Over the course of the 2013 spring semester, I worked at the Gault research laboratory as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) intern. The Gault School of Archaeological Research provides a research center that is focused on the archaeology of the earliest peoples in the western hemisphere and their cultural antecedents. The continued protection of the Gault site is largely due to GSAR’S goals as an organization. These goals focus on the preservation of the Gault site, maintaining and educating the public about Gault’s archaeological work, and collaborating with universities and organizations that share common interests with their own.
The earliest excavations at the Gault site began in 1929 by James E. Pierce — a University of Texas Graduate and anthropologist. Pierce was initially interested in an archaic burnt-rock midden that was exposed on the surface at the site, and during excavations Pierce recovered Paleo-Indian artifacts — some of which dated to the Clovis period. The property on which the Gault site is located changed hands several times following Pierce’s excavations and eventually fell victim to a commercialized pay-to-dig operation. Collectors could pay a small fee and dig for artifacts, sometimes using heavy machinery and large crews to recover artifacts. This legalized looting of Gault greatly impacted much of the site dating from 9,000 years ago to the present, destroying a large part of Gault’s later pre-history.
In 1998, Dr. Michael Collins and Dr. Ernie Lundelius from the University of Texas were asked by the new land owners to investigate some of the objects they’d uncovered at the site. The objects turned out to be an extraordinary find, and contained the lower jaw of a juvenile mammoth, ancient horse bones, and Clovis age artifacts. The first extensive research excavations then began at Gault in 1999 after the University of Texas signed a three year lease with the landowners. Over 1.2 million artifacts were recovered during UT’S temporary land lease; the large collection of engraved stones (100 +) found are believed to be some of the earliest examples of representational art in the Americas (Black 2001). In 2007 the Gault School officially acquired the land which the Gault site sat on. Recently, the GSAR moved to its new home in Pecos Hall at Texas State University.
The Gault School has a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Its bookshelves are flooded with archaeological text, posters and geological maps fill every inch of its walls, and years of archaeological debitage and artifacts sit neatly upon an 8 foot shelf. Regardless of what they were doing staff members were always exceptional. They would always be more than happy to help or answer any questions that I had in mind. This reflected positively on me, and I believe the relaxed setting and staff make this building a fine place to study.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a field in computer technology that incorporates geographical features with tabular data in order to map, analyze, and assess real-world problems (Dempsey 2012). In a nutshell, GIS takes real world features such as buildings and roads, references them to the earth using a datum, and couples it with additional attribute information, i.e. tabular data.
GIS is becoming more integrated into archaeological studies as progressions in its technology have advanced. Archaeologists are interested in the use of GIS, primarily because geography influences the degree of exposure of archaeological sites and the impacts they face from human activity and natural forces. (ESRI2013) The use of GIS has assisted archaeologists among other things in mapping depositional patterns and identifying spatial patterns in their data.
GIS has also helped archaeologists excel in the accuracy of mapping their archeological data. Before GIS technology, the common method of archaeological mapping would be to stack sheets of clear Mylar paper over a topographic map and plot features on top of the plastic sheet; one sheet or layer may have archaeological sites, while another may have water sources, etc. This sort of mapping is unwieldy, time consuming, and the resulting patterns are difficult to analyze statically (Thomas and Kelly 2006: 119). However, inputting these layers into a single georeferenced database allows archaeologists to perform accurate spatial analysis in minutes.
Now that you (hopefully) understand a little about how GIS works and why it relates to archaeology, let’s return to Gault. At the beginning of the semester Dr. Clarke Werneke gave me a list of GIS related tasks that they wanted to see mapped out in GIS. He also asked if I could organize the Gault GIS database and make it a little more user friendly to non-GIS personnel.
I obtained a student copy of the current ArcGIS program which allowed me to work from the convenience of my laptop in the Gault lab. Over the extent of my internship, I was able to complete the following maps (pgs. 9, 10) for GSAR:
a 50 km map showing the rivers and streams that surround the Gault site. (Fig. 1)
a map showing the surrounding geology of the Gault site (Fig. 2)
a map with a color gradient buffer showing Buttermilk reek’s downstream elevation (Fig. 3)
and a graph showing Buttermilk Creek’s elevation profile (Fig. 4)
Additionally, Dr. Collins wanted me to compile a collection of historical aerial photographs that showed the land cover surrounding the Gault site. With these photos, he could compare and analyze the amount of land alteration that had taken place around the Gault site in the last 80 years. He was particularly interested in obtaining any aerial photographs that dated to the 1930s. Dr. Collins also provided me with a lead on where I could possibly find these old photographs. The company was called Tobin, and they housed some of the earliest aerial photographs of the Gulf Coast States. These early aerial photos were taken for the oil and gas industry in 1928, prior to any governmental agency, and Tobin has accumulated more than 2 million aerial photographs to date. The rest of the photos were gathered from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website. The USGS has a large online library of free remotely sensed photography that dates back to the 1940s.
After downloading the photos I needed, I overlaid the 6 photographs onto a Google Earth surface (Fig. 5) I could now compare the Gault site’s land cover in 10 year increments starting from the year 1941. Through these old photographs, this Google Earth overlay can now help Gault compare 80 years of land cover changes.
During the 15 weeks that I interned at GSAR, the staff at Gault provided me with a place where I could apply the skills that I learned in GIS to real world archaeology – something that I had never done before. The projects that were assigned to me were challenging, yet rewarding in the sense that I learned new ways to use ArcGIS. I also left understanding the basic process of materials curation as well as a better understanding of the Gault site and its history. I am satisfied with the work I was able to contribute to their organization, and happy that I was able to spend my last year of college such a great group of people. I hope that this report presented itself in a fashion that will inspire as well as provide insight for any future interns or individuals interested in the Gault Project.