During the blaze, however, bulldozers had to build fire roads. So, amid towering flames and thick smoke, archeologists strapped on yellow hard hats and set off on foot in front of the bulldozers. They say their finds in those August days, and in the weeks since, were astonishing. On one cliff side, they discovered an elaborate pictograph adorned with stars, a diagram that may depict a celebration of the solstice. Dozens of obsidian shards, scattered across patches of white ash, are evidence of widespread travel and trade.
Fire can be a useful archeological tool, experts say.
It is not uncommon for flames to clear vegetation obscuring artifacts. Although sites are sometimes destroyed, new finds have been made in the wake of a number of blazes. Last summer's extensive fires in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado exposed hundreds of archeological sites. But rarely do such finds fill in as many historical gaps as those discovered after the fire that ravaged the Dome Land Wilderness. This is about refining history, and there is still so much to learn.