Ceramics

Decorated ceramics are a key source of the highly refined chronological information that is essential to accurate, cost-effective archaeological research. Desert Archaeology’s specialists have made significant refinements to both the Tucson Basin and Phoenix Basin ceramic typologies, resulting in much finer chronological resolution than was possible before and major new insights into social change in the past.

James M. Heidke has been the lead pottery and clay figurine analyst at Desert Archaeology since 1988. Mr. Heidke has worked with precontact and Historic era collections from sites located throughout Arizona. His research has focused on ceramic typology and seriation, and their role in evaluating depositional integrity, temper-based studies of pottery provenance, as well as issues related to the organization of ceramic craft production and distribution, and container morphology and function, all using stringent quantitative methods. Selected publications may be found here.

Leslie Aragon has been with Desert Archaeology, Inc. since 2008. They assisted in the analysis of Hohokam ceramics from AZ T:12:1(ASM) in downtown Phoenix. Selected publications may be viewed here.

Nat Sullivan has been involved in archaeological work in Arizona and Colorado since joining the Arizona Site Stewards in 2009. They have been with Desert Archaeology, Inc. since 2021. In that time, they have conducted field and excavation work, as well as multiple types of laboratory work with an emphasis on existing records and collections. Mx. Sullivan has self-directed training in Native American ceramics with an emphasis on decorated wares of the Colorado Plateau and on Hohokam wares.

Analysis services for CRM professionals are available on a contract basis. Email us for availability, scheduling, and current rates.