will be granted, by the respectiv,e secretaries having jurisdiction, to reputable museums; universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific or educational institutions, or to their duly authorized agents .. .exclusive permits shall be granted for a larger area than the applicant can reasonably be expected 't o eXplore ful ly and systema.t.ic~11y within the' 'time l-:f:mi t 'named ip thepe·rmit .. .4..

No

5. Each application fora pe.rmit should be filed with the Secretary having jurisdiction, and must be accompan,ie,d by a definite outline of the proposed work" indicating the name of tbe itlstitut:lon making the request, the date ' p1:'oposed for beginnj.ng the field work, the length of time proposed to .be';.:.devoted · to it, and the person ",ho will be in immediate cha rge of the tr1ork. . The app lication must also contait:l an ~:ltact statement oftbe character of the WOl.'lt, 'l1hether examination, e~tC'avation, or gathe:d.ng, and the public musemn in which the collect.ions made under the permit are to be permanently preserved ..

The application must be accompa.nied by a sketch p,lan or descript:i.on of the particular site or area to be examined, excavated, or search~H11 so definite that it can be located on the map wlth reasonable accura.cy.

6.. No permit will be granted for a period of more than three years but if the work has been diligently prosecuted ~der the permit, the time may be extended for proper cause upon application.

7D Failure to begin work under a permit within six months after it is granted, or failure to diligiently prosecute such work after. it has been l,egun, sha.ll n?a1.ce the permit void ~·lithout any orrler or p:roceediu;C!; by the

Se(~ccetary

having

jl1risdiction~

8.

Applications for permits shall be referred to the Smithson:Lu!l In.Bt:U:ution for recommendationo 9. Every permit shall h~ in writing and copies shall be tr8.nS'D mitted to the Smithsonian Insi;~t.utition and the field officer in charge of the land involved. The permittee will be furnished

with a copy of these rules and regulations.

18

10 .. At the close of each seaaon 1 s field work the permittee shall report in 4uplicate to the Smithsonian institllti.on'" in such form as Jts secretary may presc~ibe, and shall p~epare in duplicate a catalogue of the collect:tons and of the photographs made during the season, indicati ng therei.n such material , if any , as may be available for exchange.

11. Instititions and persons receiving permits for excavation shall, after the campletion of the work, restore the lands upon which they have worked to their customary condit~on, to the satisfaction of the field office r in chargeo 12. ,All permits shall be terminable at the discretion of the S cre'tary having j ur:l.sdiction 0

The f i e ld officer in charge of land owned or controlled by the (k)ve:ri1tl)~nt of the United States shall, from time to time.. inquire and repprt as to. the existence, on or near streh lands, of ruins and arch!~ological sites" historic or prehistori c ruins or monuments .. objects of antiqtli ty~ hiSi;r)ric landmarl~s, .histor.ic and prehis toric structures,

130

and other objects of historic or scientific interest.

14.. The fi~ld officer in ~harge may at all times examine tbe pe:'~it of any person or instituti9n claiming p~ivi1eges granted in accordt~m~e with the. ac t. and these rules and regulations, .a nd may .fully examine all t..rork doite under such permit. .

150 All p'e rsons duly a.uthorized by the Secretaries of Agriculture and t-lar 3 and Interior may apprehenc1 or cause to be arrest~d, as provided in the act ,of February 6 .. 1905 (33 Stat. Lo, 700), any person or persons who appropriate, excavate, injure,- or destroy any historic or prehieto~ic ruin or monument, or any obJ.n.ct of antiquity on lands under the supervision of the S(~creta.ries of Agriculture, War, and In't;er:i.or, respectively .

Any object of .. antiquity taken, or collect;ion made, on lands 01: controlled by the United States , without a permit, as pre~ scribe.d by the ac¡t a.nd the s e rules and regulations, or there taken or.

160

owned

made,t contrar"J to the terms of the permit, or contrary to the act 8..nd these rules and regulations, may be se:J.zed wherever found and at any t~e, by the p~oper field officer or by any person duly authorized by the Secretary havi'ag j'll:t'isd:lction, and disposed of as the Secretary sIllAll determine, by deposi.t in the pr.oper national depos:i.tory or otherwiseo

17.

Every collection

Inade under the authority of: the act and of these

:rules and regulations shall be preserved in the publ:tc museum designated in the permit and shall be ,access:tble to the public;. No such col~ lection shall be r emoved fr.ill such public museum w:U:hout the '{I1t'itten

authority of the Se:'::retary of, the .smithsonian Institution p and then only to another public museum;1

~\1here

it ah'1l11 be accessible to the public;

( '

19 and when any public museum, which is a depository of any collection made under the provisions of the act and these rules and regulations, shall cease to exist, eve4~ such collection in euch public museum shall thereupon revert to the national collections and be placed in the proper national depository.

Washington, D. C.

~,cf',mbeF~ z 1902_

The f oregoing rules and regulations are hereby apprQved in tr:tpl1.cate and ~ under authority conferred by l aw on t he Secret9.T.ies of the Interior, Agricqlture, and War, are hereby made and established,

to take ef f ect immediately_

E'. A. Hitchcock

Secretary of the Interior (

James Wilson

Secretary of Agriculture

WIn. H. Taft

Secretary of War