GIS Use in the Reinterpretation of Archaeological Museum Collections: The Coombs Site, Boulder, Utah

Abstract

ABSTRACT GIS USE IN THE REINTERPRETATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM COLLECTIONS: THE COOMBS SITE, BOULDER, UTAH by Amanda van Woert Master of Arts in Anthropology Museum Studies Option California State University, Chico Fall 2011 Archaeological collections held in museums are underutilized in current archaeological research. The process developed in this thesis will allow researchers to reenvision these older museum collections so that they may be incorporated into modern research via GIS. To demonstrate this process a case study was developed using the ceramic collection of the Coombs Site in Boulder, Utah, where associated archaeological records have been maintained along side the artifacts in the collections of the Anasazi State Park Museum.