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<< Project 2 | Project 4>>
Project Managers: Dr. Robert Preucel and Lucy Fowler Williams
Penn Museum houses a largely unstudied southwestern archaeological
collection of prehistoric Anasazi materials from the San Juan River
region of southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. These materials
combine 3 distinct collections which were assembled by C.D. Hazzard
of the H. Jay Smith Exploring Company in 1893 and later purchased
by the Museum in 1896. The earliest collection was acquired by the
famous Wetherill family of ranchers at Mesa Verde, Colorado between
1889-1892. This is 1 of 4 original collections from Mesa Verde.
The 2nd collection, purchased from a private collector C.M. Viets,
came from the region of Cortez, Colorado. Both were exhibited at
the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. A 3rd collection
was assembled in 1892 by D.H. Green from a series of canyons in
the region of Grand Gulch, Utah and exhibited at the Art Institute
of Chicago one year later.
The approximately 3,000 Anasazi specimens date from Pueblo II-Pueblo
III (A.D. 900-1300) and include corrugated and painted ceramics
and lithics as well as important and rare organic specimens of hide,
bone, human hair, and plant materials. Examples include bowls, storage
jars, mugs and miniature vessels, woven textiles, baskets, hide
garments, food stuffs, wooden tools, and finger-woven bags and socks
made of hair.
The students will analyze the collections and gather comparative
information from the literature and related collections in other
institutions. Studies will focus on a variety of topics related
to technology, materials, and design to be determined based on student
interest. In addition to this, the students will be introduced to
the fundamentals of artifact conservation and other related museum
service methodology. An inventory and images will be made available
on the Museum’s extensive web site so that the materials will
be accessible to all interested scholars.
Contact persons: Elizabeth Bauer, Curator of Collections and Laura
Lennihan, Student Recruitment, Mesa Verde National Park
TARGET STUDENTS: archaeology, anthropology, art, art history, museum
studies
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