NEWS
RELEASE

Arson Investigators Aid Archaeologists

Date of Release: June 6, 2005

(Arizona State Museum, Tucson) Burning is a common occurrence in the archaeological record of the Southwest but seldom has a systematic study of the role of fire been initiated. Arizona State Museum archaeologists and arson experts will initiate a systematic study this summer at the ancestral Hopi site of Chevelon Pueblo -- a 13th and 14th century village located at the confluence of the Little Colorado River and Chevelon Creek near Winslow, AZ.

During the course of mapping and testing structures at the Chevelon site last year, archaeologists noted widespread burning. With the assistance of former FBI arson investigator Timothy Huff, two contiguous burned rooms were excavated and the source and spread of the fire were investigated and determined. Clues were gleaned from burn patterns on wall plaster, surviving charred artifacts, and the extent and depth to which wooden roof beams were burned. Suggesting the fire’s point of origin were soot patterns on the walls of both structures and extensive plaster damage in convergent corners. It was determined that the fire was set intentionally in the roof and left to spread along grass and small cottonwood beams of the roof. Probably the earthen part of the roof was removed to enable the fire to sustain itself.

Continuing their research this summer, the ASM crew has again engaged the services of arson investigators to further study the structural fires at Chevelon. “Our goal is to develop a better understanding and interpretation of ancient fires, which are so prevalent in the archaeological record,” explains program director and archaeologist E. Charles Adams. “Better science will result from our collaboration with arson investigators.”

Chuck Adams and UA anthropology graduate student A.J. Vonarx lead the team that will construct and intentionally burn structures faithfully modeled after those excavated at Chevelon. Several fire investigators and other archaeologists will be present to assist in the construction and destruction. “We will be constructing up to three rooms using the same materials as have been excavated at Chevelon – stone walls, mud mortar, and wooden roofs covered with dirt,” says Vonarx. “The rooms will have the same dimensions and openings as found in typical Chevelon rooms and artifacts will also be placed on the floor similar to ones recovered.” The only modern additions to the architecture will be thermocouples built into the walls to measure heat. The fires, scheduled to be lit on July 11 and 12, will be set according to the evidence gleaned from last year’s studies.

Video cameras will record the burning and fire-modeling software will analyze the results. The physical remains from the reconstructed burns will then be compared to the archaeological remains. “We hope to learn when, where, how, why, and who started the fires that burned more than 100 of the 500 rooms at the village,” says Adams. “Did the Chevelon occupants burn the rooms themselves, did outsiders set the fires, or is there an environmental explanation such as grass fire or spontaneous combustion? By better understanding the origin and spread of structural fires we will be able to reconstruct the events causing ancient fires.”