Vocabulary

• Archeologists: individuals who study groups of people by looking at the things they left behind.
• Artifacts: things that ancient people left behind.
• Observing: looking closely and noticing details.
• Inferring: making educated guesses based on observations.
• Ancestral Pueblo: a group of people with a shared culture that used to live in what is now southeastern Utah, southwestern Colorado, and northern Arizona, and New Mexico. The Ancestral Pueblo lived about 4,000 years ago.

The Ancestral Pueblo

Historians don’t know when the first people arrived in what is now Utah, but they have found evidence that people have been here for thousands of years. People who lived that long ago did not leave any written records that we can read now, but they left behind things that help us understand how they lived. Individuals who study groups of people by looking at the things they left behind are called archeologists. The things left behind that give clues about ancient people are called artifacts.

Archeologists have become very smart in the ways that they study people through their artifacts. One of the strategies that they use is observing, looking closely at artifacts and noticing details about them, such as where they were located, what was found near them, special markings on them, their size and shape, and what they were made out of. As they make these kinds of observations, archeologists also use the strategy of inferring, making educated guesses about a people based on what they observe about their artifacts. Archeologists might infer what an artifact was used for, how important it was, or when it was made.

Many of the artifacts that archeologists find are buried in the ground. Archeologists often observe different layers of dirt. If an archeologist observes that several artifacts are buried in the same layer or dirt, they might infer that those artifacts were used and thrown away or lost at about the same time. If they observe artifacts buried in a deeper layer of dirt, they might infer that those artifacts were used earlier than the artifacts in a shallower layer of dirt. If an archeologist found lots of pieces of broken pottery in the same area, they might infer that it was a garbage dump. If they observed several animal bones of the same type of animal, they might infer that a person used it for food. If archeologists observe the same types of artifacts over a wide area of land, they might infer that the culture of the people in that region was connected in some way.

Archeologists studying the ancient people of Utah have observed that about four thousand years ago the people in a large area of what is now southeastern Utah, southwestern Colorado, and northern Arizona and New Mexico, used the same kinds of artifacts. Because of the similarities of the artifacts of people living in this huge region, Archeologists have considered them a unique culture and have given them the name Ancestral Pueblo. (They used to call them the Anasazi, but this Navajo word is not considered respectful of the culture and isn’t used as much today.) The Ancestral Pueblo are considered one of Utah’s most important ancient cultures. They left behind homes, rock art, and many artifacts that archeologists study to make inferences about their lifestyles.

Archeologists have observed that after about 1200 AD the types of artifacts used by the Ancestral Pueblo disappeared from Utah. No new buildings like those built by the Ancestral Pueblo were built in Utah after that time. But at about the same time, archeologists have found evidence that Ancestral Pueblo-style buildings started to be constructed in new locations in southern Colorado. The people who built these villages are still living in the region today and are called the Pueblo culture. Archeologists have inferred that the Ancestral Pueblo were the ancestors of the Pueblo culture. The legends and traditions of the modern Pueblo people support this inference.

Artifacts from the Ancestral Pueblo can be found in museums and state parks throughout the region where they used to live. The ruins of their homes can still be seen in their traditional homelands. Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, and Bears Ears National Monument have all been created to protect the ancient homelands of the Ancestral Pueblo. Archeologists hope to protect the artifacts that are scattered throughout the places where they once lived, so that they can continue to study these ancient people.

Sources and Additional Resources

• Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
• Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum
• Hovenweep National Monument
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Bears Ears National Monument

Background Information written by Dr. Jeffery Nokes of Brigham Young University.

These are some of the artifacts that have been uncovered in ancestral pueblos in Utah and surrounding states. These artifacts serve to inform us about the lifestyle and culture of the residents of these ancestral pueblos. Click on each source below to read about the artifact and explore the source.

7th Grade:

UT standard 1.1 Students will make evidence-based inferences about the complex ancient cultures in Utah after studying artifacts from the prehistoric era.

UT standard 1.3 Students will explain the economic activity of a prehistoric and/or historic American Indian tribal community by using basic economic concepts, including supply, demand, trade, and scarcity.

8th Grade:

U.S. I Standard 1.1 Students will analyze evidence, including artifacts and other primary sources to make evidence-based inferences about life among several American Indian nations prior to European exploration of the Americas.

Instructions for Graphic Organizer

Teachers: You may need to simplify, adjust, or scaffold these instructions for students, depending on grade level/ability. This is just a general outline.

1. Choose approximately 10 artifacts from the archive page to analyze. (you can add or remove rows from the table if you want students to look at more/fewer artifacts)

2. In the first column, write the name of the artifact, the location of origin, and the approximate date it was found.

3. In the next column sketch the image of the artifact.

4. In the following 3 columns write what you observe about the artifact, what you infer about the artifact, it's origin or purpose, and what you wonder about the artifact.

5. Answer your chosen question and describe how observations and inferences based upon the artifacts help you answer the question. Be sure to talk about the evidence in the artifacts that led you to your conclusion.

6. Discuss your opinion with your group.