Linda S. Cordell

"The early history of s in has recently been addressed by Gifford and Morris (1985), who emphasize the period between 1920 and 1940 when these institutions provided nearly the only pre-professional, practical experience for archaeology students. The kinds of field classes offered by , founder of the field school, have been described by Chauvenet (1983). Field schools have a recognized long and venerable history and have provided American archaeology with many of its most acclaimed practitioners."

"emphasizes the concern for facts, the tangible aspects of the archaeological record; the development of chronological techniques; s; and writing of informed by theory; and a reluctance to make inferences about social organization. Archaeology could provide the historical continuity that challenged the cataclysms of the romantic school and allowed for the development of an anthropological science. Archaeological remains were important in their own right in the early evolutionist program. The remains provided a tangible record of the degree of mental development of various societies. The archaeological remains also provided continuity from the past to the present. The continuity is essential to the development of anthropological science which depends on an orderly universe. Observations of archaeological traits are made and comparisons are drawn among sites and regions, suggesting a scenario of culture history which might then be compared with the scenarios developed by s, linguists, and s."

"Between 1130 and 1180 a period of severe drought struck the Colorado Plateaus; this is the same time during which the appears to have disintegrated. Using the year 1150 as the beginning of the recognizes the potentially widespread importance of a real event in history; the end of building and probably, for 100 years, of occupation in . This is no small event given Chaco's role as a major center of activity, population, and exchange."