<< News >> Fighting to save fragments of history
Submitted by coldrum on Tuesday, 01 August 2006 Page Views: 1089
DiscoveriesCountry: United States As nearby hillsides were covered with orange flames and thick black smoke, two archaeologists stared with wonder - not up at the raging forest fire but down at three prehistoric stone grinding tools they had just discovered on the ground."Look at these artifacts - they are as well preserved as anything you could ever find," archaeologist Richard Jenkins said as he examined a mortar stone with a perfectly rounded indentation. "This whole settlement is in great shape. It's survived for hundreds of years. Hopefully it will make it through this fire without major damage."
As about 2,000 of their colleagues at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were fighting the Canyon fire all last week, Jenkins and Chuck Whatford searched the fire scene in the rugged mountains east of San Jose looking for archaeological sites worth documenting and -- if possible -- saving.
Jenkins and Whatford are two of six CDF archaeologists who document prehistoric and historic sites for firefighters to be aware of when fighting a wildland fire. On Friday, they used pink tape to warn their colleagues about three archaeological sites that were directly in the path of the Canyon fire.
"The CDF wants to be aware of these sites and to avoid damaging them," said Jenkins. "We're not going to endanger lives or property to save an unexcavated site. But we might adjust how we use our bulldozers if we know we're near a sensitive site."
More: SFGate
Old As The Hills, Jewellery dating back 30,000 years found in Czech Republic >>
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.