The Role of Synthesis in American Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management as Seen through an Arizona Lens

Since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, American archaeology has been transformed from an academic discipline to a service industry that provides regulatory compliance. Much like the rest of the nation, Arizona has benefited from the identification and excavation of thousands of archaeological sites. We have learned much about what happened in the past. We have not, however, been as successful in synthesizing the new data into new understandings of why humans behaved as they did in the past and how such understandings can help society confront the key issues of our day. After reviewing the last 50 years of synthetic research in Arizona, I offer a path forward to integrate archaeology and archaeologists with other sciences and scientists to address critical issues whose solutions require a time horizon which only archaeology can provide.