Elden Field School 
Report of 2006 Elden Field School Activities
Elden History
Lodging
2008 AAS Field Season at Elden Pueblo Flagstaff, Arizona
Field Crew Member I & II June 23-27, 2008(click here for application)
Instructor: Peter J. Pilles, Jr., Walter Gosart, Tom Woodall
Field Crew Member I personnel will be instructed in basic archaeological excavation method and theory through lecture, exercises, and actual excavation.
Field Crew Member II participants will continue their archaeological education through further lecture and exercises. In addition, they are responsible for overseeing and documenting the excavations conducted by Field Crew I students.
Field Crew Member I & II lectures and exercises include: mapping and survey, profiling, artifact identification, artifact processing, note-taking, archaeological interpretation, photography, archaeological laws, and dating methods. Field trips will be taken to important Flagstaff area sites. Program fee is $100 per week.
Ruins Stabilization Course August 11-15, 2008(click here for application)
Instructor: Walter Gosart, Tom Woodall
Ruins Stabilization will consist of both lecture and field work. The course provides the basic academic and field skill to allow participation in AAS stabilization projects and assist the professional community, as may be requested. The course will briefly cover excavation methods when needed specifically for stabilization purposes. The course will cover the principles and purpose of stabilization, the difference between “stabilization” and “reconstruction”, and the various tools and techniques used. Also, the course will discuss the importance of mapping, photography and documentation during the stabilization or reconstruction process. Field trips to observe stabilization efforts at nearby sites may be scheduled.
Program Fee is $150 per week.
Rock Art Recording: July 28-August 1, 2008(click here for application)
Instructors: Dr. Donald E. Weaver, Jr. and Peter J. Pilles, Jr.
Program fee is $150 per week.
Rock Art Recording offers an introduction to rock art – what is it? How was it made? Why was it produced? How can it be dated? The main purpose of the course is to provide a basic introduction to rock art, rock art site etiquette, and to train people in the Arizona Archaeological Society method of rock art recording. This involves learning how to divide a locality and its sites into useful units for documentation and study, distinguishing petroglyphs from natural features, identifying elements, determining relative ages, and recognizing different manufacturing techniques. Various methods of documenting the images will be demonstrated including traditional methods, such as sketching, description, and photography, as well as newer techniques such as 3-D laser recording, digital photograph enhancements, and GIS technology. Students will learn about rock art as a component of anthropology, how it relates to other types of archaeological data, and the difference between systematic documentation and “cherry picking”. Styles and types of rock art attributed to various Southwest cultures and basic approaches to site management and interpretation will be illustrated by slide talks from the instructors as well as guest lecturers. The base camp for the class is at Elden Pueblo, and the sites to be recorded are within a 20-30 minute drive and a 15-20 minute hike of moderate difficulty.
Elden Pueblo Alumni Week July 14-18, 2008(click here for application)
Alumni are invited to join the staff for a work week to complete documentation and interpretation of test trenches that have been completed, but require final confirmation. This will involve review, corrections, and updates to previous excavation notes, photographs, plan drawings, and profiles, as well as verifying correlations within the overall site stratigraphic sequence. Registration is required and is limited to Elden Alumni who have completed Crew Member II certification. Program is free, although donations are always gratefully accepted.
Registration: Download forms by clicking on the above highlighted courses.
Lodging: There is an abundance of motels in the area and a KOA campground nearby. Primitive camping facilities with potable water, chemical toilets and solar showers are available adjacent to the site at no cost.
Contact Lisa Edmonson at 928-527-3452, or e-mail eldenpueblo@npgcable.com with any questions .
ELDEN PUEBLO
Dating to the period between AD 1100 -1275, Elden Pueblo is a 60-70 room Sinagua pueblo with smaller pueblos, pit houses, and other features. It is located at the base of Mt. Elden in Flagstaff, AZ. Present day Hopi consider the site a special ancestral place called PASIOVI or PAVASIOKI.
Elden Pueblo was first studied in 1926 by archaeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes. Later, the US Forest Service began to study the site and in the process developed a public archaeology education program focused on the following three topics: 1) teaching the public about the lives of the Sinagua people at Elden, 2) field methods in archaeology, and 3) to facilitate on-going research and protection at Elden Pueblo.
LODGING
There is an abundance of motels in the area and a KOA nearby. Primitive camping facilities are available on site at no cost (potable water, porta-johns, solar showers). Visitor information can be provided.