Mapping the ancient anasazi roads of southeast Utah

About a decade ago archaeologists became aware for the first time of the existence of Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) roadways within the canyons of Southeast Utah. by walking many miles of canyon landscape, they have tentatively identified an extensive network of 'road'segments-well-defined pathways up to 10 meters wide- connecting the major Anasazi settlements of Southeast Utah. The discovery of road network, which now total over 100 kilometers in length, led to the identification of other previously unknown archaeological sites associated with it. These include nearly two dozen shallow depressions up to 20 meters in diameter, likely to contain the remains of large ceremonial rooms (great kivas) typical of the late 11th and early 12th century AD Ancestral Pueblo culture. The road network, which resembles the Ancestral Pueblo roads in and near Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, has never been fully delineated, in large part because of the extensive labor involved to verify the road segments on foot, but also because they are often too shallow to see from ground level. Because these features extend over a wide geographical expanse, remote sensing from spacecraft is an ideal technique for mapping them, preparatory to detailed ground examination. This paper describes the use of high-resolution Ikonos satellite imagery to document the roads and the significant archaeological features found along or near them. It also explores the use of these techniques for managing significant cultural landscapes in the face of substantial destructive pressures. The project employed a combination of intensive ground examination using a digital video system incorporating precise geographic coordinates by means of the Global Positioning System (GPS). We used the GPS-video camera not only to record the appearance and position of road segments, but also to document natural landscape features but also each item of archaeological significance associated with them. Archaeological features include simple rock circles, herraduras (thought to be ceremonial features), small and large dwellings, great kivas, and rock art sites. This technology allowed for the first time the rapid acquisition and incorporation of varied types of natural and archaeological data into digital databases. Further, because position data were acquired as an integral part of the data collection process, they were readily incorporated into the geographic information system (GIS) that we used in analyzing and displaying the sat