Ancient Southwestern Native American Pottery

In this presentation, Mr. Dart shows and discusses Native American ceramic styles that characterized specific peoples and eras in the U.S. Southwest prior to about 1450, and talks about how archaeologists use pottery for dating archaeological sites and interpreting ancient lifeways. He discusses the importance of context in archaeology, such as how things people make change in style over time and how different styles are useful in identifying different cultures and dating archaeological sites. His many illustrations include examples of ancient pottery types made throughout the American Southwest from about 2,000 to 500 years ago.

Allen Dart has worked in Arizona and New Mexico since 1975. He is a state cultural resource specialist/archaeologist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and volunteer director of Tucson’s Old Pueblo Archaeology Center nonprofit organization, which he founded in 1993 to provide educational and scientific programs in archaeology, history, and cultures. Al has received the Arizona Governor’s Award in Public Archaeology, the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society’s Victor R. Stoner Award, and the Arizona Archaeological Society’s Professional Archaeologist of the Year Award for his efforts to bring archaeology and history to the public.