From the SAA

Today is the first day of the Society for American Archaeology meetings--well, no, the papers don't start until tomorrow, but today is the first day for gossip and chat. They are held this year in Puerto Rico, one of the loveliest places for a meeting, and I must admit the ocean may be an attractive distraction from papers. So far, many of the discussions I've had have been with people concerned about the way the public values--or rather, doesn't value--archaeology. What can we do to make the face of archaeology better understood? How can we combat legislative attacks on cultural heritage, or at least teach more people why it's important to preserve our cultural resources? These are the themes of the conversations I've had today. Pictures at 11:00.