Desert Archaeology

What Desert Archaeology does

Desert Archaeology, Inc. is a privately held cultural resources management (CRM) firm founded in 1982 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, with additional offices in Phoenix (Tempe) and Prescott. The firm delivers archaeological compliance services—including records review, surface survey, construction monitoring, excavation, data recovery, reporting, and public outreach—primarily to government agencies (federal, state, county, and municipal) and secondarily to private developers undertaking infrastructure, transportation, and land development projects across the Greater Southwest, with particular depth in Hohokam, prehistoric, and historical archaeology.

The firm's underlying capability stack integrates in-house laboratory analysis across specialist domains (bioarchaeology and osteology, ceramics typology, flaked and ground stone, historical materials, paleobotany and pollen, shell, and zooarchaeology) with a Graphics, Mapping, and Photography service line that produces aerial photography using UAVs, archaeological reconstructions, material culture illustration, and GIS-based mapping. Project delivery is performed by credentialed senior staff supported by the Arizona State Museum (for NAGPRA and burial recovery coordination) and the University of Arizona (for human remains recovery), and the firm is frequently engaged as a subcontractor to engineering primes such as Kimley-Horn, HDR Engineering, and AZTEC Engineering on Arizona Department of Transportation work.

Desert Archaeology generates revenue through negotiated, project-based professional services contracts with government and private clients, with pricing determined per engagement based on scope, location, complexity, and applicable compliance requirements (including Section 106 and NAGPRA). No standard pricing is publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales: direct engagement with procurement officials at government agencies and with engineering prime contractors, supplemented by technical publications and a Field and Lab Journal that supports top-of-funnel awareness among archaeology and CRM professionals.

Name

Desert Archaeology

Legal name

Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Website

https://desert.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Desert Archaeology is a Tucson-based cultural resources management firm founded in 1982 that provides archaeological survey, excavation, monitoring, and laboratory analysis services to government agencies and private developers across the Greater Southwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Resources Management

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAG

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJACAC

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

SECONDARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAKAGAN

History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Group Travel & Educational Travel Operators

Keywords

• Cultural resources management
• Archaeological compliance services
• Archaeological surveys
• Artifact and specimen analysis
• Construction monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cultural Resources Management Services: Project-based professional services for archaeological compliance including records review, survey, construction monitoring, excavation, and reporting. Revenue is generated through negotiated contracts with government agencies and private developers requiring cultural resources assessments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Desert Archaeology is a cultural resources management firm that delivers archaeological compliance services for infrastructure and development projects in the American Southwest. Its core offerings include records review, surface survey, construction monitoring, excavation, and reporting for cultural resource compliance, supplemented by in-house laboratory analysis of artifacts and specimens (bioarchaeology, osteology, ceramics, flaked stone, ground stone, paleobotany, shell, and zooarchaeology) and by graphics, mapping, and photography support services. Clients are primarily federal, state, county, and municipal agencies and private developers requiring regulatory compliance for projects affecting cultural resources.

Product overview

Desert Archaeology is a cultural resources management firm offering a unified portfolio of archaeological services. The core offerings include Cultural Resources Management (CRM) with sub-services for records review, survey, construction monitoring, excavation, reporting, and public outreach; Artifact and Specimen Analysis covering bioarchaeology, osteology, ceramics, flaked stone, ground stone, historical materials, paleobotany, shell, and zooarchaeology; and Graphics, Mapping, and Photography services including aerial photography, archaeological reconstructions, material culture illustration, and mapping. The company has operated since 1982 specializing in Southwestern cultural resources management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Resources Management Comprehensive cultural resources management services including records review, surface survey, exploratory excavations, and full-scale data recovery investigations conducted to meet government, scientific, and ethical standards for cultural resource compliance. Targeted at government agencies and private developers undertaking infrastructure and development projects in the Southwest.
• Artifact and Specimen Analysis Laboratory analysis services delivered by specialist staff covering bioarchaeology and osteology, ceramics, flaked stone, ground stone, historical materials, paleobotany and pollen, shell, and zooarchaeology. Used by archaeology projects that recover diverse collections of artifacts and specimens needing scientific identification, dating, and interpretation.
• Graphics, Mapping, and Photography Visual communication services for archaeological and professional audiences including UAV-based aerial photography, archaeological reconstructions, material culture illustration, and GIS-based mapping. Supports technical reports, publications, and public outreach for CRM clients and academic collaborators.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kimley-HornminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Desert Archaeology served as a subcontractor to Kimley-Horn on the Houston Mesa Road project, providing archaeological monitoring services as part of a larger infrastructure improvement contract. Kimley-Horn is an engineering and design consultancy that brings Desert Archaeology into projects as a specialized subcontractor.
• HDR Engineering, Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDesert Archaeology was contracted through HDR Engineering for ADOT work on Interstate 17 improvements. HDR serves as the prime contractor with Desert Archaeology providing specialized archaeological services as a subcontractor.
• AZTEC Engineering Group, Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDesert Archaeology worked as a subcontractor to AZTEC Engineering Group for ADOT on the Snowflake Passing Lanes project, providing archaeological investigation and data recovery services.
• Arizona State MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesert Archaeology coordinates with the Arizona State Museum for burial recovery and repatriation procedures when human remains are encountered during archaeological work. The ASM Repatriation Coordinator contacts descendant communities and oversees Burial Case Agreements that guide recovery procedures.
• University of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesert Archaeology frequently teams with the University of Arizona when human remains are encountered on projects. University staff and students trained in recovery and documentation of human remains assist in recovery and non-destructive documentation activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, environmental, and archaeology consulting firm that pursues large multi-disciplinary infrastructure and environmental review contracts. Relevant incumbent given CRM capability and overlapping public-sector client roster.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with large in-house cultural resources and environmental practice. Competes for the largest federal-aid infrastructure programs and competes indirectly with regional CRM firms like Desert Archaeology.
• Kimley-Horn: National planning and engineering consultancy; documented prime contractor on infrastructure projects (e.g., Houston Mesa Road) for which Desert Archaeology provides archaeological monitoring. Important channel-partner incumbent rather than a head-to-head CRM competitor.
• Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm with a sizable archaeology and cultural resources group serving federal, state, and developer clients across the U.S. Representative of large-scale CRM competition in the Southwest.
• HDR Engineering: Large global engineering consultancy that routinely primes infrastructure projects on which Desert Archaeology serves as archaeological subcontractor (e.g., I-17). Relevant incumbent given the documented prime/sub relationship and the firm's internal archaeology practice competing for some of the same scopes.
• Jacobs Engineering: Large professional services firm with significant environmental and cultural resources practice supporting federal and state infrastructure projects. Comparable incumbent for large prime contracts that include cultural resources as a sub-scope.

Direct peers

• Logan Simpson Design: CRM and environmental firm with significant archaeological services practice in the Intermountain West. Comparable in service portfolio (survey, excavation, reporting) and government-client focus.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: One of the largest U.S. cultural resources management firms offering archaeological surveys, excavation, and lab analysis nationwide. Directly comparable as a CRM specialist competing for similar government and developer contracts, though at meaningfully greater scale than Desert Archaeology.
• PaleoWest Archaeology: Cultural resources management firm specializing in Southwest archaeology with field and lab capabilities similar to Desert Archaeology. Head-to-head competitor for Arizona DOT and municipal CRM contracts.
• Statistical Research, Inc. Arizona-based CRM firm providing archaeological survey, excavation, and laboratory analysis across the Southwest. Closest peer by geography and service mix, competing for many of the same ADOT, BLM, and county clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/desert_arch
• Facebookfacebook.com/desertarchaeology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desert-archaeology-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desert Archaeology