Please visit https://core.tdar.org/project/390922 to view the georeferenced Tikal maps!

The database contains a collection of over 9,000 images of Mimbres ceramic vessels, among the most spectacular and renowned prehistoric pottery in North America. The Mimbres archaeological culture is particularly noted for its stunning black-on-white style bowls, which were often decorated with naturalistic designs.  The collection’s digital images document the painted designs on each vessel, along with associated descriptive information about the archaeological context, temporal style, and vessel form and size. You can browse the public Mimbres vessel collection here:http://core.tdar.org/project/377852.  Be sure to register with tDAR (it’s easy and free) to see the images and associated database information. 

Numerous collections of Mimbres pottery vessels exist, scattered across many countries and dozens of museum and private collections. The dispersed nature of these collections makes it difficult to undertake comprehensive studies of Mimbres ceramics. The image collection and database brings together visual and descriptive information from many of these collections, allowing easy access to a wealth of data. Created by Harvard Peabody Museum Curator Steven LeBlanc and Arizona State University Professor Michelle Hegmon, the extensive database contains images and data from more than 70 collections and over 80 archaeological sites. 

In the tDAR archive these reports and other digital data are now readily accessible for necessary management reviews and decision-making, research and educational uses, and to ensure their long-term preservation. Air Force cultural resource staff will be able to use tDAR to access information about the archaeological resources at Dyess readily whether they are at the base, where they might be able to find a paper copy, or not.  The goal of this digital archiving effort is to identify archaeological documents, data sets, images, and other materials relevant to the area within and near Dyess; obtain or create digital copies of reports, data sets, images, and other appropriate materials; check the text and illustrations of each report and redact information that should be kept “confidential;” and deposit the materials into tDAR, where they can be accessed (as appropriate) and preserved for future use.

The overall digital archiving project for the Air Force is continuing with similar efforts underway for Shaw AFB (South Carolina) and Avon Park AFB (Florida). Regarding the Dyess materials, which have never before been widely available, only a few of the documents are regarded as having confidential information, so most of the items are generally available to registered tDAR users.  This tDAR collection of documents will be particularly useful for CRM contractors, teachers, and researchers who are interested in the archaeology in the area. Of special note for anyone interested in a good overview of the archaeology of the area is Nancy Kenmotsu’s 2011 report, Archaeological Needs Assessment for Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas.  

Documents

• An Archaeological Curation-Needs Assessment for Headquarters Air Combat Command Volume 2 (1997)
• An Archaeological Curation-Needs Assessment of Military Installations in Selected Western States Volume 1 (2000)
• Archaeological Needs Assessment for Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas (2011)
• Cultural Resources in the Proposed Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Facilities, Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas (1989)
• Dyess AFB Properties that Will Become Eligible (2011)
• Dyess Air Force Base and Ellsworth Air Force Base Force Structure Change Environmental Assessment (2002)
• Email summary of Dyess AFB collections stored at the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory (2004)
• Final Environmental Assessment Implementation of Defense BRAC Commision Recommendations Dyess AFB, Texas (2007)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement, Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Program, Volume I (1989)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement, Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Program, Volume II (1989)
• Final Report Cultural Resources Survey of Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Taylor County, Texas (1995)
• Impact of Current and Future Limitations on Training Quality and Access (2005)
• Memorandum of Understanding, Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory and Dyess AFB (2004)
• TARL Letter of Collection Condition 6-23-2004, Dyess AFB (2004)

Images

• Dyess AFB Archive Images (2004)

Rates

* All files come with 10 MB of space

Our price structure is based on a sliding scale starting at $50 for 1 file of up to 10 MB.  Storage space is not allocated per file, but “pooled” among all your files.  Additional space can be purchased as needed for large files (like large data sets, images, or 3D scans) by contacting our office. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express via our secure online forms. For purchase orders please contact our office to set up an online billing account.  Detailed information on pricing, along with examples and a simple calculator can be found on our website at http://www.tdar.org/about/pricing.

If you have already contributed files to tDAR, know that all of the records you have created and files you have uploaded will remain in tDAR as before.  You may continue to access the records, download files, and edit the metadata.   Browsing, searching, and downloading content from the wealth of archaeological information archived in tDAR will remain a free service. 

We thank you for your support of tDAR and look forward to continuing to serve you in preserving and providing access to archaeological information long into the future. 

If you have any questions, we’re happy to talk with you about the changes.  Call or email (480) 965-1369; comments@digitalantiquity.org.

These incredible materials include rich data sets, images, and reports, all available for download by registered tDAR users. tDAR’s content is indexed by major search engines, and exposes the Penn Museum’s  published digital content to searchers who may otherwise be unaware of these books and their associated digital media.    

The books themselves are available for purchase at the University of Pennsylvania Press (Penn Press) website at http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/series/UPM.html. The books focus on scholarship from around the world including:

Asia & the Pacific

• Ban Chiang, a Prehistoric Village Site in Northeast Thailand, Volume 1: The Human Skeletal Remains
• Mapping Mongolia: Situating Mongolia in the World from Geologic Time to the Present
• Santa Cruz Island Figure Sculpture and Its Social and Ritual Contexts

Middle East/Eurasia

• Botanical Aspects of Environment and Economy at Gordion, Turkey
• Exploring Iran: The Photography of Erich F. Schmidt, 1930-1940
• Gordion Seals and Sealings Individuals and Society
• Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers of the Baikal Region, Siberia Bioarchaeological Studies of Past Life Ways
• Peoples and Crafts in Period IVB at Hasanlu, Iran

Mesoamerica

• The Artifacts of Tikal—Ornamental and Ceremonial Artifacts and Unworked Material Tikal, Report 27A
• The Artifacts of Tikal—Utilitarian Artifacts and Unworked Material Tikal Report 27B
• The Maya Vase Conservation Project
• Settlement Archaeology at Quiriguá, Guatemala
• Tikal Report 34, Part A: Additions and Alterations: A Commentary on the Architecture of the North Acropolis, Tikal, Guatemala
• Tikal Report 37: Historical Archaeology at Tikal, Guatemala

Europe

• Dún Ailinne: Excavations at an Irish Royal Site, 1968-1975
• Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend
• Reports on the Vrokastro Area, Eastern Crete, Volume 2: The Settlement History of the Vrokastro Area and Related Studies
• Reports on the Vrokastro Area, Eastern Crete, Volume 3 The Vrokastro Regional Survey Project, Sites and Pottery

New End-User Interface & Discovery Tools

• We worked with the team at Fervor Creative to completely redesign the end-user interface. We hope you find it easier to use.
• We've added a "Grid" view and Map view to search results, projects, and collections to allow you to view or organize your materials more visually
• You can now search for people and institutions
• We've added new icons for each of the tDAR resource types
• We've added (this) blog to the tDAR homepage
• We've added new fields to search by including filenames

Updated Resource Editing pages

• We've consolidated bookmarks onto the dashboard to make them easier to access
• We've updated the resource edit pages with a cleaner look and feel, better data validation, and error reporting.  These include:
  • A navigation bar that displays where you are on the page with easy access to jump to different parts or to save
  • Document or Dataset creators can be more easily entered
  • Enhanced inheritance tools
  • A re-designed google maps interface making it easier to edit maps
• An improved bulk upload form with a better template, and pre-validation of the template before starting the bulk upload
• A new Editing permission that allows users to edit resource metadata only without the ability to add or modify files

Other

• A redesigned data api for adding resources to tDAR
• Enhanced security SSL by requiring user login via SSL

The tDAR software underwent two major updates this year: Grid and Harris.  Combined, these updates significantly enhanced the search and discovery functionality for tDAR, and have improved the interface for data integration and data entry. The repository also underwent considerable growth.  Our contributors have added over 5,000 new documents, data sets, images, and other resource types for a total number of records now exceeding 373,000.

The repository is now over 180GB is in size, and has literally doubled in size over the course of the last year.

Usage Statistics

While we do not maintain detailed statistics on users or use to protect user and contributor privacy, we can share some interesting aggregate data.   Below are the most frequently viewed and downloaded resources.

Most Frequently Viewed Resources

1. Aztec West Ruin: Perishable Artifacts and Pottery from Excavations by the American Museum of Natural History
2. Aztec West Ruin: Composite Wall Elevations from Pre-Backfilling Architectural Photo-Documentation
3. Prehistoric Irrigation in Arizona: Symposium 1988
4. Spitalfields Project
5. The Archaeological Survey of Cape Cod National Seashore
6. Phoenix Basin Archaeology: Intersections, Pathways Through Time
7. The Archaeology of Highland Chiriqui, Panama
8. The Archaeology of African Burial Ground National Monument, New York
9. Jordan's Journey (44PG302)
10. Cultural Resources Survey of a Proposed Well-Pad (IPB LWN 10) in Kisatchie National Forest (Catahoula Distict), Winn Parish, Louisiana

Most Popular Downloads

1. Archaeology of the Pueblo Grande Platform and Surrounding Features Volume 2 Features in the Central Precinct of the Pueblo Grande Community
2. A Century of Archeological Research at Mesa Verde National Park
3. 1947-1948 CDF Aerial Photos Master Index Map
4. Survey and Excavations in Joshua Tree National Monument: Report of the 1985 Joshua Tree Road Improvements Project
5. Archeological Investigations at Joshua Tree National Park, California
6. Archaeological Excavations at Jordan's Point: Sites 44PG151, 44PG300, 44PG302, 44PG303, 44PG315, 44PG333
7. Vanishing River Volume 1: Part 1, Scorpion Point Village: Chapters 1 – 4
8. Archeological Survey and Site Testing for the Joshua Tree Roads Project, Package 291, Joshua Tree National Park, California
9. The Fort Mountain Archaeological Project, Volume 1: Archaeological Investigations at Five Prehistoric Sites Near the Base of Fort Mountain in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
10. An Ahupua'a Study: The 1971 Archaeological Work at Kaloko Ahupua'a North Kona, Hawai'i: Archaeology at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Metadata Statistics

These are the most popular people, places, sites, and other keyword data used to describe tDAR records in the last year.

Culture Keywords

1. Historic
2. Archaic
3. Ancestral Puebloan
4. Euroamerican
5. Mogollon
6. Hohokam
7. Woodland
8. PaleoIndian
9. Mimbres
10. Fremont

Investigation Types

1. Data Recovery / Excavation
2. Archaeological Overview
3. Heritage Management
4. Systematic Survey
5. Site Evaluation / Testing
6. Architectural Documentation
7. Reconnaissance / Survey
8. Collections Research
9. Site Stabilization
10. Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

Geographic Keywords

1. Kuril Islands
2. Rio Grande River
3. Palomas Drainage
4. Southwest New Mexico
5. Eastern Mimbres
6. Animas Drainage
7. Seco Drainage
8. Central Arizona
9. California
10. Southern California

Material Types

1. Pollen
2. Macrobotanical
3. Ceramic
4. Wood
5. Chipped Stone
6. Ground Stone
7. Fauna
8. Building Materials
9. Dating Sample
10. Shell

Site Name Keywords

1. Vodopadnaya 2
2. Drobnyye
3. Ryponkicha
4. Ekarma
5. AZ U:15:61 (ASM)
6. Ainu Bay 1/2
7. AZ U:15:59 (ASM)
8. Flying Fish – LA 37767
9. Rasshua
10. AZ U:10:6 (ASM)

Site Type Keywords

1. Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
2. Domestic Structures
3. Settlements
4. Archaeological Feature
5. Artifact Scatter
6. Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
7. Non-Domestic Structures
8. Resource Extraction/Production/Transportation Structure or Features
9. Hamlet / village
10. Hearth

General Keywords

1. Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, NM
2. Aztec West Ruin
3. Macrofloral Analysis
4. Perishable Artifacts
5. Pollen Analysis
6. Masonry Roomblock
7. Masonry Architecture
8. Masonry Pueblos
9. Architecture Analysis
10. Architectural Assessment

People or Institutions Referenced within tDAR Records

1. Kathryn Puseman
2. Linda Scott Cummings
3. R.A. Varney
4. Gary Brown
5. Lori Reed
6. Laurie Webster
7. Aztec Ruins National Monument, Aztec, NM
8. Anne Grulich
9. Chad Yost
10. Joel Gamache

Add your files to tDAR today, and look for them on our most popular list of 2013.   We wish you a prosperous and healthful new year!  

• Learn more about the origins of the Maya Calendar
• Read about the longest surviving Maya text
• How the maya managed water control in the face of climate change
• Investigate the central ceremonial precinct of the Blue Creek site, a middle Pre-Classic through Terminal Classic period Maya center in northwest Belize.

• Regularly and systematically check the files in the tDAR repository to ensure that no deterioration has occurred.
• If file deterioration is detected, take steps to remedy it.
• Periodically migrate and/or refresh the digital files to provide for their long-term accessibility and preservation.
• Plan for obsolete technology.
• Maintain files in open and preferable formats, and accommodate new industry standards for archaeological information.
• Store rich descriptive metadata with objects.