Album Rock Art and Ruins

[KenB]

Bridge Canyon Wilderness, NV

 

[KenB]

Arrow Canyon Wilderness, NV

 

[KenB]

DaVinci Panel, Black Rock Gulch AZ

 

[KenB]

Newspaper Rock, Black Rock Gulch AZ

 

[KenB]

Sky Rock, Volcanic Tablelands CA

 

[KenB]

Sky Rock, Volcanic Tablelands CA

 

[KenB]

13 Moons, Volcanic Tablelands CA

 

[KenB]

13 Moons, Volcanic Tablelands CA

 

[Titans]

After @regehr and family saw arrowheads a couple washes over we have been looking much more carefully! And yesterday we were so thrilled to see these between lots of debris in a wash. We buried them in the sand again after taking photos.

 

[SteveR]

Nice find in the outdoor museum! When I have held something like this in my hand, it makes me contemplate the skilled hands of the craftsperson that made it.

 

[BJett]

Stumbled upon this intact kiva roof with ladder poles after missing the exit route out of the canyon. These are the best mistakes.
I'm sure this one is well known to those who explore the area but I had no idea until I turned the corner.

 

[Yvonne]

I found these archaeological dwellings and heiau on a few of my explorations in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP
There used to be hundreds of them out in the coastal areas, but lava flows now cover most.

 

[Janice]

I just enjoyed scrolling through photos on this thread, including ones from a long time ago. Thank you to all who have posted.

There are a few things I'm curious about and wonder if any of you experts can explain:

1) In structures with wooden poles, how has the wood lasted for so many centuries? Of course the desert environment has low humidity, but there still is precipitation. I don't get this. My online searching hasn't turned up answers that make sense to me. Anyone know about this?

2) Four Faces, Five Faces, and Thirteen(ish) Faces resemble each other so much. Have the archaeologists figured out if they're from the same time or created by the same people or with the same materials?

3) @Titans posted potsherds in Oct. 2021 from Chaco Canyon. These are very similar to the ones we recently saw in Salt Creek, more than 200 miles away. I saw the photos of the pots in the Utah museum - it seems that there are lots in those same styles. Does anyone know the origins of these? Were they made by the same people who traded them and/or moved around a lot, or were they created by many different people in many different places?

Thanks in advance for anyone who wants to provide some free archaeological lessons.

 

[Jackson]

1) In structures with wooden poles, how has the wood lasted for so many centuries? Of course the desert environment has low humidity, but there still is precipitation. I don't get this. My online searching hasn't turned up answers that make sense to me. Anyone know about this?OST

For the most part, the ones that are still standing are in alcoves, so they really don't get rained or snowed on much at all unless the wind is blowing just right. And then there just isn't that much precipitation in the first place.

 

[Janice]

For the most part, the ones that are still standing are in alcoves, so they really don't get rained or snowed on much at all unless the wind is blowing just right. And then there just isn't that much precipitation in the first place.

That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[b.stark]

Some photos of aging wood in ruins from a recent trip.

Partly collapsed roof on this one.

Over time the wood frays in a way that always fascinates me.

 

[Janice]

Some photos of aging wood in ruins from a recent trip.

Partly collapsed roof on this one.

Over time the wood frays in a way that always fascinates me.

Interesting about the fraying. Thanks for sharing these!

 

[gnwatts]

This ruin is probably my favorite on Cedar Mesa. I am always fascinated by these places, how desperate they must have been to live here.The first shot is one of those death drop defensive entrances, where you have to cross a chute that slides off of a 100' drop. I am a coward when it comes to these things. It took me about 30 minutes to get up the courage to cross over and through the entrance door. At the end of the terrace is this intact structure, maybe a granary? It is about 10' tall, so maybe not. You can see it in the 1st picture all the way to the right. It took me longer to cross the death slide on the way out.




You can see the entry defensive wall at the far right.

 

[Janice]

It seems to me that "coward" is a bit too strong of a negative description for yourself here! I haven't been there, but based on your photos I think many of us would WISELY not attempt that death drop defensive entrance!

 

[gnwatts]

Thanks @Janice.
The problem is that I am not wise. Do I want to see what is on the other side? In this case it was decidedly a yes.
@Bob probably knows where this is.