30 Days, 14 Students, 5 Rock Art Sites, 1 Successful Field School

JUNE 2019

2019 Field School

The adventure is over, but the lessons and memories will go on and on.

The 2019 Texas State Field School Group. Top row left to right: Jerod Roberts, Vicky Roberts, Dr. David Kilby, Cameron Michael, Megan Blackburn, Carter Wiseman, Logan Baird, James Ramsey, and Jim Sellers. Second row left to right: Ashley Eyeington, Lori Decker, Kenny Williams, Steven Frazier, Laura Lizcano, Kaylee Henderson, Kasia Cross, Tierney Proffit, Dr. Carolyn Boyd, and Dr. Phil Dering. Kneeling row left to right: Darla Messina, Eden Meadows, Dee Morris, Gabby Ward, Carter Edwards, and Brittany Bailey. Not pictured: Dr. Karen Steelman.

The 2019 Texas State University Archaeological Field Methods Program was a collaboration between the Ancient Southwest Texas Project and Shumla. Through this collaboration the students were engaged in investigating all aspects of the Lower Pecos archaeological record.

Over the four week program, the students had the opportunity to excavate an Archaic midden and survey for historic artifacts with archaeologist Dr. David Kilby, as well as record ancient rock art with Dr. Carolyn Boyd and the Shumla research team. In fact, the students documented five sites as a part of the Alexandria Project. They learned how to capture gigapan images, SfM images, create 3-D models, complete TexSite and Rock Art Site forms. They even completed site summaries for Texas Parks and Wildlife and The Witte Museum about our work and findings at Vaquero Shelter and White Shaman Annex sites, respectively. Very impressive results!

Check out these photos to learn more about their unique experience!

Laura Lizcano points out the extent of the rock art panel section as Carter Wiseman sets up the camera to take a Gigapan.

Students shovel prickly pear cactus pads onto a layer of heated rocks to add moisture as they build an experimental earth oven to cook agave and lechuguilla. Left to right in the foreground: Steven Frazier, James Ramsey, Brittany Bailey, Tierney Proffit, Dr. Phil Dering, and Cameron Michael.

Logan Baird takes a feature photo of red remnant paint while Rich McAuliffe holds a color checker for color calibration.

Vicky Roberts explains the “exposure triangle” to Kasia Cross (left), Brittany Bailey, and Kaylee Henderson (right).

Brittany Bailey takes a pXRF elemental analysis reading of a red Historic style mission pictograph.

With permission from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Dr. Karen Steelman uses a scalpel to carefully remove a loose spall fragment within the Historic style mission for radiocarbon dating of the paint.

Brittany Bailey (front), Kaylee Henderson, and Kasia Cross excavate two units at the Langtry Burned Rock Midden. Photo courtesy of the Ancient Southwest Texas Project at Texas State University.

Cameron Michael takes photos of an “L” ruler to be able to reference the 3D model of the site .

Kenny Williams and Dr. Carolyn Boyd examine a red figure for the iconographic inventory in the Rock Art Site Form.

Onlooker Tierney Proffit laughs as Jerod Roberts carries Kenny Williams on his shoulders across a large pool of water.

Steven Frazier examines image quality as he takes a Gigapan of the rock art panel from within the site’s tinaja.

Kaylee Henderson (front) holds one end of a measuring tape while Carter Edwards holds the other end at the far extent of the tinaja to establish the length of the water feature for the site sketch map.

After a long week of hard work, James Ramsey and Carter Edwards jump into the Devil’s River to cool off.

Carter Edwards blows on an ember produced using the friction-fire technique taught to the students by NPS Archaeologist Jack Johnson.

Silhouetted against a setting sun, the field school group poses for one last picture after four weeks of learning, playing and living together.

From all of us at Shumla. Thank you, students, for being a fantastic group! We'll miss you. The Lower Pecos feels a bit emptier without your enthusiasm and exuberance.

He knows archaeology.

He knows team and project management. He knows the Lower Pecos. He's got it all!

Welcome Dr. Phil!

Dr. Phil Dering joins Shumla as Interim Archaeology Director

We are thrilled to announce that we will be gaining the guidance and experience of Dr. Dering's 30+ years in the field and in the lab as our Interim Archaeology Director.

"Dr. Phil," as the students of Comstock ISD call him, received his Masters in Biology/Botany and PhD in Anthropology/Archaeology from Texas A&M University. He has a great deal of field experience in Texas, the greater southwest, Peru and Jamaica. He does archaeo-botanical research and contract analysis on archaeological deposits from Texas and the Southwest.

Does he look familiar? From 2007-2015, he took on the instruction of science at the Comstock ISD School, teaching Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Scientific Research Design.

You may remember that we announced in February that we hired Dr. Jay Franklin for the Archaeology Director position. Unfortunately, because of family reasons, he had to move to Arizona. We are opening up our search once more for Shumla's Archaeology Director to guide and manage all archaeological programming at Shumla, including the Alexandria Project and beyond!

If you know a fantastic and experienced archaeologist who is looking for an exciting opportunity to lead some of the most important cultural heritage preservation and research around, send them our way! [email protected]

Shumla Welcomes

Three New Interns!

My name is Deianira Morris, but everyone just calls me Dee! I recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Archaeological Anthropology and minor in Psychology. During my education, I participated in a work-study at the Arizona State Museum in the Archaeological and Ethnological Collections. I also participated in Archaeology Southwest’s Preservation Field School in the summer of 2018. I became interested in rock art and completed a senior thesis project that focused on the archaeological analysis of rock art made by the Hohokam. Now, I'm very excited to learn about Lower Pecos rock art as an intern of Shumla!

My name is Megan Blackburn and I am a senior anthropology student at the University of Texas at Austin with a minor in Art History. I have attended field schools with the Texas Archeological Society as well as the Programme for Belize Archeological Project field school. I also spent the past year working at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. I am very excited to have the opportunity to merge my anthropology and art history skills working as an intern for Shumla this summer while learning about rock art of the Lower Pecos!

My name is Katherine Cross, but I go by Kasia! I am a senior Anthropology and Environmental Science dual-major Honors Program student at Baylor University. I worked on-campus last semester as a student athlete tutor and have just completed the 2019 Texas State Archaeological Field School. This summer I will begin drafting my honors thesis project which entails a stylistic analysis of Pecos River Style pictographs. I am thrilled to witness firsthand the rock art of the Lower Pecos--the images in apropos literature hold no comparison--and am especially grateful to participate in the critical documentation of these profound visual codices!

Science Director, Dr. Karen Steelman, attended the 2019 American Rock Art Research Association (ARARA) Annual Conference in Flagstaff, AZ this month. She presented research on using pXRF to analyze rock art pigments at the Meyers Springs rock art site this past March as part of the Alexandria Project.

Field trips to other rock art sites are an important part of the conference, for researchers to interact and discuss. Karen went to Crack-In-Rock ruins and rock art site at Wupatki National Monument (below). She saw amazing petroglyphs and had interesting conversations with other rock art folks.