Imagine researching a thriving population, and then one day they packed up and disappeared. This is what archaeologist Jeffrey Dean had to go through and study the ancient Anasazi people from the southwestern United States. In the passage “The Anasazi” from Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes. In this article, the reader learns about the Anasazi and their sudden disappearance in 1300 CE. In “The Anasazi”, the passage explains how researchers used technology and science to try and solve the mystery of the Anasazi’s disappearance, like the simulations Dean used and dendrochronology that helped figure out the climate at that period of time. One way researchers used technology and science to try to solve the mystery of the Anasazi was when…show more content… By the time 1300 CE rolled around, three-quarters of Anasazi agents had left the valley” (Hughes 20). This quote highlights that even with all of the data that the researchers inputted in the simulation only 34 of the agents were gone, not what the archaeological evidence shows, which shows that all of the people were gone by 1300 CE. This simulation has helped researchers see a few factors that contributed to the Anasazi’s disappearance, however as seen here other factors are also at play. Another way researchers used technology and science to try to solve the mystery of the Anasazi was when they used dendrochronology, the study and dating of tree rings. When using dendrochronology, researchers must match each pair of rings to the calendar years and match from tree to tree as there may be false bands created by dry spells, or tree rings could be missing due to insects stripping off the tree’s leaves. Narrow rings mean dry years or not that much rain and wide rings mean wet years meaning a lot of rain. In the article, the author says, “Dean analyzed tree rings in the
